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Articles on Charter schools

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Teachers, students and supporters rally in front of City Hall in Oakland, Calif., in February. Jeff Chiu/AP

Teacher unions say they’re fighting for students and schools – what they really want is more members

Teachers’ unions often claim they are striking for better schools on behalf of students. A closer look at recent strikes suggests they are fighting for something else: membership.
Some charter school operators make profits by leasing space to themselves at unusually high rates. By Ilya Andriyanov from www.shutterstock.com

Charter schools exploit lucrative loophole that would be easy to close

Charter school operators have been capitalizing on lax laws that let them lease building space to themselves at above-market rates. A simple ban could end the practice, two education scholars argue.
Parents accompany their children to school on the first day back after a teachers’ strike in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Richard Vogel

Community schools score key victory in LA teachers strike

The Los Angeles teachers strike wasn’t just about teachers – it was also about community schools, according to an education scholar who serves as director of the UCLA Center for Community Schooling.
President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Mark Reinstein/www.shutterstock.com

George H.W. Bush laid the foundation for education reform

Though his education initiative staggered while he was in office, the late former President George H.W. Bush had an influence that continues to shape education policy, an education historian says.
Betsy DeVos, shaking hands at a school choice rally shortly before she became education secretary in 2017. AP Photo/Maria Danilova

DeVos and the limits of the education reform movement

The cycle of overpromising and disappointment has left donors, politicians and policymakers of all stripes looking to improve K-12 public schooling with an underwhelming track record.
First lady Melania Trump, Queen Rania of Jordan and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos talk with students at the Excel Academy Public Charter School last April. Principal Dana Bogle, on left. AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais

What we can learn from closure of charter school that DeVos praised as ‘shining example’

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos once called Excel Academy Public Charter School a ‘shining example.’ A Vanderbilt scholar explains why that description was woefully off target.
Cuts to the 2018 federal education budget jeopardize access for students from low-income families. Mattomedia Werbeagentur / Shutterstock.com

What Trump’s education budget could mean for students in poverty

Many of the programs being cut in the Trump-DeVos education budget serve low-income families – families that aren’t likely to benefit from the budget’s reallocation of funds toward school choice.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and President Donald Trump participate in a round-table discussion during a visit to Saint Andrew Catholic School in Miami. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Trump budget would abandon public education for private choice

The Trump administration’s new education budget cuts money from traditional schools and funnels it toward school choice. Is it a nail in the coffin for public education?
Enron stands as one of the most infamous examples of corporate fraud in history. Lack of regulation in the charter school sector is leaving some schools open to the same type of fraud. Reuters/Richard Carson

Is charter school fraud the next Enron?

Enron stands as one of the most infamous scandals in business history. With a growing charter school sector and lax regulation, the same kind of corruption and fraud is rearing its ugly head.
Rural schools are an often overlooked part of the public education system. Sascha Erni/flickr

The unique case for rural charter schools

Nationwide, 16 percent of charter schools are rural. Yet, somehow these key players are often overlooked.
Education Secretary-designate Betsy DeVos speaks in Grand Rapids, Michigan. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File

Who is Betsy DeVos?

Confirmed in a historic tie-breaking vote by Vice President Pence, Betsy DeVos will be the next secretary of education. Here’s what you need to know about her past legislative actions and proposals.
Are single-sex schools better? Franklin Park Library

Single-sex schools: Could they harm your child?

Separating girls and boys takes away opportunities to learn from one another. It also encourages stereotyping and sexism.
Suzi Ailes, right, and Kris Smith study schoolwork for SusQ-Cyber Charter School in their home in Milton, Pennsylvania. AP Photos/ George Widman

What cyber charter schools are and why their growth should worry us

What Betsy DeVos, an advocate of school-choice initiatives and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary, as well as the rest of us need to know about cyber charter schools.
Fethullah Gülen in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, Sept. 24, 2013. REUTERS/Selahattin Sevi

Fethullah Gülen: public intellectual or public enemy?

It may sound farfetched that a scholar living in Pennsylvania planned the overthrow of the Turkish government. But Turkey is demanding the U.S. extradite the Hizmet leader.
Do school voucher programs help improve educational outcomes? Lower Columbia College (LCC)

Do school vouchers improve results? It depends on what we ask

A recent study on school vouchers shows that the program may be harming kids’ academic achievement, at least in math. What’s missing here? Are test scores the only way to judge a program?

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