The Approval Barrier to Suburban Charter Schools
September 1, 2002
Contents
Foreword
Why have charter schools been largely confined to urban areas and not taken hold in suburban areas in most states? In this paper, Pushpam Jain, a professor of education policy at University of Maine, takes a close look at three states with high proportions of charter schools in the suburbsColorado, New Jersey, and Connecticutto see how they have managed to introduce charter schools there. He then examines one state with only a few suburban charter schoolsIllinoisto see what is blocking the spread of charter schools there.
His main finding is simple: if a state sets up a system for authorizing charter schools where the only authorizing body really doesn't want charter schools, there won't be many charter schools. Local districts tend to view charter schools as unwanted competition, so one shouldn't be surprised when they reject practically every charter application they receive. Where local districts are the primary, or sole authorizers, there won't be many charter schools, particularly in the suburbs.
When state policymakers want charter schools, and when the state retains a role in the charter approval processeither as primary authorizer or as appellate authorityone is likely to see more charter schools in the suburbs, as in Colorado, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Local school boards often oppose charter schools because they fear losing students and funds. Of course, one goal of the charter movement is to inspire traditional school districts to compete for students, but if there is no state appeals process to keep them honest, the local approval process can enable districts to thwart prospective competitors.
In the course of explaining why some states have more charter schools in the suburbs than others, Jain picks out a handful of suburban charter schools and explains how they came about, who created them and why, and what they look like today. These stories shed welcome light on why some suburban parents want charter schools and how they got them.
Chester E. Finn, Jr.
President, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
Washington, DC
September 2002