CRPE says growth of Charters slowed

The number of charter schools increased nationally by about 4 percent between 2005 and 2007, a rate of growth that has slowed considerably since the 10 percent increase between 1994 and 1999."

This is drawn from a report titled, "Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2007." It was written by the National Charter School Research Project, a nonprofit organization that conducts research and provides information about charter schools for the general public.

CRPE director Paul T. Hill says,

Charter schools, like all schools, are difficult to run and need strong leaders. They require a lot from teachers and not all teachers are suited to them. They demand a lot from parents and students. They need as much money as the traditional public schools with which they compete—and they need to prove their merits on the same tests and outcome measures as other schools. Like traditional public schools, they also require strong oversight, both from governing boards and authorizers...They are a significant laboratory in which dedicated reformers can conduct small, powerful experiments to illuminate how to reshape governance, strengthen school culture, improve teaching and learning, and promote accountability and more options for families... charters now need to seize the opportunity that their laboratory status provides and demonstrate their ability to live up to their promise for distinctly different and more effective public schooling.