CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• The Public Charter Schools Program and the Charter School Movement
• SRI International--Evaluation of the PCSP
• Broad Research Questions
• The Growth of the Charter Movement
• Organization of the Report

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE EVALUATION AND THE YEAR 1 REPORT

• The Public Charter Schools Program
• The Charter School Movement
• Research Questions and Data Sources
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Organization of the Report

CHAPTER 2: THE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS PROGRAM (PCSP)

• Evaluation Theme 1: Like the charter school movement itself, the Public Charter Schools Program has grown and matured since its implementation in 1994.
• Evaluation Theme 2: Public Charter Schools Program funds flow as Congress and the U.S. Department Education intended󡳠grants to states and then directly to charter schoolsas subgrants. Overall, 95 percent or more of PCSP funds are spent at the charter school level.
• Evaluation Theme 3: In addition to providing financial support, the Public Charter Schools Program has provided national leadership in the charter school movement through policy-setting, research, networking, and technical assistance to the field.

CHAPTER 3: FLEXIBILITY

• Evaluation Theme 4: States, in general, are working toward increasing the avenues available to charter applicants, either by expanding the types of agencies that can charter or by loosening limits on the numbers of schools permitted.
• Evaluation Theme 5: Reports from states and charter school authorizers suggest that charter schools have certain freedoms that other public schools do not, but that they are also subject to many of the same regulations and requirements. Perceptions of these freedoms differ between state and charter school authorizer respondents, and among charter school authorizers.

CHAPTER 4: ACCOUNTABILITY

• Evaluation Theme 6: Both states and charter school authorizers are establishing processes to hold charter schools accountable, often focusing on student achievement.
• Evaluation Theme 7: States and charter school authorizers have many corrective actions at their disposal; most have been used in moderation.

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION PLANS FOR YEAR 2 AND YEAR 3

• How does the PCSP encourage the development of charter schools?
• How do state PCSP grantees and charter school authorizers encourage the development of charter schools?
• How do federally funded charter schools/school planners use their PCSP subgrants?
• What are the characteristics of charter schools and the students and families who are involved with them?
• What flexibility provisions are charter schools granted?
• How do charter schools measure student performance, and are charter school students making progress on these and other measures?

REFERENCES

Appendices

EXHIBITS

• Exhibit 1: Number of Charter Schools and Charter School States
• Exhibit 1-1: Number of Charter Schools and Charter School States
• Exhibit 1-2: Research Questions and Data Sources
• Exhibit 1-3: Types and Numbers of Charter School Authorizers in Year 1 Sample
• Exhibit 1-4: Mean Number of Schools Chartered, by Type of Charter School Authorizer
• Exhibit 1-5: Location and Type of Focus Groups
• Exhibit 1-6: List of Themes by Chapter
• Exhibit 2-1: PCSP Appropriations and Number of State Grantees: 1995-99
• Exhibit 2-2: Annual Summary Statistics on Size of PCSP Grants
• Exhibit 2-3: Reported Sources of Charter School Start-Up Funds
• Exhibit 2-4: Number of PCSP Subgrants Awarded, by State and Year
• Exhibit 2-5: Number and Proportion of States with Specific Criteria for Determining Subgrant Funding Levels
• Exhibit 2-6: Eligibility Criteria for PCSP Planning Subgrants
• Exhibit 2-7: Sources of Technical Assistance in Preparing Applications
• Exhibit 2-8: Sources of Technical Assistance in Preparing Reports
• Exhibit 3-1: Types of Agencies Permitted to Charter
• Exhibit 3-2: States with Statewide Caps and Number of Charters Opened
• Exhibit 3-3: How State Laws are Waived for Charter Schools
• Exhibit 3-4: Types of Freedoms Granted to Charter Schools, as Reported by States
• Exhibit 3-5: Charter School Authorizers' Reports of Charter School Control
• Exhibit 3-6: Extent to Which Charter Schools Control Policies and Decisions Related to Finance and Management, by Type of Authorizer
• Exhibit 4-1: State Reporting Requirements for Charter School Authorizers
• Exhibit 4-2: Proportion of Charter Schools with Measurable Goals, as Reported by Charter School Authorizers
• Exhibit 4-3: Agencies Identified by State Coordinators as Responsible for Ensuring Accountability
• Exhibit 4-4: Roles and Responsibilities of Charter School Authorizers, as Reported by States
• Exhibit 4-5: Importance of Program Elements in Decision to Issue a Charter, as Reported by Charter School Authorizers
• Exhibit 4-6: Changes Required and Denial of Applications Relating to Particular Program Elements
• Exhibit 4-7: Areas Monitored by Charter School Authorizers
• Exhibit 4-8: Existence of Written Policies, by Type of Charter School Authorizer
• Exhibit 4-9: Charter School Authorizers with Separate Office and/or Staff Dedicated to Charter Schools, by Type of Charter School Authorizer
• Exhibit 4-10: Percentage of Time Spent on Charter Schools, by Type of Charter School Authorizer