Bryan C. Hassel and Michelle Godard Terrell, Progressive Policy Institute June 3, 2004
Public Impact's Bryan C. Hassel and Michelle Godard Terrell authored, and the Progressive Policy Institute published, this superb 40 page review of the Arizona charter-school scene. As everybody knows, Arizona's high-profile and lightly regulated charter schools have proliferated, especially in the late 1990's, and now comprise one-quarter of all public schools in the state and enroll about 7.5 percent of all K-12 pupils. The state has been dubbed the "wild west" of the charter movement and viewed with awe or horror from tamer places. This report is a much needed, very careful, and magnificently balanced stock-taking that makes clear some of the tradeoffs and tensions that have arisen in the Arizona charter world. It also points to some important strengths and troubling weaknesses in that world and offers thoughtful recommendations for the future. You can find it online by clicking here.
