Robin J. Lake, Progressive Policy InstituteSeptember 2004
This insightful report serves as a worthy companion to the Indianapolis study noted above. Although Lake focuses on developments in Gotham, she also provides information about the growing charter movements in Rochester and Buffalo and generally offers a good overview of the Empire State's current charter scene. We see that the best charter schools in New York City are outperforming their district counterparts by a sizable margin, but we also encounter numerous problems and insightful ideas for solving them. Lake would have city policy makers integrate charter schools with other district schools, create many more charters, and use charter schools to meet the demands of NCLB. At the state level, she recommends streamlining the authorizing process and closing the funding gap between charter schools and traditional public schools. A nice piece of work, which you can find here.