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Charter Schools

Charter schools are tuition-free, tax-funded public schools that have been given more flexibility and autonomy than district-operated schools. In California, most are run by nonprofit boards of directors. As of the fall of 2013, California’s 1,130 charter schools enrolled more than 500,000 of the state’s 6 million students.
July 20, 2017

Understanding California charter schools: a quick guide

Mikhail Zinshteyn
July 20, 2017

Betsy DeVos and teachers' union leader trade barbs

U.S. Education Secretary and American Federation of Teachers President's comments highlight division that exists between some school choice advocates and those who back traditional public schools.

Theresa Harrington
July 7, 2017

LA Unified's new board president calls for help to market district's schools

Rodriguez says Los Angeles should shut down poor-performing charters while successful ones can share their practices with the rest of the district.

Mikhail Zinshteyn
July 2, 2017

Votes coming on teacher tenure, for-profit charters, other key bills

Legislators must decide this month before they take August off.

EdSource staff
June 29, 2017

Trump's proposed cuts to education funding create friction in charter school community

By insisting charter schools are public schools, charter advocates are distancing themselves from Trump's proposed cuts to federal funding for public schools.

Louis Freedberg
June 21, 2017

Reed Hastings backs school board candidates, but opposes elected school boards

The Netflix co-founder who has donated some of the biggest sums to charter school causes in California since 2011 thinks elected school boards are holding back education progress in the United States.

Louis Freedberg and Mikhail Zinshteyn
June 20, 2017

Oakland charters more likely to enroll higher-performing students than district schools

About 30 percent of Oakland students attend charter schools – one of the highest concentrations of charter students in the state.

Mikhail Zinshteyn
June 19, 2017

New LA school board member says his election was not about 'the proliferation of charters'

Nick Melvoin says "victory" for him over the next few years would be "across-the-board improvements in the district," not charter growth.

Louis Freedberg
June 18, 2017

New LA school board member says strengthening district schools her first priority

Kelly Gonez was backed by charter school advocates, but says expanding the number of charters is not what she is interested in doing.

Mikhail Zinshteyn
June 13, 2017

DeVos says some charter school 'reformers' have become 'just another breed of bureaucrats'

The U.S. education secretary says the movement has departed from its founding principles of creativity and innovation.

Louis Freedberg
June 13, 2017

In a city of charters, the LA school district runs many of them

Unlike independent charters, affiliated charters’ student discipline policies match the district’s. They operate out of district buildings that they don’t have to pay for and the district covers their administrative expenses. Affiliated or dependent charters are “really connected to the mother ship,” said José Cole-Gutiérrez, director of the L.A. Unified’s charter school division, the body that oversees both groups of charters.

Mikhail Zinshteyn
May 30, 2017

LAUSD election, new data provide momentum for charter schools

New research shows that charter schools are improving the achievement of the predominantly minority and low-income students in Los Angeles Unified School District.

Lance Izumi
May 24, 2017

Election aftermath: Don't expect to see big increases in LA charter schools

Expanding charters will exacerbate L.A. Unified's major challenges, including a prospective budget deficit and declining enrollment.

Louis Freedberg and Mikhail Zinshteyn
May 17, 2017

Charter-backed candidates win majority on L.A. Unified school board

The race for the three board seats generated nearly $17 million in campaign spending.

Mikhail Zinshteyn
May 15, 2017

Drive to increase charter enrollments triggers massive spending in LA school board race

Los Angeles Unified is at the epicenter of the charter school conflict.

Louis Freedberg