ERIC Number: ED426497
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1998
Pages: 101
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Variations on Autonomy: Charter School Laws in the Southwestern Region.
McGree, Kathleen M.; Mutchler, Sue E.
Advocates of charter schools claim that the degree of autonomy that legislatures grant charter schools plays a large role in the success of these schools. This report describes an analysis of how legislation in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas is transforming the concept of charter schools into an education-reform opportunity for educators, parents, and community members. The text focuses on the legislative variables that influence charter-school autonomy and how these variables serve as indicators of the degree to which state policy appears to promote the emergence of innovative schools. The booklet features three major sections. An overview provides a historical and conceptual context by describing charter-school laws and by presenting the framework for autonomy that guides the analysis of those laws. The second section offers three dimensions of school-site autonomy--autonomy from higher levels of government, autonomy inside the school, and autonomy of parents and students--and gives specific features of charter school law and different levels of detail. The last section highlights the similarities and differences in charter-school autonomy among all four state laws. An appendix offers technical information on the rationale, development, and use of the autonomy framework. (RJM)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Southwest Educational Development Lab., Austin, TX.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A