Last reviewed September 2010
Resources on Minnesota Issues
Charter Schools
This guide is compiled by staff at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library on a topic of interest to
Minnesota legislators. It is designed to provide an introduction to the topic, directing the user to a variety
of sources, and is not intended to be exhaustive. In particular, it is focused on items available in the
Legislative Reference Library.
The charter school movement began in 1988 when Albert Shanker, American Federation of Teachers President, called for the reform of the public
schools by establishing 'charter schools'. The basic charter concept is simple: a group of teachers or other would-be educators apply for
permission to open a school. The school operates under a charter, a contract with the local school board or state. Exempt from most
state and local laws and regulations, the school must prove that students have gained the educational skills specified in that initial contract
in order to renew the charter. The funding for charter schools parallels that of public schools.
In 1991, Minnesota was at the forefront of the nation in passing legislation to create the first legislated charter school.
(Laws of Minnesota 1991, chapter 265, article 9, section 3.)
This ground breaking Minnesota law allowed the formation of eight results-oriented, student-centered public schools. The first,
City Academy in St. Paul, opened its doors in 1992.
The Minnesota Association of Charter Schools reports that during the 2009/2010 school year, there were 152
operating charter schools in Minnesota enrolling 35,000 students. Nationally, there are more than 5,000 charter schools
enrolling over 1.5 million children, according to the Center for
Education Reform.
In 2008, several analyses of Minnesota charter schools raised questions about the schools' administration and performance. In May, the
Minnesota Department of Education issued a report
based on a site visit of the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy. The review was completed after media reports questioned the school's compliance with Minnesota law requiring charter schools
to operate in a nonsectarian manner. In June, the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor issued,
Charter Schools: Evaluation Report. The report recommended
strengthening oversight and accountability requirements in Minnesota law. Finally, the report, Failed Promises: Assessing
Charter Schools in the Twin Cities, issued in November 2008 by the Institute on Race and Poverty, found that Minnesota charter
schools perform worse on average than comparable public schools and that they have intensified racial and economic segregation in Twin Cities schools.
The 2009 Minnesota Legislature responded to these concerns by passing a law that provides additional oversight of charter school administration,
operations, and finance. (Laws of Minnesota 2009,
chapter 96, article 2, section 41.)
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
The Minnesota Legislature established outcome-based/charter schools as a part of the 1991 Omnibus K-12 Education
Finance Bill (House File 700/Senate File 467, Laws of Minnesota 1991,
chapter 265, article 9, section 3). Prior to being incorporated into House File 700, this issue was discussed in hearings on House File 773/Senate File 630.
Over the years the law has been amended several times. These amendments are referenced in the history section at the end of
Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.10.
The 2009 legislature amended Minnesota's charter school law to provide additional oversight of charter school operations.
(Laws of Minnesota 2009,
chapter 96, article 2, section 41.)
SIGNIFICANT BOOKS AND REPORTS:
Accountability Report 2009: Charter Schools. Washington, D.C.: Center for Education Reform, 2009. (LB2806.36 .A23 2009)
Charter High Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of Education, 2006. (LB2806.36 .C41 2006)
Charter School Law Ranking and Scorecard 2010. Washington, D.C.: Center for Education Reform. (LB2806.36 .R33 2009)
Charter Schools: Evaluation Report. St. Paul: Office of the Legislative Auditor, 2008. (LB2806.36 .C42 2008)
Evaluation of Charter School Impacts. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education, 2010.
Evaluation of the Public Charter Schools Program: Final Report. Washington, D.C.: SRI International, 2004. (LB2806.36 .E93 2004)
Failed Promises: Assessing Charter Schools in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis: Institute on Race and Poverty, November 2008. (LB2806.36 .F35 2008)
Financial Trends of Minnesota School Districts and Charter Schools For the Period 2001 to 2005. St. Paul: Office of the State Auditor, 2006. (LB2826.M6M563 2006)
Fitzgerald, John. Checking in on Charter Schools: An Examination of Charter School Finances. St. Paul: Minnesota 2020, 2009. (LB2806.36 .F58 2009)
K-8 Charter Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Education, 2007. (LB2806.36 .K2 2007)
Larson, Lisa. Charter Schools. St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives, House Research Department, 2005. (LB2806.36 .L37 2005)
Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States. Stanford, CA: Center for Research on Education Outcomes, Stanford University, 2009. (LB2806.36 .M85 2009)
Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing. Alexandria, VA: National Association of Charter School Authorizers, 2009.
Profiles of Minnesota Charter Schools. Center for School Change, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn.
The Quest for Accountability: The State of Charter Schools in 2003. (LB2806.36 .Q47 2003)(Compiled from 73 financial audits of Minnesota Charter Schools - Fiscal Year 2002.)
Schroeder, Jon. Ripples of Innovation: Charter Schooling in Minnesota, the Nation's First Charter School State. Washington, D.C.: Progressive Policy Institute, 2004. (LB2806.36 S37 2004)
Special Education Primer for Charter Schools. St. Paul: Minnesota Dept. of Education, 2009. (LB2806.36 .S64 2009)
Supporting Charter School Excellence Through Quality Authorizing. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Education, 2007. (LB2806.36 .S87 2007)
Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy: Findings Report From MDE Staff Site Visits, April 24 and May 2, 2008. St. Paul: Minnesota Dept. of Education, 2008. (LB2806.36 T37 2008)
SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES:
Boldt, Megan. "Charters Face More Stringent State Rules: Concerns About Money, Oversight Make Schools a High Legislative Priority". St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 19, 2009.
Budde, Ray. "The Evolution of the Charter Concept." Phi Delta Kappan, September 1996, p. 72(2).
Buddin, Richard, Ron Zimmer. "Student Achievement in Charter Schools: A Complex Picture." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Spring 2005, p. 351-371.
"Charter Schools: The Experiment Continues - As It Should". St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 1, 2008.
Draper, Norman. "Legislators Plan to Overhaul Charter School System". Star Tribune, January 22, 2009.
Johns, Emily and Patrice Relerford. "Minnesota's Charter Schools Fall Short of Expectations". Star Tribune, December 1, 2008.
Mahmoud, Eric and Joe Nathan. "Replicate Rather Than Restrict Minnesota's Most Successful Charters". Minnesota Journal, January/February 2009, p. 11-12.
VanderHoff, James. "Parental Valuation of Charter Schools and Student Performance". Cato Journal, Fall 2008, p. 479-493.
Zhang, Yahong and Kaifeng Yang. "What Drives Charter School Diffusion at the Local Level: Educational Needs or Political and Institutional Forces?". Policy Studies Journal, November 2008, p. 571-591.
SIGNIFICANT INTERNET RESOURCES:
Center for Education Reform, Charter School Profiles - Provides state profiles, state laws, statistics, and links to recent research.
Edweek.org Research Center: Charter Schools - Links to a variety of articles.
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools - Provides charter school information by state, including maps of school locations.
US Charter Schools - Find state-specific information and recent reports.
Links to education information are found on the Library's Links to the World Education (K-12) page.
ADDITIONAL LIBRARY RESOURCES:
Check the following codes in the Newspaper Clipping File and the
Vertical File:
E12.6 - Education-Administration and Organization of Schools
For additional articles, check the following Inside Issues headings:
Education-K-12 - Charter Schools, Education-K-12 - Administration
For additional reports at the Legislative Reference Library, use these
Library catalog searches:
Charter Schools
GROUPS INVOLVED WITH THIS ISSUE: