Students of Online Schools Are Lagging

"The number of students in virtual schools run by educational management organizations rose sharply last year, according to a new report being published Friday, and far fewer of them are proving proficient on standardized tests compared with their peers in other privately managed charter schools and in traditional public schools."

Profits and Questions at Online Charter Schools

"Agora is one of the largest in a portfolio of similar public schools across the country run by K12. Eight other for-profit companies also run online public elementary and high schools, enrolling a large chunk of the more than 200,000 full-time cyberpupils in the United States."

Troubled Schools Try Mimicking the Charters

"In the first experiment of its kind in the country, the Houston public schools are testing whether techniques proven successful in high-performing urban charters can also help raise achievement in regular public schools."

What Happens When Charter Schools Fail?

"Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Martha Woodall details her ongoing investigation into Philadelphia's charter school system, where 19 of the 74 charter schools operating in the city are under investigation for fraud, financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest."

Bill Gates Interview: Charters Should Lead Innovation

"The Microsoft founder sat down with Education Week at the National Charter Schools Conference in Chicago to discuss innovation, technology, and his foundation's influence on school policy."

The Unknown World of Charter High Schools

"Charter schools have become a popular alternative to traditional public schools, with some 5,000 schools now serving more than 1.5 million students, and they have received considerable attention among researchers as a result."

Can Inner-City Charter School Succeed? Students say 'YES'

"More than 90% of YES Prep students are first-generation college-bound; 80% come from low-income families and 96% are Hispanic or African-American. Most students enter the charter school at least one grade level behind in math and English."

Charter Schools: Two Studies, Two Conclusions

"This year, two major studies offer contradictory conclusions on a movement that now counts more than 5,000 charter schools nationwide, including dozens in the District and Maryland and a handful in Virginia."