Charter schools in Pennsylvania

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Charter schools in Pennsylvania are public schools operated independently of public school systems, either by nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Although they are largely publicly funded, charter schools are exempt from many of the requirements imposed by state and local boards of education regarding hiring and curriculum. As public schools, charter schools cannot charge tuition or impose special entrance requirements; students are usually admitted through a lottery process if demand exceeds the number of spaces available in a school. Charter schools generally receive a percentage of the per-pupil funds from the state and local school districts for operational costs based on enrollment. In most states, charter schools do not receive funds for facilities or start-up costs; therefore, they must rely to some extent on private donations. The federal government also provides revenues through special grants. As of March 2017, 44 states and the District of Columbia had approved legislation authorizing the creation of public charter schools. Six states had not.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated 175 total charter schools in Pennsylvania in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 141,200 students.
  • Overall, charter school students accounted for 8.10 percent of total public school enrollment in Pennsylvania in 2015.
  • The Pennsylvania State Legislature approved the state's charter school law in 1997.

    • Background

    History

    The Pennsylvania State Legislature approved Pennsylvania's charter school law in 1997.

    The concept of creating public charter schools as alternatives to traditional public schools was first brought to public attention in the late 1980s by a small group of policymakers and educators. The notion gained traction in the early 1990s, and in 1991 Minnesota became the first state to pass a charter school law.[1]

    The National Conference of State Legislatures defines charter schools as follows:[2]

    “

    Charter schools are publicly funded, privately managed and semi-autonomous schools of choice. They do not charge tuition. They must hold to the same academic accountability measures as traditional schools. They receive public funding similarly to traditional schools. However, they have more freedom over their budgets, staffing, curricula and other operations. In exchange for this freedom, they must deliver academic results and there must be enough community demand for them to remain open.[3]

    		”
    —National Conference of State Legislatures

    Across the nation, charter schools have grown in number since the passage of the first public charter school law. As of March 2017, 44 states plus the District of Columbia had enacted charter school laws, and in 2013 it was estimated that 4.6 percent of all public school students attended charter schools. Performance results of charter schools nationally have been mixed, with some performing demonstrably better and others closing because they could not meet required standards.[2][4][5]

    In 1997, Pennsylvania passed its charter school law. The bill established the state's requirements for charter school creation and explained some of the differences and similarities between charters and traditional public schools. The bill also set forth the state's responsibilities towards charter schools, including funding and transportation requirements.[6]

    Participation

    According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated 175 total charter schools in Pennsylvania in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 141,200 students. Overall, charter school students accounted for 8.10 percent of total public school enrollment in Pennsylvania in 2015.[7]

    Charter schools, 2015-2016
    State Total number of charter schools Estimated enrollment Percentage of total public school enrollment
    Pennsylvania 175 141,200 8.10%
    Maryland 50 19,000 2.17%
    New York 257 125,800 4.66%
    Ohio 373 132,000 7.77%
    United States total 6,824 2,930,600 5.85%
    Note: The percentages in the column labeled "Percentage of total public school enrollment" were calculated by taking the estimated number of charter school students in a given state and dividing by the total estimated number of public school students in that state in 2015. Total public school enrollment estimates came from the National Center for Education Statistics.
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016

    Demographics

    See also: Charter school demographics and Demographic information for all students in the United States

    The table below presents information about the race/ethnicity of charter school students in Pennsylvania in the 2013-2014 school year, as reported by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. To facilitate comparison, the same figures are also provided for all public school students.[8][9]

    Enrollments by ethnicity, 2013-2014 (as percentages)
    Data sample White Black Hispanic Asian Other
    Charter schools in Pennsylvania 36.0% 44.0% 14.0% 3.0% 3.0%
    Public schools in Pennsylvania 69.1% 15.1% 9.5% 3.4% 2.9%
    Charter schools in the U.S. 34.9% 27.1% 30.0% 4.1% 3.8%
    Public schools in the U.S. 50.3% 15.6% 24.8% 4.8% 4.4%
    Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
    National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016

    State law

    Authorizers

    Charter school authorizers are, according to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), the organizations "designated to approve, monitor, renew, and, if necessary, close charter schools." NASCA has identified six primary types of charter school authorizers:[10]

    1. Higher education institutions (HEI)
    2. Independent charter boards (ICB)
    3. Local education agencies (LEA)
    4. Non-education government entities (NEG)
    5. Not-for-profit organizations (NFP)
    6. State education agencies

    The table below lists charter school authorizers in Pennsylvania as of June 2016. Click [show] to expand the table's contents.

    Enrollment regulations

    Pennsylvania charter schools are required to admit all applicants. If a charter school is full to capacity, the state uses a lottery system to determine who will be admitted when vacancies open. Discrimination is strictly prohibited, although preference may be given to students who reside within the charter school's district. Applicants may also be subject to certain restrictions of the school's charter: The school may focus on a particular grade level or age or area of concentration. Admission may then be determined by other criteria as set forth in the charter. An example of this is a performing arts-focused charter school that may require auditions from students in addition to standard admission criteria. Pennsylvania uses a lottery system to determine which waitlisted students enter charter schools when there are vacancies.[6][11][6]

    Funding

    In Pennsylvania, charter schools receive a portion of their funding from the state.

    Funding for charter schools differs from state to state, and even between districts within states.

    According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education,

    “ Charter schools will receive funds for operation from both the state and local level. Funding is provided by removing allocations that are not part of the operating costs of a charter school from the total expenditures per average daily membership of the school district of residence. School districts are provided temporary funding for the transitional costs of a district's students enrolling in a charter school and are provided payments due to the transfer of private school students to a public charter school.[6][3] ”

    Funding for charter schools essentially follows students from their district of residence based on average per-pupil spending of the previous year. For instance, rather than going to the traditional school to which a student would belong, the funding will instead be given to the charter school he or she is attending. If a student is a non-resident, that is, attending a charter school outside of his or her residential district, funding will come from the student's residential district.[11]

    Accountability

    See also: Accountability measures for charter schools

    Accountability is one of several hot-button issues for charter schools. Pennsylvania attempts to hold charter schools accountable by creating standard rules for renewal. If these rules are broken, one of three things may occur. The charter school may be closed immediately (or at the end of a school year), or renewal may be denied at the end of the school's contract. The third option is conditional renewal, requiring failing charter schools to meet certain benchmark requirements by certain deadlines, as determined by a local school board. If the school does not meet those requirements, the charter may be terminated. Grounds for termination of a charter include the following:

    • Violations of the school's charter, including failure to deliver guaranteed services or falling short of attainable goals.
    • Violations of the state's charter laws.
    • Failure to meet state standard requirements for public education.
    • Gross mismanagement of budget.
    • Violation of any other law, such as fraud.[11]

    Violations or shortcomings in charter schools can be determined during the renewal process, but Pennsylvania law also requires local school boards to review their charter schools annually. If problems are found then, measures can be taken to correct them. If a charter is terminated or denied renewal, it may seek an appeal. The appeal is made before Pennsylvania's commonwealth court.[11]

    Charter school law rankings

    In January 2016, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released a report ranking all of the nation's charter school laws. Pennsylvania's law ranked 27 out of 43. The organization ranked each state's law by considering what it called "20 essential components of a strong charter school law." The table below compares Pennsylvania's score with that of neighboring states. To access the full report, including methodology, click here.[12]

    Charter school law rankings, January 2016
    State 2016 ranking 2015 ranking Ranking difference 2016 score 2015 score Score difference
    Pennsylvania 27 25 -2 133 133 0
    Maryland 43 43 0 49 41 8
    New York 7 7 0 162 157 5
    Ohio 23 28 5 140 130 10
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016

    Issues

    Debate

    Proponents of charter schools such as the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools argue that, due to their freedom from some state oversight and regulation, they can adopt more innovative educational approaches. This allows them to cater to their particular higher-risk school age populations, which are generally composed of more minority and poor students. In addition, advocates argue that charter schools empower parents and improve traditional public schools through competition.

    Meanwhile, critics such as Diane Ravitch argue that charter schools have not been proven to produce significantly higher levels of academic achievement as promised. It is difficult to find data comparable to traditional public schools. Critics also contend that charter schools divert funds from traditional public schools, which continue to enroll significant majorities of public school students, thereby compounding problems at failing schools and generating unequal outcomes for students.[13]

    Funding inequity

    In 2014, the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform released a report identifying disparities between charter school funding and traditional public school funding. Examining 31 states, the researchers considered all sources of charter school funding, including public funds, grants, and philanthropic donations. Researchers found that charter schools received on average 28.4 percent less than traditional public schools. Tennessee's funding disparity was lowest at 0.1 percent, while Louisiana's was highest at 58.4 percent. The disparity in Pennsylvania was 31.9 percent, earning the state an F grade. Charter schools in the state received on average $5,844 less per pupil than traditional public schools.[14]

    Below is a chart that compares Pennsylvania's grade and funding disparity with those of surrounding states. To access the full report, click here.

    Charter school funding disparity by state
    State Grade District per-pupil revenue Charter per-pupil revenue Disparity in dollars Disparity in percents
    Pennsylvania F $18,339 $12,495 -$5,844 -31.9%
    Maryland F $19,101 $11,754 -$7,347 -38.5%
    New York F $23,210 $15,920 -$7,290 -31.4%
    Ohio F $11,764 $8,580 -$3,184 -27.1%
    Source: University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014

    Charter school management organizations and other groups

    See also: Charter school management organization

    There are several types of agencies and organizations that deal with charter school management and advocacy. In Pennsylvania, most charter schools are independent, or are run without the aid of any agency or organization. In the 2010-2011 school year, 104 charter schools, or 74 percent, were classified as independent. Twenty-three charter schools, or 16 percent, operated under charter management organizations (CMOs), and 18 schools, or 12 percent, operated under education management organizations (EMOs).[15]

    The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools is Pennsylvania's statewide charter school advocacy organization. The coalition strives to increase the quality and accountability for all charter schools in the state.[16]

    Innovation

    See also: Charter school innovation indicators and High-performing charter schools

    Charter school proponents argue that charter schools have the freedom to adopt more innovative practices, which in turn lead to improved academic performance. To get a sense of the level of innovation occurring in charter schools, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools surveyed charter schools across the country on the various innovative education practices they employed. In Pennsylvania, an average of 27percent of charter schools reported using innovative practices in the 2011-2012 school year. The table below displays the prevalence of a variety of innovative practices in Pennsylvania as a percentage of all charter schools in the state. The figures are compared with those in surrounding states.[17]

    Charter schools with innovative practices, in percents (2011-2012)
    State Extended day Extended year Year-round calendar Independent study School-to-work Higher education courses Average
    Pennsylvania 57% 39% 10% 26% 10% 22% 27%
    Maryland 23% 0% 15% 8% 8% 8% 10%
    New York 93% 57% 7% 5% 11% 5% 30%
    Ohio 53% 38% 13% 34% 17% 15% 28%
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014

    Ballot measures and legislation

    Ballot measures

    See also: School choice on the ballot and List of Pennsylvania ballot measures

    Ballotpedia has tracked no statewide ballot measures relating to school choice in Pennsylvania.

    Legislation

    The following is a list of recent charter school bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Pennsylvania state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

    Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Pennsylvania charter school. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Charter schools in Pennsylvania - Google News

    See also

    School Board badge.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Public School Review, "What is a Charter School?" accessed October 2, 2014
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Charter School Finance," accessed October 9, 2014
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ Center for Research on Education Outcomes, "National Charter School Study," accessed October 9, 2014
    5. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Total Number of Students," accessed October 9, 2014
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Pennsylvania Department of Education, "Senate Bill No. 123," accessed November 11, 2014
    7. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016
    8. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
    9. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016
    10. ↑ National Association of Charter School Authorizers, "Types of Authorizers," accessed June 6, 2016
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Education Commission of the States, "Charter schools state profile - Pennsylvania," accessed November 11, 2014
    12. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016
    13. ↑ The New York Review of Books, "The Myth of Charter Schools," November 11, 2010
    14. ↑ University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014
    15. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
    16. ↑ Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, "Mission," accessed November 12, 2014
    17. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
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