Subject: Charter Schools Closure Rate Tops 15 Percent
From: "The Center for Education Reform" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:33:48 -0800

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2011
                                            
Contact: Robert Fanger
800-521-2118
[email-masked]

                                Charter Schools Closure Rate Tops
15 Percent

WASHINGTON, DC -- Refuting assumptions and statements by
opponents and proponents alike about the state of America's
charter schools, The Center for Education Reform released today
an unprecedented analysis of and data documenting the high level
of accountability that marks the nation's charter schools. The
report The State of Charter Schools: What We Know - and What We
Do Not - About Performance and Accountability finds that charter
schools historically have experienced a 15 percent closure rate. 
                                
The report is the first-ever national analysis regarding the
number of charter schools that have closed since 1992, the basis
by which authorizers ensure performance-based accountability. 
                                
"All too often, supporters and opponents of charter schools claim
that bad charter schools don't close," said Jeanne Allen,
president of The Center for Education Reform. "The truth is
charter schools that don't measure up are closing at a rate of 15
percent. Regrettably, the same can't be said for traditional
public schools." 
                                
ADDITIONAL REPORT FINDINGS:  
                               
•Of the approximately 6,700 charter schools that have ever
opened across the United States, 1,036 have closed since 1992.
There are 500 additional charter schools that have been
consolidated back into the district or received a charter but
were unable to open.  

• There are five primary reasons for charter closures -
financial (41.7 percent), mismanagement (24 percent), academic
(18.6 percent), district obstacles (6.3 percent) and facilities
(4.6 percent). 
                               
• Most charter schools that close for financial or operational
deficiencies do so within the first five years, or within their
first charter contract. Failing to produce audits, or conduct
basic, required oversight is a sure sign that the charter school
leaders are not capable of leading a strong organization.
Academic closures usually take longer because it takes the whole
charter term to gather enough sound data and make proper
comparisons.  
                               
• The correlation between strong charter school laws,
accountability and effective charter schools cannot be emphasized
enough. Independent authorizers have full control over how they
evaluate charter schools and have their own staff and funding
streams. This enables them to create streamlined, effective tools
to manage their portfolio of charter schools and close those that
are not living up to their contract.
                                
"The quality of charter schools in the U.S. is not as simple as
saying 'there are too many bad charters out there,'" said Allen.
"The real story about charter school closures and accountability
is that strong state charter laws and strong authorizers give
schools a better chance at success because they hold them
accountable and can offer them tools to succeed."

Watch the Live Webcast (starts at 10:30 am) at
http://www.edreform.com/the-state-of-charter-schools/

DOWNLOAD the full report at
http://www.edreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/StateOfCharterSchools_CER_Dec2011-Web-1.pdf

DOWNLOAD the state-by-state breakdown at
http://www.edreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CER_FINALClosedSchools2011.pdf.

                            

                                 

                            
                                -30-

                            

                            

                                CER, since 1993, is the leading
voice and advocate for lasting, substantive and structural
education reform in the U.S. Additional information about the
Center and its activities can be found at www.edreform.com.

                            

                            
                                
                                The Center for Education Reform
                                (tel) 800-521-2118 &bull;
301-986-8088 &bull; (fax) 301-986-1826
                                [email-masked] &bull;
www.edreform.com

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