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ESEA: Charter Schools Grants - FY 2005


CFDA Number: 84.282 - Charter Schools

Program Goal: To support the creation of a large number of high-quality charter schools.
Objective 1 of 1: Encourage the development of a large number of high-quality charter schools that are free from state or local rules that inhibit flexible operation, are held accountable for enabling students to reach challenging state performance standards, and are open to all students.
Indicator 1.1 of 2: State legislation: The number of states that have charter school legislation.
 
Measure 1.1.1 of 1: The number of states with charter school legislation (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico)
Year Actual Performance Performance Targets
1995 12  
1996 19  
1997 27  
1998 31  
1999 38  
2000 38 40
2001 39 42
2002 40 42
2003 41 43
2004 41 44
2005 41 44

Source: Grantee Performance Report, Charter Schools Grantee Performance Report.

Frequency: Annually.

Next Data Available: May 2006

Data Validated By: On-Site Monitoring By ED.
Data are verified by U.S. Department of Education program staff through monitoring and technical assistance activities and by a review of data from the Center for Education Reform's Annual Survey of America's Charter Schools.

Limitations: There are substantial differences in the definition of charter schools among states. Some states count a single charter with multiple sites as single charter schools, while other states count a single charter with multiple sites as mutiple charter schools, causing variability in the counts reported by state educational agencies.
 
Explanation: We did not meet our target for 2005. Targets are based on previous growth trends, which have averaged 10 percent per year over the last five years. Growth in the number of charter schools is largely under the control of state legislatures that maintain authority to pass laws authorizing the creation and regulation of charter schools. While some states have reached capacity in terms of the number of charter schools allowed by their state laws, other states have successfully amended their statutes to allow for multiple authorizers and, therefore, greater flexibility. Additionally, some states have used the ''corrective action'' provisions under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for local educational agencies to convert low performing Title I schools into charter schools.
 
Indicator 1.2 of 2: Charter operations: The number of charter schools in operation.
 
Measure 1.2.1 of 1: The number of charter schools in operation
Year Actual Performance Performance Targets
1995
100
 
1996
255
 
1997
428
 
1998
790
 
1999
1,100
 
2000
1,700
2,060
2001
2,110
2,667
2002
2,431
3,000
2003
2,700
3,000
2004
2,996
3,000
2005
3,344
3,300

Source: Grantee Performance Report, Charter Schools Grantee Performance Report.

Frequency: Annually.

Next Data Available: May 2006

Data Validated By: On-Site Monitoring By ED.
On site monitoring by ED and data from the Center for Education Reform.

Limitations: Differences in the definition of charter schools (i.e., some states count multiple sites as single charters, while others count them as multiple charters) cause variability in the counts among SEAs. There is sometimes disagreement about numbers of charter schools in operation among the agencies that do the counting.
 
Explanation: We exceeded our target for 2005. Targets are based on previous growth trends, which have averaged 10 percent per year over the last five years. Growth in the number of charter schools is largely under the control of state legislatures that maintain authority to pass laws authorizing the creation and regulation of charter schools. While some states have reached capacity in terms of the number of charter schools allowed by their state laws, other states have successfully amended their statutes to allow for multiple authorizers and, therefore, greater flexibility. Additionally, some states have used the ''corrective action'' provisions under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for local educational agencies to convert low performing Title I schools into charter schools.
 

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