强力法=高绩效?——从立法角度看美国特许学校绩效责任制

美国各州的特许学校法因州而异,对特许学校的支持力度差异较大.本文从美国特许学校立法强弱与学校绩效之间的关系入手,以加州、纽约、德州三个具有代表性且立法等级不同的州进行比较,分析法律支持力度与特许学校绩效之间的密切关系,来说明立法支持对特许学校绩效的重要作用.     

强立法=高绩效?——从立法角度看美国开放入学政策绩效责任制

美国各州的开放入学政策因州而异,对开放入学政策的支持力度差异较大。本文从美国开放入学政策立法强弱与公立学校绩效之间的关系入手,以明州、缅因、阿拉斯加和夏威夷四个具有代表性且立法等级不同的州进行比较,分析法律支持力度与学校绩效之间的密切关系,来说明立法支持对公立学校绩效的重要作用。     

美国家庭学校运动的文化分析

家庭学校已成为全球性的运动。美国家庭学校的发展经历了一个从不合法到合法并被公众认可的过程。到20世纪80年代末90年代初，美国各州已相继以法律形式确立了家庭学校的地位和培养人的作用，并制定了相关的法律，组织有关的机构支持家庭学校教育。目前，家庭学校已在全美各州都取得合法地位。所谓家庭学校，又称为家庭为本的学校，不同于传统的家庭教育，     

美国各州家庭学校立法情况比较

家庭学校是当今美国一种重要的教育选择形式,目前在全美各州都已取得了合法地位。美国各州对家庭学校的立法情况不尽相同,根据控制程度的高低可分为四种情况。文章分别以伊利诺斯、加利福尼亚、俄亥俄和纽约州为例,对美国各州家庭学校立法情况进行了比较分析。     

解析美国特许学校的经费制度

特许学校是美国的一种新型公立学校,其经费来源有别于传统公立学校。本文首先分析了造成各州之间和一州之内特许学校经费差异的影响因素,在此基础上,介绍了特许学校收入的组成要素和各州特许学校经费制度的特征。这一制度与特许学校内外部的绩效责任也有着密切的联系,保证了特许学校对财政和经费负起直接的绩效责任。     

美国教育集团管理授权的制度分析及启示——基于美国《特许学校法》授权条款的研究

美国教育集团的管理是在法律保障下运行的。授权人制度是美国特许学校及特许学校管理组织保障学校及组织合理准入和公正问责的主要措施。通过对美国《特许学校法》授权条款的文本分析,揭示授权方的职责、评估与制裁以及授权方的经费支持等方面的内容,为我国中小学集团化办学的良性发展提供有益借鉴。     

美国特许学校面面观

自 1991年美国明尼苏达州创立第一所特许学校以来 ,到 1998年 9月 ,已有 34个州 (其中包括哥伦比亚特区 )通过《特许学校法》 ,开办的特许学校数量达 10 50所 ,仅在 1998年 9月新开设的特许学校就有 361所。不过各州分布不均 ,有些州虽然通过了《特许学校法》 ,但至今未开办特许学校 (这样的州有 9个 ) ,4 4 % (4 57所 )的特许学校集中在加利福尼亚州、密歇根州、亚利桑那州。至此 ,在美国公共教育中 ,一种新型的学校———特许学校蓬勃发展起来 ,为公共教育注入了一股新的活力。　　一、什么是特许学校特许学校是一种独立的公立学校 ,由美…     

美国特许学校的最新进展研究

美国特许学校是20世纪90年代基础教育改革中出现的新型公立学校。本文主要从学校规模、类型结构、各州分布情况、立法范围、学业成绩等方面进行描述,以求呈现特许学校近年的最新进展和发展趋势;并且对发展的动因、存在的问题及争议作出分析和说明。     

美国特许学校政策:论争与走向

从诞生之日起,美国特许学校就处在不同利益集团的博弈中,两大对立利益集团就特许学校的效能、责任和公平性等方面展开了针锋相对的论争。博弈使特许学校的发展呈现出许多不确定性。但基于美国政府的有力支持、特许学校法的修订和利益集团间的对话等理由,美国特许学校将会有一个比较好的发展前景。     

美国特许学校的运行机制探略

美国的大多数特许学校在有关学校管理运作的关键方面有主要控制权 ,但在学校财务、学生学业成就、教学实践方面及合同遵守方面也承担着责任。我们有必要从学校、学校主管部门和州联邦政府三个层面来探讨美国特许学校运行机制问题 ,以便对我国的学校改革有所启示。美国各州或联邦《特许学校法》都规定 :特许学校要为公立学校建立一种新的绩效制模式 ,希望通过创造一种改革动力来促进教育体制的自我改进。根据“通用教育绩效制原则” ,特许学校注重增加教育透明度 ,即特许学校倡导者们称之为“通过透明度带来绩效制”① 。传统公立学校使用的…     

Teacher Satisfaction and Turnover in Charter Schools: Examining the Variations and Possibilities for Collective Bargaining in State Laws

Charter schools see as many as one in four teachers leave annually, and recent evidence attributes much of this turnover to provisions affected by collective bargaining processes and state laws such as salary, benefits, job security, and working hours. There have been many recent efforts to improve teacher voice in charter schools (Kahlenberg & Potter, 2014), including engaging in some form of collective bargaining, but we know little about the possibilities dictated by state laws. Therefore, this article describes the possibilities and variations for collective bargaining by state and for different charter types (e.g., conversion vs. newly created charters), as well as laws that have the potential to improve teacher satisfaction in charter schools. Ideally, state laws and the collective bargaining process should provide the appropriate balance between flexibility for charter school leaders, teacher voice, and protections for teachers.     

Special Education in American Charter Schools: State level policy,practices and tensions

The US charter school movement is based upon the supposition that granting individual public schools increased autonomy from state and district rules and regulations in exchange for more accountability will foster the creation of innovative, effective and efficient schools. However, while state charter school laws free these schools from various state and district rules and regulations, the schools must still operate within the civil rights parameters legislated by federal statutes. Of particular import are federal laws that guarantee that children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education. Project SEARCH, a 3 year qualitative study of special education in US charter schools revealed that there is a fundamental philosophical gap between the individualised, autonomous nature of charter schools and the highly regulated nature of special education. The philosophical gap is complicated by some charter schools' inability to amass the fiscal and human capacity needed to meet the needs of individual children with disabilities.     

Two decades of charter schools: Expectations,reality, and the future

The first charter school law was passed in Minnesota in 1991 and with it, a new school reform movement began. After two decades, 41 states and Washington D.C. have adopted charter legislation. This special issue provides an opportunity for scholars to reflect upon the promises and limitations of charter schools and to offer policy advice for those in a position to influence future reforms. Together, the papers within this special issue examine the achievement effects of charter schools, their cost effectiveness, the competitive pressure created by charter schools, the degree to which charter schools are innovative and how some of the operational and policy features of charter schools may affect outcomes.     

Charter Laws

ABSTRACT

Charter laws have been the reform debate's path of least resistance. But the combination of regulatory barriers, open admissions, lack of consumer sovereignty, preferential funding of traditional public schools, and political control of prices means that charter laws may be irrelevant as reform catalysts, or worse. Even the strongest charter laws may offer a tempting, but ultimately unproductive, avenue of system change. Some critics argue that a charter option will expand the public sector, but not improve it much, and decimate the tiny, frail private sector. This article examines what charter laws have in commonconcerns about strongcharter laws.     

Why mission matters more for (some) charter principals

Reflecting post-bureaucratic organisation theory, education reformers intended charter schools to empower school-level leaders, most typically principals, with autonomy to pursue clear, student-centred missions. Yet little research explores whether charter school principals have more power than traditional public school counterparts. We summarise the limited literature addressing the issue. Second, we present findings from interviews with nine charter leaders from six US states who have experience in leading both charter and traditional public schools, a unique data set. Both prior research and our findings suggest that generally, leaders feel more likely to be held accountable for results in charter schools than in traditional public schools. Furthermore, without oversight from school boards and central office administrators, charter leaders report having more power over budget and personnel, and more ability to collaborate with teachers. At the same time, standalone charter leaders report needing business support and training, while those from charter management organizations feel free to focus on academic success.     

美国新兴特许学校的现状研究

美国在20世纪70年代提出了“特许学校”的思想,在90年代初明尼苏达州率先颁布第一部特许学校法,它标志着美国的特许学校运动走上了法制化的轨道。目前,全美已有37个州和两个地区都在进行特许学校的实际与探索。     

Considering Legal Identity as a Critical Variable of Interest in Charter Schools Research

ABSTRACT

Fifteen years ago charter schools were considered a radical addition to the public education landscape. Today they present a viable educational choice in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Much has been written about charter schools, their purpose, effectiveness, and future. However, to date, much of the dialogue has focused on ideology and methodology resulting in a discussion framed as “charter vs. noncharter.” Overlooked have been the more substantive issues that would provide a more accurate framework for studying charter schools. We propose that the education policy and research communities need to identify the critical variables in the charter schools sector that affect both student outcomes and education policy. One such major variable is the legal status of a charter school, that is, its identity as a local education agency (LEA) or as part of an existing LEA and the charter school's linkage to other parts of the public education system that flows from that identity. Differentiating charter schools according to their legal status will allow stakeholders to categorize these schools in a manner that succinctly captures critical differences. doi:10.1300/J467v01n03_11     

Charter School Attitudes and Practices in States with Diverse Public Sector Bargaining Laws

ABSTRACT

Virtually all state charter school legislation addresses teacher rights and working environment. Relationships with teacher unions are either specified in the law, or approval of the charter requires suitable provisions for employee hiring, firing, grievances, etc. Charter school evaluation almost without exception includes some references to these issues. This study uses an online survey to gather information gauging the effect of the ambient union environment on charter school practices and attitudes related to teacher rights and teacher participation in school administration and governance. In the first phase of a projected national study, three states were selected whose public sector collective bargaining environments are very different. Analysis of attitudes, practices, and demographics showed significant differences in views about teacher involvement in school governance, but little difference in views or practices concerning teacher unions in charter schools. Limited survey response resulted in collection methods which will be corrected in an anticipated national study. The online survey method of data collection is discussed. Implications for public policy and future charter school legislation are explored. Further studies should address variations in the impact of union involvement between public, private, and charter schools.     

美国特许学校兴起、纷争及动向

1992年以来,发展特许学校成为美国改善K12教育的重要创新举措,引起诸多利益相关者的强烈关注。在特许学校扩展进程中,不同研究对其是否为学生提供了有质量的教育,是否推动了传统公立学校改进,是否促进了教育机会公平等成效表现存在不同判断。当前,在教育自由选择理念的主导下,美国政府不断完善特许学校发展的政策支持体系,采取包括加大对特许学校财政资金的资助力度、强化对特许学校授权机构的问责、增强对特许学校质量评价的综合性等一系列针对性措施。