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This book presents the first published accounts and evaluations of the first free market in education in the U.S., Arizona charter schools.The charter school is fast becoming one of the most significant attempts at public education reform in this country. Over 1100 charter schools operate in twenty-seven states, with several hundred more to be added in the next two years. School Choice in the Real World looks at the charter school movement through a highly focused lens: it examines charter schools in Arizona, which currently account for nearly one-quarter of all charter schools. Using this state as a case study, the editors examine the experiences of actual charter school operators, social scientific analysis, policy discussions, and criticism and forecasting for the future.School choice is the most talked about reform of American public education, yet writings about choice remain highly speculative because no state has adopted a free market approach to education--until now. The charter school is fast becoming one of the most significant attempts at public education reform in this country. Over 1100 charter schools operate in twenty-seven states, with several hundred more to be added in the next two years. School Choice in the Real World looks at the charter school movement through a highly focused lens: it examines charter schools in Arizona, which currently account for nearly one-quarter of all charter schools.Since 1994, Arizona has implemented a charter school law with the lowest barriers to entry in the nation. As a result, Arizona has more than 200 charter school campuses. Some districts have even lost more than 10% of their students to charter schools. Using the state of Arizona as a case study, the editors examine the experiences of actual charter school operators, social scientific analysis, policy discussions, and criticism and forecasting for the future. The editors bring together academics, policy-makers, and practicioners, and they explain and evaluate how school choice works in the real world. ... Read more

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Chapters: Arizona School Stubs, Blue Ribbon Schools in Arizona, Boarding Schools in Arizona, Charter Schools in Arizona, Elementary Schools in Arizona, High Schools in Arizona, International Baccalaureate Schools in Arizona, Middle Schools in Arizona, Private Schools in Arizona, Canyon Del Oro High School, Salpointe Catholic High School, Brophy College Preparatory, Ironwood Ridge High School, List of High Schools in Arizona, Pueblo Magnet High School, Immaculate Heart High School, Corona Del Sol High School, Sabino High School, Bradshaw Mountain High School, St. Mary's High School (Phoenix, Arizona), Tucson High Magnet School, Centennial High School (Peoria, Arizona), Catalina Foothills High School, Phoenix Country Day School, Ironwood High School, Gilbert Classical Academy, Hamilton High School (Chandler, Arizona), Catalina Magnet High School, Tempe Preparatory Academy, Desert View High School, Chaparral High School, Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy, James Madison Preparatory School, Mountain Pointe High School, Xavier College Preparatory, Apollo High School, Highland High School (Gilbert, Arizona), Moon Valley High School, Saguaro High School, Coconino High School, Sahuaro High School, Thunderbird Adventist Academy, Safford High School, Deer Valley High School (Glendale, Arizona), Dysart High School, Chandler High School (Chandler, Arizona), Verde Valley School, Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, Basis Charter School, University High School, Mesquite High School (Gilbert, Arizona), Sandra Day O'connor High School, Patagonia Union High School, Notre Dame Preparatory High School (Scottsdale, Arizona), Imagine Prep at Surprise, Desert Mountain High School, Roberto-Venn School, Campo Verde High School, Tanque Verde High School, Williams Field High School, Shadow Mountain High School, Bourgade Catholic High School (Phoenix, Arizona), St. Michael High School, Seton Catholic High School, St. Augustine Catholic High School (Tucson, A...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2291733 ... Read more

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Chapters: Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards, Akimel A-Al, Arizona Charter Schools Association, Arizona Department of Education. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 17. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) is a standardized test administered by the state of Arizona. It is Arizona's implementation of Outcome-based education. All students in grades 3 through 8 and 10 are required to take the AIMS test. High school students take the tests for the first time in the spring of their sophomore year. To graduate, a student must meet the standard in all four categories of the test, which include Math, Reading and Writing and Science. If a student doesn't pass any one of the four tests then he/she can retake the test(s) in the fall or spring of their junior and senior year (5 tries altogether). Also if a high school student is from out of state he or she is not granted augmentation if they do not pass. According to a comparison of standardized tests, Arizona is second-to-last in the number of passing students among the fifty U.S. states. A cumulative score of at least 500 on each section denotes a passing performance. The more commonly recognized scores are on a scale of 1-4. The performance ranges on the AIMS are "falls far below the standard," (fail - score of 1) "approaches the standard," (fail - score of 2) "meets the standard," (pass - score of 3) and "exceeds the standard." (pass - score of 4) The Goldwater Institute noted that the state has lowered the passing bar or made content easier every year since 1999, with failure rates falling from about 60 percent in 2002 to 2004 to 30 percent in 2005. This defeats one of the main features of a criterion based test, the use of a fixed, unmoving standard that can be compared across years. Addi...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1796019 ... Read more

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Chapters: Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy, Deer Valley Middle School, Arizona Charter Academy, Desert Ridge Junior High School, Safford Middle School, Scottsdale Christian Academy, Santa Maria Middle School, Arizona, St. John Bosco Interparish School, Tucson Hebrew Academy, Rhodes Junior High School, L. W. Cross Middle School, Crossroads Community School, Mesquite Junior High School, Kyrene Altadena Middle School, Secrist Middle School, Carpe Diem E-Learning Community, Grand Canyon Elementary School. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 50. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy is a private college preparatory school in Tempe, Arizona. The school is located at 7541 South Willow Drive, Tempe, Arizona. Founded in 1997, Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy serves East Valley Students in grades six through twelve. The schools vision has been to create a school where students are people, not numbers on a roster sheet, and are entitled to an individual, quality education. The schools visionary charter predated school reform movements that are becoming part of the mainstream today. Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy has a more stringent graduation standards and requirements in the Humanities and Sciences, smaller class sizes, challenging curriculums, greater contact and feedback to parents, and a service learning requirement. The school has a student-faculty ration of 13 to 1. All of its graduates have earned college credit. Over the last six years, students at Grand Canyon Preparatory Academy have earned over 230 hours of cumulative college credit. Six graduates to date have received the Presidential Freedom Scholarship for their work in the community. Student performance on the Arizona AIMS has been excellent with a 100% pass rate. Grand Canyon Academy has been rate...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=25123220 ... Read more

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Chapters: Sedona Charter School, South Pointe High School (Phoenix, Arizona), Great Hearts Academies, Chandler Preparatory Academy, Scottsdale Preparatory Academy, Primavera Online High School, Paulo Freire Freedom School, Arizona Charter Schools Association, Satori Charter School. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 28. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Sedona Charter School (SCS) is a Montessori-based school for approximately 160 students in grades Kindergarten through 8th Grade. All of the grades are located at one location in Sedona, AZ, behind the Sedona Public Library, except the Kindergarten, which is located nearby. Sedona Charter School was founded in 1995 by 14 people as the second charter contract issued in the state of Arizona and is now the oldest charter school in Arizona. The school spent six years (19952001) in ten temporary locations while a permanent campus was built. In September 2007, Schooldigger ranked it #145 out of 941 public elementary schools in Arizona, giving it a 4-star ranking for its test scores. According to parents' reviews on greatschools.net, it has been rated a 9 out of 10 overall for its teachers and staff. As of 2006, 138 (81 percent) of the students are White/Caucasian, 21 (12 percent) are Hispanic, 8 (5 percent) are Asian/Pacific Islander and 4 (2 percent) are African American. The highest year of enrollment was in 2005, when a total of 185 students were enrolled. The students at Sedona Charter School have been involved in many different events throughout the community, including the constructing of the Oak Creek Canyon tent-house replica, at the Historical Society in Jordan Park, Sedona, AZ. They have also been competitors in the Arizona Archery in the Schools State Championships. The school has been a main contributor to the Sedona St. Patric...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=14493283 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Journal of Economic Issues, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2007. The length of the article is 8097 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Charter schools in Arizona: does being a for-profit institution make a difference?
Author: Kerry A. King
Publication: Journal of Economic Issues (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 41Issue: 3Page: 729(18)

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Chapters: Arizona Charter Academy, Rancho Solano Private Schools, Scottsdale Christian Academy, International School of Arizona, Richard B. Wilson K-8 School, St. John Bosco Interparish School, Kingman Grammar School, Tucson Hebrew Academy, Neely Traditional Academy, Crossroads Community School, Dorothy Stinson Elementary School, Jack Daley Primary School, Ruth Powell Elementary School, Lafe Nelson Elementary School, Littlefield School, C. E. Rose Elementary, New River Elementary School, Grand Canyon Elementary School, Kyrene de Los Lagos Elementary School, Highland Park Elementary, Lulu Walker Elementary School. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 62. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Arizona Charter Academy (ACA) is a coeducational, public charter school located in Surprise, Arizona, USA. The school population is largely from the cities of El Mirage, Surprise, Peoria, Youngtown and Glendale. ACA provides instructions for students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. The school's stated mission is to provide all students with purpose, character, and excellence in education through parental involvement, community collaboration and career exploration. ACA has been designated by the Arizona Learns Achievement Profile as "Performing Plus". It is also a candidate for accreditation by the North Central Association. In support of the mission statement of the school, ACA provides preparation for post-secondary education and career success to all enrolled students. This is accomplished by the offering of rigorous coursework as well as classes in leadership, career exploration and preparation for college. ACA offers all Arizona Department of Education-required courses in math, reading, language arts, technology and fine arts. ACA uses scientific research based curriculum aligned to the ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=18321274 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Church & State, published by Americans United for Separation of Church and State on February 1, 1997. The length of the article is 762 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Charter schools are increasingly becoming problematic as is evident from the controversies surrounding them in Arizona and Washington, D.C.. The Heritage Academy, a Mesa charter school, includes both creationism and evolution as part of its science curriculum. The charter of a Phoenix school, Citizen 2000, was revoked following the school's attempt to fabricate higher enrollment to muster an additional state aid of $250,000. Educational quality at the Marcus Garvey School has come under severe criticism and the ability of charter school students to gain admission to colleges is also suspect.

Citation Details
Title: Charter schools spark controversy in Arizona, D.C.
Publication: Church & State (Refereed)
Date: February 1, 1997
Publisher: Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Volume: v50Issue: n2Page: p17(2)

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Chapters: Coconino High School, Sedona Charter School, Grand Canyon High School, Grand Canyon Elementary School. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 20. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: United States Coconino High School is a public secondary school located in Flagstaff, Arizona (USA). Coconino High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is one of three high schools in the Flagstaff Unified School District. The school first opened its doors in September of 1967 to grades 10-12. The school's namesake is the name of the county in which it is located, Coconino County. Since its founding, the school building has been remodeled twice, once in 1977 and then again in 1989. In 1989 a major change occurred when ninth graders were added to make our school a ninth grade through twelfth grade grade configuration. Coconino High School serves most East Flagstaff neighborhoods and also serves a portion of the Navajo Nation. The school also serves the northern and eastern outlying suburbs and rural areas of Flagstaff, such as Doney Park and Winona. The ethnic makeup of the school is 55.1% White American, 26.1% Native American, 15.3% Hispanic American, 3.9% African American, and 1.2% Asian American/Pacific Islander American. Coconino High School has a student to teacher ratio of 31.2 to 1. Eighty-two percent of the school's faculty has ten or more years of teaching experience. Below is a list of percentages that represent the percent of students meeting or exceeding standards on the Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test. Coconino High School maintains a variety of after-school activities for students to participate in. Activities offered include the Coconino High School Student Council, SkillsUSA, All Stars, Aztecca, Drama, the Coconino High School chapter of the National Honor S...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=22857262 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Phi Delta Kappan, published by Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. on June 1, 2000. The length of the article is 5885 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Desert Bloom - Arizona's Free Market in Education.(charter schools)
Author: April Gresham
Publication: Phi Delta Kappan (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2000
Publisher: Phi Delta Kappa, Inc.
Volume: 81Issue: 10Page: 751

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This digital document is an article from Policy Studies Journal, published by Policy Studies Organization on September 22, 2001. The length of the article is 8625 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Coping with competition: the impact of charter schooling on public school outreach in Arizona.
Author: Frederick M. Hess
Publication: Policy Studies Journal (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2001
Publisher: Policy Studies Organization
Volume: 29Issue: 3Page: 388(17)

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Packed with all the same great information that Valley parents have come to rely on in previous years, the latest edition of Schools, etc. helps you understand the many options and differences among public, charter, and private schools.

New This Year: Preschools and post-secondary schools!Your child's education doesn't begin with kindergarten and it doesn't end with high school graduation. That is why Schools, etc.now includes preschools and post-secondary schools.

For those who may not yet be familiar with this excellent resource, here's a peek at some of the details included in the 144-page, comprehensive guide:
* Preschools: Tuition, ages, class sizes, school calendars, admissions procedures, educational focus, and more about 215 local preschools.
* Public School Districts: Profiles, school calendars, programs offered, unique features, and more about elementary, unified, and high school districts in Maricopa County.
* Charter Schools: Class sizes, school calendars, admissions procedures, educational focus, and more about 250 local charter schools.
* Private Schools: Tuition rates, class sizes, school calendars, admissions procedures, educational focus, and more about 130 Valley private schools.
* Distance Learning Schools: Curriculum and methods offered by private and tuition-free charter online-learning schools.
* Special Needs Schools: Challenges accommodated, educational approach, school calendars, tuition rates, and more about 28 local special needs schools.
* Maricopa County School District Map: Geographic boundaries for elementary, unified, and high school districts in metropolitan Phoenix.
* Plus! a comprehensive list of local and national educational resources!

Annual paperback periodical.

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Chapters: Bradshaw Mountain High School, Verde Valley School, Sedona Charter School, Spring Ridge Academy, Prescott High School. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 30. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Bradshaw Mountain High School -Bradshaw Mountain High School is fully accredited by the North Central Association Commission. It is a comprehensive high school serving 1,563 students in grades 9-12. Approximately 81% of the 265 students who graduated in 2007 planned to enroll in a college or university after graduation. All graduating students met or exceeded the state high school exit exam (AIMS) through proficiency or augmentation. Nine students exceeded the AIMS standards, thereby becoming eligible for full tuition throughout their four years at any of the state public universities. Approximately 21% of BMHS students have a Primary Home Language Other Than English, indicated as primarily Spanish. The high school is named after the Bradshaw Mountains, a mountain range in the Sonoran Desert of Central Arizona, USA located approximately 52 minutes from the campus. Bradshaw Mountain High School first opened in Dewey, AZ in 1975. Currently, it is the only high school in the Humboldt Unified School District in Prescott Valley. In 2005, a new campus, Bradshaw Mountain High School East, was opened due to perceived growth. Currently, the area functions as a preschool and a school bus parking area. BMHS currently has 86 full-time credentialed teachers and 3 part-time credentialed teachers. In addition to the teaching staff, there are 5 administrators, 4 guidance counselors, and 1 school psychologist. Of the faculty, approximately 50% hold Masters degrees, and 50% hold Bachelors degrees. There is a wide range of experience among the certificated staff with 34% having 10 or more years of expe...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=6759345 ... Read more

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In 1994, Arizona lawmakers took the first steps toward parental choice in education through the open-enrollment and charter school laws. Later, lawmakers added reforms such as scholarship tax credits (1997 and 2006) and limited vouchers (2006). With 13 years of experience in school choice experiments, the time has come for Arizona to take stock of the past and make plans for the future. This paper examines the progress of the existing Arizona school choice programs and makes recommendations for their improvement and expansion.

Research from Harvard, UCLA, and other institutions has shown that Arizonas choice programs have improved public school performance and led to faster learning gains for students exercising choice.

Research also shows that choice programs are not plagued by some of the pitfalls critics feared. For instance, data show that parents are not motivated by segregationist impulses in choosing schools outside of their assigned public schools. Rather, parents choose schools with higher test scores.

Despite the promise of school choice, the pace of charter school openings has stalled in recent years, largely because of problems with the charter school authorization process. Allowing universities to authorize charter schools should help to expand the charter school market.

Likewise, Arizonas existing school choice programs are too small to create a widespread system of competition for students. Arizonas scholarship tax credit is limited, raising less revenue than would cover half of a single medium-sized school districts operating expenses. Enrollment growth in the public schools has far outpaced the creation of new parental options. Some abysmally performing Arizona districts, for example, have more students today than before the school choice implementation in 1994.

Parents and students have benefited from Arizonas positive, but limited, school choice programs. To fully enjoy the benefits of parental choice, lawmakers should create a personal use tax credit. Coupled with means-testing of the original scholarship credit, such a tax credit would create a universal system of school choice. ... Read more