Providing the "big picture" on the charter school movement, this timely and important volume will give educators and policymakers the help they need to assess the value and the future of charter schooling. An astute observer of the charter school movement, Joseph Murphy and his co-author provide: -- A definition of charter schools -- what are they and where do they fit on the landscape of school reform?
-- An explanation of why charters enjoy widespread bipartisan support.
-- A look at how charters are situated in the larger school reform movement of the last quarter century.
-- An analytic spotlight on the history and development of charter schools.
-- An examination of the key dimensions of charters -- choice, deregulation, decentralization, competition, and accountability.
-- Investigations of charter schools in action.
-- Analyses of the impact of charter schools -- looking at school improvement at the local level and at reform at the system level.
