What began as an experiment in 1992 has become 5,043 charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia, providing nearly 2 million American families with opportunity not available in the public school system.
Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform, said parent demand fueled the rise.
"No other form of school choice has provided such a dramatic impact on the lives of so many students," she said, "and no other reform has had the teeth to push conventional public schools to be better like charters have."
Allen said it's education reform at work, proving that states can accomplish the task with or without government help.
"The most important next step states can take is not catering to their perception of what Washington, D.C., wants to hear," she said, "but taking what we know works for kids and making certain…that entire systems can benefit from the innovation, competition and singular focus on student achievement they provide."
— Roger Greer
