Are Charters Different?

Award-winning author Zachary Oberfield examines public schools and charters schools through a political science lens, asking whether there are organizational variances between the schools that foster dissimilar teaching climates. Are Charters Different? presents a fascinating example of how privatization affects the delivery of public services and provides valuable insights that can inform public policy in education. Drawing on the literature in public policy and organizational theory, Oberfield notes that one of the key rationales for the charter movement was the belief that public and private organizations have distinct characteristics. The book finds that while charters have made strides toward their initial goals (more autonomy for teachers, opportunities for innovation and leadership, and less red tape) there are also real costs (lower credentials, longer hours and more students per teacher). In addition, Oberfield compares the teachers' experiences in traditional public and charter schools based on a series of large-scale, longitudinal surveys. He draws a nuanced portrait of the distinctions that emerge and discusses patterns of change over time. Oberfield looks closely at variations in the survey findings within the charter sector to investigate whether changes in the organizational status or contexts of charter schools influence school culture. Are Charters Different? provides a unique analysis on the much debated charter school movement. Oberfield recognizes that there are different models of schooling, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses, and that we have to weigh the tradeoffs involved in choosing one over the other--Provided by publisher.