Geographic Location of Charter Schools: The entire state except for schools in
Southeastern Michigan
Duration of Study: October 1997 to December 1998
Summary of Findings
75.1 percent of parents surveyed were satisfied with their school's curriculum.
64.3 percent of students agree or strongly agreed that they were learning more in the
charter school than at their previous school.
69.1 percent of parents agreed or strongly agreed that they "were satisfied with
the instruction."
71.8 percent of parents agreed or strongly agreed that "Teachers are challenged to
be effective."
Approximately 5 percent of all staff working in the classroom indicated that they were
not certified in the subjects they taught.
77 percent of students had previously attended a public school; 12 percent had attended
a private or parochial school; and 7.4 percent were homeschooled.
The presence of charter schools has put pressure on the traditional public schools to be
more accountable.
Positive changes in local public schools that appear to be attributable to the presence
of charter schools include the following:
Introduction of all-day kindergarten
Increase in adult supervision on the playgrounds
Increased emphasis on customer satisfaction
Provision of more before and after school programs
More efforts to involve parents
Increased efforts on the part of schools to communicate with the homes of their students
Increased marketing of traditional public schools
More emphasis on foreign language
Public Sector Consultants Report
Number of Charters Schools Evaluated: 55
Geographic Location of Charter Schools: Nine counties in Southeastern Michigan (Lapeer,
Livingston, Genessee, Macomb, Oakland, Saginaw, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne)
Duration of Study: 1997-1998 school year
Summary of Findings
More than 70 percent of the schools have waiting lists
Three-fourths of the charter schools with elementary or middle-school grades require
uniforms
73 percent of parents say they are involved and can influence instruction and school
activities
Most parents are at the charter school twice a day since no transportation is provided
Overall, Michigan Educational Assessment Program test scores are lower in charter
schools than the average of neighboring traditional public schools
University authorizers have turned down many more applications than they have approved
The state requires schools to submit nearly 100 forms annually
Charter School Characteristics and Statistics
Charter schools account for approximately 1.8 percent of the total enrollment in
Michigan's K-12 schools.
Nearly 34,000 students attended charter schools during the 1998-99 school year.
The 138 charter schools are authorized by public universities (110 schools), community
colleges (1 school), intermediate school districts (15 schools), and local school
districts (12 schools).
Grade levels offered by charter schools (note: many offer multiple grade levels):
Elementary (K-5) 74% 102 schools
Middle School (6-8) 64% 89 schools
High School (9-12) 39% 54 schools
A charter school receives the same state aid per student as the local school district in
which it is located or a maximum of $5,692 per student.
Source: Michigan Association of
Public School Academies
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