ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief overview of the charter school movement and the most current charter school demographics available. It then discusses the assumptions of the charter school concept and sets an agenda of further research questions on the validity of these assumptions. In Minnesota, the charter school concept evolved once again. Rather than being dependent schools that are part of a district, charter schools could be independent of the local school district, thereby stimulating systemic reform through competition and market forces. The Center for Education Reform, a charter school advocacy group, has developed criteria for determining whether a state charter school law is expansive or restrictive in terms of the ability to create and operate charter schools. Although the growth and stability of charter schools may eventually accelerate reform for school districts, for the time being market forces seem to be operating most effectively among charter schools themselves.
