ABSTRACT
Charter schools have become a signifi cant movement in public educa tion. Over the past decade, both the popularity of the reform and the num ber of charter schools have grown dramatically. An estimated 3,977 schools now serve more than one million students in 40 states and the District of Columbia, with student enrollments increasing 158% from the 2000-01 school year to 2006-07 (Center for Education Reform, 2007; National Center for Education Statistics, 2007). Th is rapid growth has encouraged inno vation and adaptability and led to the emergence of new models of public schooling. Foremost among these are cyber and homeschool charter schools. Collectively termed nonclassroom-based charters, this phenomenon has quietly gained momen tum across the country while challenging traditional defi ni tions of public schooling by delivering instruction outside “brick and mortar” schoolhouses.
