ABSTRACT
The charter school movement will soon celebrate its 30-year anniversary as a nationwide school reform. In 1994, as part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Congress created and funded the Public Charter School Program (PCSP) to promote the growth of charter schools. While the demographics of charter schools vary widely by state, the majority of states have an overrepresentation of African American students in charter schools, particularly in urban areas. The original intent of charter schools entailed four primary goals: (1) to provide more schooling options for low-income families, (2) to invite middle-income and affluent families into urban settings, (3) to provide nontraditional learning spaces for all children, and (4) to host laboratories for good practice. Scholars have examined the curricula, organizational structures, parental involvement, student mobility, and other elements of schooling to mark the success and failure of charter school reform.
