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The Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education provides non-partisan education research and information to policy-makers, education partners and the public. Our purpose is to encourage higher performance throughout Canada's public education system.
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Study of Canada's First Charter Schools Released
[ November 24, 1998. Calgary ] The first in-depth study of Alberta’s public charter schools
released its interim report today. Canada’s Charter Schools: Initial Report (200
pages) provides the first-year findings of a comprehensive two-year study being conducted
through the University of Calgary. Principal researcher is Dr. Lynn Bosetti, Associate
Dean of the Division of Graduate Research in the Faculty of Education.
The groundbreaking study offers the first comprehensive review of the charter
school innovation in public education pioneered by the Alberta government through
legislation in 1995. It examines the early indications of success or failure of these
schools and their implications for public policy and the school system at large.
Nine Alberta charter schools are included in the study. The initial report of Canada’s
Charter Schools provides an extensive profile of each school and of charter school
parents and teachers. It examines the origins, educational approaches, operational issues
and baseline achievement data of these unique public schools, and draws first stage
conclusions about factors affecting their long-term viability.
The report’s key findings: There is a wide diversity in educational programs being
offered; half focus on the needs of under-served students and half offer a particular
methodology or approach to learning. School size ranges from 70 to over 300, class sizes
are small, enrollment is increasing and retention is high. Satisfaction rates for parents
and teachers involved in charter schools are strong and appear to be based on sound
educational reasons. Governance issues, isolation, and the lack of facilities funding and
clear accountability guidelines are the most common challenges experienced by the schools.
The final report, to be released in October 1999, will most importantly examine the
impact of charter schools on student learning and make recommendations for education
policymakers and the regulatory framework for charter schools.
This first report finds, "The success of charter schools appears to reside in
their ability to attract committed teachers and parents who share in the goals and
philosophy of the school, and to provide expanded learning opportunities for students
through smaller class size, more individualized attention, and their particular
methodologies and curricular focus." (p156).
However, the report also suggests Alberta’s charter school regulations need
changes if charter schools are to achieve their full potential as a vehicle for
educational reform.
"Charter schools are at a crossroads in Alberta," Bosetti warns. "Their
future depends to a large extent upon the government’s decision to more strongly
support charter schools through changes in the legislation and regulations to more clearly
define responsibilities related to their governance, monitoring and evaluation, and by
increasing fiscal and technical support in their first years of operation."
"If government is willing to stand behind charter schools, their future as a
vehicle for educational reform is very rosy. Clearer regulations, support and direction
from the government will encourage educators, parents and advocates of children to create
alternative programs that can serve as sites of innovation and communities of inquiry. All
of public education will benefit from the successes of these ‘pilot projects’
within public education."
The research grant for the study of Canada’s First Charter Schools was
provided by the Society for Advancement of Excellence in Education with the assistance of
the Donner Canadian Foundation. Research design was modelled after large-scale studies in
the USA, where there are currently 1,130 public charter schools in operation.
For further information contact Lynn Bosetti, Principal Investigator,
University of Calgary
(403) 220-3175 or (403) 239-3483
The Society is an independent
non-profit Canadian education research centre founded in 1996. The Society’s mandate
is to encourage excellence in public education through the provision of rigorous
arms-length research on school change and quality issues. The Society is particularly
interested in assisting research which may shed light on innovative school practices
leading to more successful learning outcomes. With assistance from five Canadian
foundations, the Society has commissioned five large research projects, the latest being a
study of Virtual Schooling in Canada.
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