HISTORY—A chronological look at the evolution of charter schools

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Evolution of Charter Schools


1970s

The origination of the charter-school idea is traced to a New England educator who suggested that small groups of teachers be given contracts or “charters” by their local school boards to explore new teaching and educational approaches.


1980s

Albert Shanker, former president of the American Federation of Teachers, publicizes the “charter” idea.


1988

Philadelphia starts a number of schools-within-schools and calls them “charters.”


1991

Minnesota further refines the charter idea and passes the nation’s first charter school law.


1992

California passes “The Charter Schools Act of 1992.”


1992

California’s first charter school, San Carlos Charter Learning Center, is established in San Mateo County.


1993

LAUSD’s first charter school, Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, is established.


1997

President Clinton calls for the creation of 3,000 charter schools by the year 2000.


1998

California’s charter law is amended, eliminating the original charter’s cap of 100 schools in favor of a cap of 250 schools.


1998

A controversial study by UCLA professor Amy Stuart Wells finds that there is no significant academic difference between public and charter schools in California.


1999

The California Teacher’s Association lobbies for a bill that would have made charter schools the only schools subject to mandatory collective bargaining. The bill is defeated.


2000

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invests nearly $7 million in a grant to help establish a network of charter schools serving Latino communities throughout California. Proposition 39 passes, making it easier for charter schools to obtain capital improvement funding to build schools and classrooms.


July 2001

The cap on charter schools in California will increase by 100, from 450 to 550.

Source: Uscharterschools.org

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