This 2013 report from the PEW Charitable Trusts focuses on the use of closed public school district buildings in 12 cities. The report notes that charter schools have occupied 42 percent of the surplus buildings in the cities since 2005 and that more than 300 unused sites remain.
This April 3, 2012, majority opinion of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania -- involving a Philadelphia charter school, the city school district and the state department of education -- focuses on a dispute about what constitutes a charter school enrollment cap and the obligation to provide additional funding when a cap is exceeded.
This website section of the School District of Philadelphia includes a copy of Philadelphia's Great Schools Compact, which outlines plans for collaboration involving city charter and district schools, the Mayor’s Office on Education, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
This website by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, provides essential information, documents, and links to resources for those interested in starting a charter school in the Keystone State. In addition to an application package, the site includes basic education circular for brick-and-mortar charter schools and cyber charter schools.
The March 2008 report highlights the findings from a longitudinal study of charter schools in Philadelphia. Overall, the researchers found few differences between charter schools and traditional public schools in terms of student achievement, enrollment, and student turnover.
This study, conducted by RAND researchers, used student-level data to compare public charter schools in Chicago, San Diego, Philadelphia, Denver, Milwaukee, and the states of Ohio, Texas, and Florida, with traditional public schools.
This April 2011 report from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University evaluates Pennsylvania charter schools, both cyber and bricks and mortar, and compares performance to traditional public schools.
This April 2011 report from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) highlights key challenges facing authorizers of online and blended-learning charter schools. The report discusses issues such as accountability for student achievement, the provision of special education, building authorizers’ capacity, and funding levels for online programs. Characteristics of online charter schools are described in the report, which notes that the policy framework for the schools varies widely by state and that they often operate in conjunction with for-profit EMOs.
This National Resource Center on Charter School Finance and Governance profile details partnerships undertaken by the Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School in Philadelphia to secure an innovative financing model involving the use of municipal bonds to fund the construction of a new facility.
A 2009 case study involving the Mastery Charter School Organization and Pickett Charter Middle School, Philadelphia, Pa., looks at one of a number of existing low-performing schools converted to charters. The Meeting the Turnaround Challenge case study examines the CMO’s governance structure and incentives provided teachers based on student performance.
