Nelson Smith, Progressive Policy Institute
February 2005
In Texas, they do everything big, including charter schools, which now educate some 80,000 Lone Star students. This latest installment in the PPI series on state charter environments concludes that Texas charters have much to be proud of: "The Lone Star State boasts some of the most innovative and high-performing charters in the country." The Texas Education Agency also earns high marks for being a rigorous but flexible authorizer. Still, storm clouds are visible on the long Texas horizon: Caroline Hoxby's groundbreaking comparison of charter and nearby district schools (see here) found that Texas is one of the few states where charter students are outperformed in math. And the state has been taken to the cleaners by several fly-by-night operators whose well-publicized implosions gave the entire charter community a black eye. Even-handedly recounting both the good and the bad, this is another solid PPI-sponsored appraisal of a state charter scene, findable here.