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Charter schools in Iowa

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Charter schools in Iowa are public schools operated independently of public school systems, either by nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Although they are largely publicly funded, charter schools are exempt from many of the requirements imposed by state and local boards of education regarding hiring and curriculum. As public schools, charter schools cannot charge tuition or impose special entrance requirements; students are usually admitted through a lottery process if demand exceeds the number of spaces available in a school. Charter schools generally receive a percentage of the per-pupil funds from the state and local school districts for operational costs based on enrollment. In most states, charter schools do not receive funds for facilities or start-up costs; therefore, they must rely to some extent on private donations. The federal government also provides revenues through special grants. As of March 2017, 44 states and the District of Columbia had approved legislation authorizing the creation of public charter schools. Six states had not.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated three total charter schools in Iowa in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 300 students.
  • Overall, charter school students accounted for 0.06 percent of total public school enrollment in Iowa in 2015.
  • The Iowa State Legislature approved the state's charter school law in 2002.

    • Background

    History

    The Iowa State Legislature approved Iowa's charter school law in 2002.

    In 1991 Minnesota became the first state to pass a charter school law.[1]

    The National Conference of State Legislatures defines charter schools as follows:[2]

    “

    Charter schools are publicly funded, privately managed and semi-autonomous schools of choice. They do not charge tuition. They must hold to the same academic accountability measures as traditional schools. They receive public funding similarly to traditional schools. However, they have more freedom over their budgets, staffing, curricula and other operations. In exchange for this freedom, they must deliver academic results and there must be enough community demand for them to remain open.[3]

    		”
    —National Conference of State Legislatures

    Across the nation, charter schools have grown in number since the passage of the first public charter school law. As of March 2017, 44 states plus the District of Columbia had enacted charter school laws, and in 2013 it was estimated that 4.6 percent of all public school students attended charter schools. Performance results of charter schools nationally have been mixed, with some performing demonstrably better and others closing because they could not meet required standards.[2][4][5]

    The Iowa State Legislature passed the state's charter school law in 2002. As passed, the legislation allowed for a maximum of 10 charter schools in the state. This cap was raised to 20 in 2006. There is no cap on the number of charter schools that can operate in the state.[6][7]

    Participation

    According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter school advocacy group, there were an estimated three total charter schools in Iowa in the 2015-2016 school year. These schools enrolled approximately 300 students. Overall, charter school students accounted for 0.06 percent of total public school enrollment in Iowa in 2015.[8]

    Charter schools, 2015-2016
    State Total number of charter schools Estimated enrollment Percentage of total public school enrollment
    Iowa 3 300 0.06%
    Illinois 145 64,400 3.13%
    Minnesota 165 48,200 5.55%
    Missouri 68 20,800 2.28%
    United States total 6,824 2,930,600 5.85%
    Note: The percentages in the column labeled "Percentage of total public school enrollment" were calculated by taking the estimated number of charter school students in a given state and dividing by the total estimated number of public school students in that state in 2015. Total public school enrollment estimates came from the National Center for Education Statistics.
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016

    Demographics

    See also: Charter school demographics and Demographic information for all students in the United States

    The table below presents information about the race/ethnicity of charter school students in Iowa in the 2013-2014 school year, as reported by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. To facilitate comparison, the same figures are also provided for all public school students.[9][10]

    Enrollments by ethnicity, 2013-2014 (as percentages)
    Data sample White Black Hispanic Asian Other
    Charter schools in Iowa 40.0% 35.0% 13.0% 3.0% 9.0%
    Public schools in Iowa 79.0% 5.3% 9.7% 2.2% 3.8%
    Charter schools in the U.S. 34.9% 27.1% 30.0% 4.1% 3.8%
    Public schools in the U.S. 50.3% 15.6% 24.8% 4.8% 4.4%
    Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
    National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016

    State law

    Authorizers

    Charter school authorizers are, according to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), the organizations "designated to approve, monitor, renew, and, if necessary, close charter schools." NASCA has identified six primary types of charter school authorizers:[11]

    1. Higher education institutions (HEI)
    2. Independent charter boards (ICB)
    3. Local education agencies (LEA)
    4. Non-education government entities (NEG)
    5. Not-for-profit organizations (NFP)
    6. State education agencies

    The table below lists charter school authorizers in Iowa as of June 2016. Click [show] to expand the table's contents.

    Enrollment regulations

    As public schools, charter schools in Iowa are required to enroll all eligible resident students. Charter schools can limit enrollment based on age or grade level. Admissions preference may be given to siblings of children already enrolled in a charter school.[12]

    Funding

    In Iowa, charter schools receive funding from their authorizing school districts.

    Funding practices for charter schools differ from state to state, and even between districts within states. In Iowa, charter schools receive financing from their authorizing districts. The state does not provide funding for start-up or facilities costs.[13]

    Accountability

    See also: Accountability measures for charter schools

    Charter schools in Iowa are required to prepare and submit annual reports to the local school board, advisory council, and state board of education. State law specifies the following grounds for closing a charter school:[13]

    “
    1. Failure to abide by and meet the provisions set forth in contract (including educational goals);
    2. Failure to comply with all applicable law;
    3. Failure to meet generally accepted public sector accounting principles;
    4. The existence of one or more other grounds for revocation as specified in the contract; and
    5. Failure of conversion charter schools to improve student achievement (measured through assessments) from the school's student achievement measures prior to becoming a charter school.[3]
    		 ”
    —Education Commission of the States

    The state board of education is required to submit annual reports to the Iowa State Legislature detailing the status of the state's charter schools.[13]

    Charter school law rankings

    In January 2016, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released a report ranking all of the nation's charter school laws. Iowa's law ranked 41 out of 43. The organization ranked each state's law by considering what it called "20 essential components of a strong charter school law." The table below compares Iowa's score with that of neighboring states. To access the full report, including methodology, click here.[14]

    Charter school law rankings, January 2016
    State 2016 ranking 2015 ranking Ranking difference 2016 score 2015 score Score difference
    Iowa 41 41 0 63 63 0
    Illinois 32 29 -3 129 129 0
    Minnesota 3 1 -2 174 174 0
    Missouri 30 27 -3 132 132 0
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016

    Issues

    Debate

    Proponents of charter schools such as the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools argue that, due to their freedom from some state oversight and regulation, they can adopt more innovative educational approaches. This allows them to cater to their particular higher-risk school age populations, which are generally composed of more minority and poor students. In addition, advocates argue that charter schools empower parents and improve traditional public schools through competition.

    Meanwhile, critics such as Diane Ravitch argue that charter schools have not been proven to produce significantly higher levels of academic achievement as promised. It is difficult to find data comparable to traditional public schools. Critics also contend that charter schools divert funds from traditional public schools, which continue to enroll significant majorities of public school students, thereby compounding problems at failing schools and generating unequal outcomes for students.[15]

    Funding inequity

    In 2014, the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform released a report identifying disparities between charter school funding and traditional public school funding. Examining 31 states, the researchers considered all sources of charter school funding, including public funds, grants, and philanthropic donations. Researchers found that charter schools received on average 28.4 percent less than traditional public schools. Tennessee's funding disparity was lowest at 0.1 percent, while Louisiana's was highest at 58.4 percent. Iowa was not studied.[16]

    Below is a chart that provides report data for Iowa's surrounding states. To access the full report, click here.

    Charter school funding disparity by state
    State Grade District per-pupil revenue Charter per-pupil revenue Disparity in dollars Disparity in percents
    Iowa Was not studied
    Illionois D $13,461 $11,408 -$2,053 -15.3%
    Minnesota D $14,843 $11,429 -$3,414 -23.0%
    Missouri F $18,073 $13,390 -$4,682 -25.9%
    Source: University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014

    Charter school management organizations and other groups

    See also: Charter school management organization

    In the 2010-2011 school year, eight charter schools in Iowa were freestanding. None operated under charter management organizations, and none operated under education management organizations.[17]

    Iowa has no charter school advocacy organization and no state-level authorizer.

    Innovation

    See also: Charter school innovation indicators and High-performing charter schools

    Charter school proponents argue that charter schools have the freedom to adopt more innovative practices, which in turn lead to improved academic performance. To get a sense of the level of innovation occurring in charter schools, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools surveyed charter schools across the country on the various innovative education practices they employed. In Iowa, an average of 83 percent of charter schools reported using innovative practices in the 2011-2012 school year. The table below displays the prevalence of a variety of innovative practices in Iowa as a percentage of all charter schools in the state. The figures are compared with those in surrounding states.[18]

    Charter schools with innovative practices, in percents (2011-2012)
    State Extended day Extended year Year-round calendar Independent study School-to-work Higher education courses Average
    Iowa 100% 100% 100% 0% 100% 100% 83%
    Illinois 74% 52% 4% 17% 13% 9% 28%
    Minnesota 27% 20% 10% 22% 13% 20% 20%
    Missouri 75% 53% 18% 12% 0% 25% 30%
    Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014

    Ballot measures and legislation

    Ballot measures

    See also: School choice on the ballot and List of Iowa ballot measures

    Ballotpedia has tracked no statewide ballot measures relating to school choice in Iowa.

    Legislation

    The following is a list of recent charter school bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Iowa state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

    Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Iowa charter school. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Charter schools in Iowa - Google News

    See also

    School Board badge.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Public School Review, "What is a Charter School?" accessed October 2, 2014
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Charter School Finance," accessed October 9, 2014
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ Center for Research on Education Outcomes, "National Charter School Study," accessed October 9, 2014
    5. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Total Number of Students," accessed October 9, 2014
    6. ↑ Iowa Department of Education, "Charter Schools in Iowa: Progress Update," January 2009
    7. ↑ KWWL.com, "Only three charter schools remain in Iowa," March 7, 2014
    8. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "A Closer Look at the Charter School Movement," February 3, 2016
    9. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 203.70. Percentage distribution of enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and state or jurisdiction: Fall 2003 and fall 2013," accessed June 7, 2016
    10. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Charter Public School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis," March 2016
    11. ↑ National Association of Charter School Authorizers, "Types of Authorizers," accessed June 6, 2016
    12. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up - Iowa," accessed November 18, 2014
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Education Commission of the States, "Charter Schools Update 2014 - State Profile - Iowa," June 2014
    14. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "Measuring Up To The Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws," January 2016
    15. ↑ The New York Review of Books, "The Myth of Charter Schools," November 11, 2010
    16. ↑ University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, "Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands," accessed October 22, 2014
    17. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
    18. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, "The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis," accessed October 3, 2014
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