It has frequently been argued that freeing schools from the rigid rules, regulations, and statutes that have traditionally fettered them would have a revolutionary effect on academic achievement. For in-stance, it has been suggested that schools embodying this idea could develop more effective teaching methods that could then be replicated in other schools. Charter schools—public schools that operate under a contract, or "charter"—were given just such an opportunity beginning in 1991, when Minnesota passed the first charter school law. At that time, many critics warned of deleterious rather than benefi-cial effects that such freewheeling schools could have on the academic achievement of students. Thus, while public opinion differed concerning the social desirability of charter schools, most agreed that there would be a pronounced effect.

Surprisingly, educators who study educa-tional reform now seriously question the degree to which charter schools have made an impact. They conclude that freedom from many of the policies and regulations affecting traditional public schools and the concomitant control over decisions that guide the day-to-day affairs of the school have not resulted in equally dramatic changes in students' academic perfor-mance. In some states, charter schools are less likely to meet state performance standards than traditional public schools. It is, however, impossible to know whether this difference is due to the performance of the schools, the prior achievement of the students, or some other factor.

Metrics for educational accountability have changed considerably in the past decade, moving increasingly to perfor-mance as measured by state mandated tests of individual student achievement. Fundamentally, however, the challenging conditions under which schools operate, be they traditional or charter, have changed little: the struggle for resources, low pay for teachers, accountability to multiple stakeholders, and the difficulty of meeting the educational requirements of children with special needs all persist.

Which of the following statements best summarizes the main point of the passage?

A. Charter schools, despite their merits, fail to overcome the long-standing problems in public education.
B. Recent studies have shown that charter schools have had a revolutionary effect on student achievement.
C. Freeing schools from some of the restrictions that govern them has caused a change in education since 1991.
D. Charter schools have created a whole new way of educating children that did not previously exist.
E. Assessments of charter schools’ performance have reinforced the position that rigid rules and regulations are stifling academic achievement.



Select the sentence from the second paragraph that best explains why author neither dismisses nor endorses the opinion of the critics of charter schools.





In the last paragraph the author mentions all of the following as challenges faced by all schools EXCEPT

A. the difficulty of securing capital
B. the challenge of providing appropriate conditions for special-needs students
C. the necessity to answer to different interest groups
D. the manner in which student performance is measured
E. poor compensation for teachers



Consider each of the following answer choices separately and select all that apply.

It can be inferred from the passage that the author would consider which of the following, if true, a likely indication of a fundamental alteration in education brought about by charter schools?

A. Statistics show that the majority of children who attended charter schools in the 1990s are attending or have attended college.
B. A national standard of academic performance, to which all students in every type of school must adhere, is created.
C. A consistent score improvement in state-mandated tests has been achieved by children who attend charter schools, but not by those who attend traditional schools.