The future of charter schools in the United States

About 3.4 million students attend charter schools in the United States. With public funding and oversight, these independently run schools have long sparked debate about how they affect students and what their place should be in the U.S. education landscape. Today, the charter sector is confronting questions about its short-term and long-term futures. For example, the Biden administration pushed for greater transparency and accountability through its recent tightening of regulations in the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP). These regulations place more guardrails around charter schools at a time when the politics of charters and school choice are changing. 

On Wednesday, January 11, the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution will host an event to examine the future of charter schools. The event will feature a presentation of new research on charter schools from the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH). It will transition to a panel discussion that considers the future of the charter sector—from the impact of new CSP regulations to the changing political dynamics.  

The event will be live-streamed (with limited in-person seating). Viewers can submit questions to panelists by registering to watch the event, emailing events@brookings.edu, or tweeting @BrookingsGov using the hashtag #FutureOfCharters. Additional information about the research presented is available on the REACH website.