Charter Schools: Students Finding an Educational Home

The Dear New Leaders Series is designed to educate elected officials, policymakers, and the general public about key issues in public education. In this episode of Get Schooled on Public Education, we discuss findings from a new report, Do You Know Where The Children Are? A Five Year Analysis of Public School Enrollment Trends. We explore enrollment shifts, significant growth amongst different student populations, and how the trends align with overall population changes. We also discuss the vital role policymakers play in supporting the growth of high-quality public school options. Hear directly from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools,’ Senior Director of Policy, Research, and Evaluation, Drew Jacobs, who co-authored the report.


Featured Guests

Drew L. Jacobs

Senior Director of Policy, Research, and Evaluation at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewljacobs/


Episode Takeaways

• Charter schools are free, public, and open to all.
• Over the past five years, nearly 400,000 new students have enrolled in charter schools.
• There’s growing parental demand for more public education options that meet the evolving needs of students and families.
• Charter school enrollment has increased amongst White, Black, and Hispanic student populations.
• Eighty-four percent of states showing charter school enrollment growth outpaced school-aged (5-17) population growth.
• Policymakers are instrumental in supporting the growth of high-quality public school options.

Quotes

"We see a 400.000 student enrollment gain in charter schools, which is about a 12% gain" - Drew L. Jacobs


Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:27 - Charter School Gains Amid District Losses: Unveiling the New Normal
05:03 - Hispanic Enrollment Surges as White Student District Numbers Decline
09:03 - Varied Charter School Enrollment Trends Among States
10:34 - Enhancing Availability of Quality Public Education Choices
11:32 - Outro