No Educator Left Behind is a series providing answers from the U.S. Department of Education to questions about the federal No Child Left Behind Act and how it will affect educators. If you have a question about No Child Left Behind, send an e-mail to Ellen Delisio, and we will submit your question to the Department of Education.

Question:

Why is the No Child Left Behind Act so supportive of charter schools?

U.S. Department of Education:

The No Child Left Behind Act recognizes the accomplishments of the charter school movement. Charter schools are public schools that largely are free to innovate, and provide more effective programs and choice to underserved groups of students.

The result is schools that are designed to appeal to students' unique interests (such as vocational training or the arts) and to meet their special talents or needs. Many of the programs have clearly increased academic achievement.

Parents and teachers at charter schools develop programs for their students. In some, the community becomes the classroom as museums and libraries are used to enrich the offerings. A recent comprehensive national study of charter schools conducted by the RAND Corporation suggests that charter schools can have a positive impact on student achievement and increase levels of parental satisfaction.

Charter schools are an important alternative in districts where schools are having difficulty improving academic achievement.

Under No Child Left Behind, children who attend schools identified as needing improvement have the opportunity to enroll in charter schools located within their district.

Read previous questions and answers in our No Educator Left Behind archive.