I am very interested in hearing from museum people who have been involved
with "charter schools."  **There is money available** from the US Department
of Education -- and the Department is very interested in working with the
museum community.  (I don't think that they are looking at a federal
grants program to which museums could apply, but I may be wrong.  All of
this is in the early stages.)

Charter schools are *public* schools that operate free of the public
school bureaucracy.  They are organized by ... whomever, e.g. teachers,
parents, and chartered by either the school district, the state, or a
public university.  (Rules vary from state to state).  This is a new
movement (since '92) but growing rapidly.  Over 20 states have authorized
charters.  Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado and California seem to have
the most experience so far.

The number of charters tends to be limited by law, so as not to provide
too much competition to regular public schools.  The idea behind them is
that they empower local communities, they provide options within public
school districts, and they will be laboratories for school reform, while
remaining accountable for performance.  With few exceptions, they may not set
criteria for acceptance, and they may not charge for tuition.  Once
chartered, they are publicly funded, but they may not spend more per
pupil than other public schools in the district, even if they find
private funding.

I know of one museum that is chartering its own school, another that is
the site of a charter school, and several others that act as academic
departments for nearby schools.

Anybody out there with stories to tell?

Andy Finch
AAM Government Affairs
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202-289-9125
FAX 289-6578