Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2007 is a third annual report focused on what is going on inside charter schools themselves. Topics include organization and leadership, differences in teaching and teacher compensation between charter and traditional public schools, whether student experiences are different between the two school types and whether charters are meeting their original promises.
The report indicates that charters are showing some progress: continued growth, improved governance and safety, and more experimentation when authorized by agencies other than school districts. The report makes specific recommendations for improved policy, including the idea of