Lehigh Valley Academy
Charter Information - History

The charter school movement has roots in a number of reform ideas such as alternative schools, site-based management, magnet schools, public school choice, privatization, and community-parental empowerment.

The term "charter" may have originated in the 1970s when New England educator Ray Budde suggested that small groups of teachers be given contracts or "charters" by their local school boards to explore new approaches. Albert Shanker, former president of the American Federation of Teachers, then publicized the idea, suggesting that local boards could charter an entire school with union and teacher approval. In the late 1980s, a number of schools-within-schools, called “charters,” were started in Philadelphia. Some were schools of choice. The idea was further refined in Minnesota, where charter schools were developed according to three basic values: opportunity, choice, and responsibility for results.

In 1991, the state of Minnesota passed the first charter school law. California followed suit in 1992. By 1995, 19 states had signed laws allowing for the creation of charter schools. By 2003, that number grew to include 40 states as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

Charter schools are one of the fastest growing innovations in education policy, enjoying broad bipartisan support from governors, state legislators, and past and present secretaries of education. In his 1997 State of the Union Address, former President Clinton advocated for the creation of 3,000 charter schools by the year 2002. In 2002, President Bush called for $200 million to support charter schools. His proposed budget called for another $100 million for a new Credit Enhancement for Charter Schools Facilities Programme. Since 1994, the U.S. Department of Education has provided grants to support states' charter school efforts, starting with $6 million in fiscal year 1995.

As of January 2004, there were 42 charter school laws in the United States. More than 2,995 charter schools operated in 37 states and the District of Columbia, serving over 685,000 students. At the beginning of the fall 2004 school year, Pennsylvania had 103 charter schools with 33,656 students enrolled.