This book breaks new ground on how policymakers and journalists can fairly assess charter school performance. The editors and authors show how good approaches to charter school assessment would also work for regular public schools, which is important because of the requirements of No Child Left Behind.

Edited by Julian R. Betts and Paul T. Hill - Contributions by June Ahn; Larry Angel; Dominic J. Brewer; Laura S. Hamilton; Jeffrey R. Henig; Robin J. Lake; Patrick J. McEwan; Robert B. Olsen; Lydia Rainey; Brian M. Stecher; Y Emily Tang and Andrew C. Zau

Chapter 1 Through a Glass Darkly: An Introduction to Issues in Measuring the Quality of Charter Schools Part 2 Part One: Improving Research On Charter Schools Chapter 3 Madness in the Method? A Critical Analysis of Popular Methods of Estimating the Effect of Charter Schools on Student Achievement Chapter 4 Expanding What Counts When Evaluating Charter School Effectiveness Chapter 5 The Effect of Attending Charter Schools on Achievement, Educational Attainment and Behavioral Outcomes: A Review Chapter 6 The Selection of Students into Charter Schools: A Critical Issue for Research and Policy Chapter 7 Admission Lotteries in Charter Schools Chapter 8 Charter School Maturation as a Factor in Performance Assessment and Accountability Chapter 9 What Do We Know About Teachers in Charter Schools? Part 10 Part Two: How Policymakers Can Make Better Use of Evidence Chapter 11 The State of State Charter School Research Chapter 12 Would Better Research Lead to Better Schools? Chapter 13 Conclusions about Charter School Policy and Research