This book begins with the claims of policymakers and explores charter
schools at each stage of the policymaking process, from legislation to
implementation. Powers carefully and thoroughly examines how features of
schools' policy contexts shape the ways that charter school reform
unfolds at schools, providing a nuanced portrait of the schools
participating in this much discussed and little understood reform
movement. While policymakers are often prone to making sweeping claims
about the efficacy of charter schools, in practice charter school reform
is much more complex. By drawing on an extensive and compelling range of
data, Powers assesses the validity of policymakers claims.