What the Free Press found
A yearlong Free Press investigation of Michigan's charter schools found wasteful spending, conflicts of interest, poor performing schools and a failure to close the worst of the worst. Among the findings:
Charter schools spend $1billion per year in state taxpayer money, often with little transparency.
Some charter schools are innovative and have excellent academic outcomes but those that don't are allowed to stay open year after year.
A majority of the worst-ranked charter schools in Michigan have been open 10 years or more.
Charter schools as a whole fare no better than traditional schools in educating students in poverty.
Michigan has substantially more for-profit companies running schools than any other state.
Some charter school board members were forced out after demanding financial details from management companies.
State law does not prevent insider dealing and self-enrichment by those who operate schools.
Unique web content
You can find Web-only stories, video interviews, documents and a statewide database with academic results.
Database: Look up rankings and data for all Michigan traditional and charter public schools
Video: Former charter school board member believes more transparency is needed at schools
Video: State Board of Education VP says charter school boards' rights are limited
Video: Carl Berry on public vs. private money
Video: Charter schools and high rents
Video: Parents hold charter school board members accountable
Video: Dan Quisenberry on removing a board member
Video: Former board members and GVSU official discuss board's role in charter schools
Video: Michigan Board of Ed. VP says charter boards' rights limited
PDF: Michigan's early charter school law
PDF: Michigan Department of Education email about alleged fraud at Creative Montessori
PDF: Audit of Andrew J. Brown academy
PDF: Audit of Aspire Charter academy
PDF: Audit of Brooklyn Excelsior academy
PDF: Audit of Buffalo United academy
PDF: Audit of Southside Academy
PDF: Grand Valley email on Metro Charter board members
PDF: Justina Bernhardt resignation letter from Three Oaks Public School Academy
PDF: Minutes of the October 2010 meeting of the board of the Detroit Enterprise Academy
PDF: Gary Sands resignation letter from Detroit Enterprise Academy
PDF: Barbara Olsen resignation letter from Three Oaks Public School Academy
PDF: Lawyer Gerald Richter's letter to Grand Valley
1994 Free Press Editorial on charter schools: State experiment must put students' interests firsts
Board members defend NHA's million-dollar leases; some unaware of them
At Old Redford Academy, founder's multiple roles 'cause concern'
Profiles of dedicated teachers, school leaders
Periodic installments: Outstanding charter school educators tell their personal stories in a periodic series called "Making a Difference in the Classroom."
Charter school dean says children need zero tolerance for bullying
From high school dropout to teacher of the year, Mary Dyer's path inspires
'You have to tap into something other than the rote learning'
School Principal Shawn Leonard found fulfillment in the classroom
'I'm trying to change the perception of people (about) kids coming from Detroit'
Weak state oversight allows secrecy, abuses
Sunday, June 22: Charter management companies flock to Michigan, which unlike some other states requires little transparency or accountability in the rapidly growing number of charter schools.
After 2 decades, Michigan has promises to keep on charter schools
Michigan spends $1B on charter schools but fails to hold them accountable
Graphic: Michigan's largest charter school companies
Graphic: Goals of Michigan's charter school law and how Michigan's charter school structure fails
Michigan's biggest charter operator charges big rents: 14 schools pay $1M
Graphic: A look at National Heritage Academy's 47 charter schools
Graphic: National Heritage Academy's rents exceed what most experts say are reasonable
A look at National Heritage Academies
Other states stricter than Michigan on charters, some ban for-profits
Most Michigan charter companies don't follow financial disclosure law
Should taxpayer dollars be private after charter companies get them?
5 stories of dubious decisions, wasteful spending, a deal for swampland
NHA schools focus on college preparation, high morals and student safety
New York, Indiana critical of National Heritage Academies' business model
Stephen Henderson: For students' sake, Michigan must do better on charter schools
Some private interests have scammed system
Monday, June 23: Insiders have enriched themselves, thanks to Michigan's ineffective conflict-of-interest laws.
Weak Michigan charter school laws enable scams, insider dealing
Tangled web at two charter schools shows shortcomings of state law
Pittsfield Township charter school kept revenue streams in the family
Charter schools conflicts of interest go unchecked by Michigan lawmakers
School board power often limited to a rubber stamp
Tuesday, June 24: Critics say many boards are not independent and some have been punished when they asked too many questions.
Charter school board members found themselves powerless
Grand Valley accused of being NHA's 'muscle' against school board
Board members sought financial details but were forced out
Board members say they got no support in fight for financial disclosure
Pro charter school group wields increasing power
Wednesday, June 25: The Great Lakes Education Project aggressively lobbies on behalf of charter schools and punished one lawmaker who defied its agenda.
Pro-charter lobby shows its clout in Legislature
Academics: Mixed, with less classroom spending
Thursday, June 26: Nearly 40% of the charter schools ranked by the state are low-performing, and many struggle to educate high-poverty students.
Concerns over charter school performance persist as more open in state
Some charter school teachers find more freedom in the classroom
When choosing the right school, safety and discipline matter to parents
Charter advocates hail study on student improvement, but researchers urge caution
How charter academic performance was gauged
Feedback: Readers weigh in on Free Press charter schools report
Authorizers allow poor performance to go on and on
Friday, June 27: Authorizers tend to let low-performing schools continue and the state does not provide guidelines on when schools should be closed.
When bad schools go on and on ...
Advocates sought innovation when making universities school authorizers
State law vague on charter school fee collected by authorizers
CMU blazed charter trail but lets some poor-performing schools languish
In Detroit, helping educate poor children still elusive
Saturday, June 28: While charters have given Detroit parents many options, they haven't provided what the city needs: high-quality schools that can succeed with disadvantaged children.
In Detroit, quality schools still elusive
What's happening at struggling schools
Some top-notch schools fulfill the original mission
Sunday, June 29: The Free Press profiles selected charter schools that provide innovative alternatives to traditional schools.
Where students soar even without textbooks
DEPSA a success story despite high rate of student poverty
Grand Rapids charter school uses aviation to entice, inspire students
Honey Creek: Mock battles instead of textbooks at this charter school
Solutions: How Michigan can fix our charter school system
Sunday, June 29: Michigan can learn from other states, including Massachusetts, Delaware, Minnesota and Arizona, to better ensure public dollars will be spent wisely on behalf of both children and taxpayers.
Michigan's assignment: Toughen charter laws
Editorial: Michigan charter school system flawed, but we can make it work
Engler, Snyder: Focus on student results
High poverty areas need a community strategy
Grassroots charter schools a dying breed in Michigan
Reaction and response
Michigan school chief promises to get tough with charter school authorizers
State of charter schools: The feedback and the facts
Leader of national charter schools group calls for stronger accountability in Michigan
Michigan Senate leader ready to push for tighter reins on charter schools
Free Press series was too hard on charter schools (guest column)
Charter? Traditional? Who cares so long as our kids learn? (guest column)
Reader feedback: The great debate over charter schools in Michigan
Reader feedback: Charter school defenders, readers sound off on series
Feedback: Charter school touts its accountability, use of tax dollars
'MiWeek': Debating charter schools in Michigan
Michigan superintendent plans meetings to hold charter school backers accountable
Michigan's mistake: Focusing on ideology, growth instead of charter school quality (guest column)
Feedback: Choice is most important aspect of charters
Michigan charter schools succeeding just fine, thanks (guest column)
Our charter schools offer quality alternative and the right to choose it (guest column)
Time to take action to fix charter schools in Michigan (guest column)
Feedback: Charter schools get results for Michigan's students
State education board calls for sweeping changers to charter law
11 charter school authorizers risk state suspension for deficiencies
Editorial: Lawmakers must act on state plan to reform charter school law
Get tougher on public schools, not charters (guest column)
Give Michigan public schools some of the freedoms enjoyed by charters
How the reporting was done
The Detroit Free Press did hundreds of interviews and examined tens of thousands of documents in a yearlong investigation of Michigan's charter schools and how the state oversees them.
Among the records: More than 400 three-ring binders the Michigan Department of Education keeps on every charter, including those that closed, with contracts between schools and authorizers, management agreements, leases, building inspections, correspondence, internal MDE e-mails, court filings and parent complaints. Also examined were school audits, lawsuits, deeds, assessor records and school Web postings.
The Free Press also surveyed all 296 charters in the state under which about 370 schools operate plus numerous authorizers and management companies, both full-service and those that provide limited services such as human resources. The information was used in part to build a comprehensive searchable database listing every charter school, its test results and rankings, its management company, whether the company is for-profit or not, and what services it provides. That database will be posted Thursday on freep.com/charters.
The news organization used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain records from schools and authorizers, including payments to vendors and lease amendments.
The reporting team
Jennifer Dixon, investigative reporter, jbdixon@freepress.com
Lori Higgins, statewide education issues, lhiggins@freepress.com or @LoriAHiggins
David Jesse, higher education, djesse@freepress.com or @Freephighered
Kristi Tanner, database analyst, ktanner@freepress.com
Ritu Sehgal, senior editor, rsehgal@freepress.com or @rsehgalfreep
Contributing staff
Ann Zaniewski, Detroit Public Schools
Tim Good, print designer
Gerry Skora, lead copy editor
Martha Thierry, graphics artist
Eric Millikin, data analysis, illustration and web design
John Sly, data analysis, database architect and programming
Brian Todd, database design
