Academy Schools: Case Unproven
ACADEMY SCHOOLS: CASE UNPROVEN A report by Catherine Needham and Denis Gleeson (Catalyst) & Brendan Martin and Rose Rickford (Public World) with the sponsorship of May 2006 This report was a collaborative project of Public World and Catalyst, with the sponsorship of NASUWT Brendan Martin, Managing Director, Public World Rose Rickford, Associate Researcher, University of York Public World is an international consultancy committed to good work, democratic citizenship and human rights. Our work is guided by those values, which we believe lead to fairer policies, better goods and services, and more sustainable outcomes for our global future. For more information about Public World: http://www.publicworld.org Dr Catherine Needham, Director, Public Services Programme, Catalyst. Professor Denis Gleeson, Research Fellow, Catalyst NASUWT represents teachers in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The TUC-affiliated union organises in all sectors from early years to further education and represents teachers in all roles including heads and deputies. NASUWT is politically independent and is deeply committed to working to influence the education policy of the Government and employers. For more information about NASUWT: http://www.nasuwt.org.uk 2 CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary…………………………………………………..4 2. Introduction……………………………………………………………..8 3. Academy Schools: the policy context.…………………………..12 4. Charter Schools in the United States……………………………18 5. How Academies are set up and run………………………………36 6. Academy Performance ………………………………………………46 7. Parent Power……………………………………………………………58 8. In and Around Academies……………………………………………71 9. Conclusions………………………………………………………………91 10. Recommendations……………………………………………………98 11. Bibliography……………………………………………………………100 12. Glossary…………………………………………………………………110 3 1. Executive Summary . Academy schools, described by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) as ‘publicly-funded independent schools’, have been one of the most controversial initiatives within Labour’s education agenda.
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