STUDENTS SERVED BY CHARTER SCHOOLS

One key area of policy interest related to charter schools concerns the student populations they serve. More specifically, policy concerns about charter school students relate to both access and integration. In terms of access, policymakers need to know whether the charter schools are ensuring options for disadvantaged students, including low-achieving ones, racial and ethnic minorities, low-income students, and students with special needs. Although charter school advocates have often touted charters as a means to give choices to disadvantaged students who otherwise lack choice (Nathan, 1998), critics have worried that as schools of choice, charters will “skim the cream,” attracting and