Policy Reform Supporting Charter Schools in the City of Richmond, Virginia
Charter schools have been a contentious topic throughout the United States for several decades. The legislature in the state of Virginia passed laws allowing and supporting charter schools beginning in 1998, though as of now only three charter schools exist in the state. With state legalization of charter schools, efforts at the local level are now key to actually establishing more charter schools. Policy in the City of Richmond has not been especially conducive to the establishment of charter schools, and reform in this city's policy in regards to charter schools could lead to an increased establishment of schools in the municipality and statewide.
Problem Statement
Knowledge regarding policies that support the practical success of charter schools must be gathered and related to current policies in the City of Richmond, Virginia.
Research Objective
The research will identify current policies and potential reforms regarding charter schools in the City of Richmond, Virginia.
Research Questions
What municipal policies have led to the establishment of charter schools in other areas?
What policies exist in the City of Richmond in regards to public and charter schools, and the relation of charter schools to the public school system?
What other public barriers to the establishment of charter schools exist in the City of Richmond?
How can the barriers be mitigated through policy reforms?
Research Methodology
The protocol for the proposed research will consist of locating relevant primary and secondary documents containing the information sought, and the careful categorization and collation of data from different sources so as to form accurate and comprehensive understandings of the information. Data collection tools that will prove especially useful in the research will include online electronic database search features and both online and hardcopy items published as a matter of public record by the City of Richmond. Analysis of the data retrieved will take place on a qualitative basis, with specific policy features correlated to institutional changes based on past evidence as well as ongoing scholarship and hypotheses.
Methodological Literature
Bryamn, A.; Bell, E. & Teevan, J. (2009). Social research methods. New York: Oxford University Press.
Cohen, L.; Manion, L. & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. New York: Routledge.
Yin, R. (2009). Case study research: design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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