As the charter school movement grows, so does the effort to provide meaningful information to parents and educators interested in charter schools. Whether you're a parent investigating specific schools or an educator looking to start a charter school, the following sites will point you in the right direction.

California Department of Education Charter School Information
In addition to funding and comprehensive policy information, the CDE offers profiles of all charter schools in California. This site also includes useful answers to frequently asked questions about charters.

California Charter Schools Association
This is the membership organization for the state's charter schools.

U.S. Charter Schools
Created to support the sharing of practical information and innovations among charter school operators, parents and community members, the U.S. Charter Schools Web site provides a comprehensive, national resource directory containing school management and educational program information. The site also has school profiles for charter schools across the country, and a research area with bibliographic citations and discussions about charter research.

National Study of Charter Schools: Fourth Year Report
This major four-year study was conducted by RPP International and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. It includes descriptive information on charter schools that were operating during the 1998-99 school year, and looks at growth trends, characteristics of charter schools and their students, reasons for charter creation, implementation challenges, autonomy and accountability.

National Education Association Charter School Resource Center
This public education reform organization offers an overview of the current issues and concerns about the charter school movement.