In 2001, the Indiana General Assembly approved legislation allowing four-year public universities, public school districts, and the mayor of Indianapolis to sponsor charter schools. Five years after that legislation was adopted, Ball State remains the only university authorizing charter schools and increasing options in education for communities around the state.

From South Bend to Floyds Knobs, from Gary to Lafayette to Richmond, Ball State has authorized 18 charter schools in Indiana. As the authorizer, the university does not run the schools but does reserve the right to rescind a charter if a school fails to meet performance standards.

"Our review teams challenge each organizer to articulate a clear and compelling educational vision and plan for implementing that vision," says Roy Weaver, dean of Ball State's Teachers College, which houses the Office of Charter Schools."We are quite pleased with the standards we have set for the schools we authorize and impressed by school organizers' convictions to turn their plans into reality."

In the latest report on Indiana's charter schools, the message is quite positive. Students are thriving in these innovative settings.

With their minority enrollment at more than 65 percent and with more than 50 percent of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, Ball State-sponsored charter schools are helping poor and minority students make significant gains in reading and language, particularly in the elementary grades. One charter school, Evansville's Signature School, has received Four Star recognition from the Indiana Department of Education.

Simply put, charter schools are providing an alternative to public education that can increase student learning among children whose achievement, in many cases, had been limited. School choice provides new opportunities for student success, Weaver says.

"We expect that Indiana's charter schools will continue to grow and provide exciting, unique learning opportunities for children and youth across the state," he says. "And Ball State will continue to be a leader in these innovative, community-based efforts."