When questioned about their charter school's level of autonomy, nearly all administrators expressed that they have more freedom under the charter. They believe that they have considerably more control over many operational and educational aspects including, instructional issues, budget allocation, staff selection, discipline policies, and enrollment caps.

Meanwhile, teachers in charter schools are self-selected, and more of them hold higher degrees and have more years of experience than teachers in non-charter schools. Charter school teachers expressed that they have more influence and are less constrained by rules, but also carry heavier workloads and paperwork burdens. Most teachers expressed that they were satisfied with their jobs and have the freedom to introduce new concepts in the classroom including, student portfolios and cross-age tutoring.

Much of the report concerns the distinctive approaches charter schools are taking and the innovations they are implementing. Charter schools identified parent involvement, parent and teacher participation in government, and cross-age tutoring approaches as the most distinctive educational and organizational approaches in their schools. Charter schools were also found to be more innovative than comparison schools because they more frequently introduced alternative assessments, parent instructors, and cross-age tutoring. Charter school administrators also cited technology, multi-age grouping, changing schedules, targeting at-risk youth, increasing professional development opportunities, and reducing class size more often than their counterparts.

Many charter schools encourage parents to participate in their children's schools and, therefore, have relatively high rates of parent involvement. Parents involved with charter schools raise controversial issues, have been responsible for some changes in policy or practice, and are more likely to take nontraditional approaches. However, most charter schools use parent contracts that require parents to participate. Furthermore, "many contracts include a 'failure-to-comply' clause, which...are being used disproportionately by charter schools enrolling high percentages of LEP and below-average students, and students from non-professional families."

Charter schools are serving fewer low-income and below-average students, and more privileged students than comparison schools. However, charter schools do enroll a comparable percent of minorities, more students who have been retained in grade, and former school dropouts.

Also included in this report are tables, charts, and graphs which further break down and clarify the information listed here.