Learning from Experience: Case Studies of Employer-Linked Charter Schools.

This document reports on a study of employer-linked charter schools that included case studies of 9 of the more than 70 employer-linked charter schools currently in operation across the United States. Section 1 is an overview of employer-linked charter schools' key elements and unique features. Topics examined include the following: vision of charter school founders, learning in context, meeting workforce development needs, charters' relationship to traditional school systems, curriculum innovation, raising standards, assessment of student achievement, flexibility of staffing, and role models and mentoring. Section 2 is a discussion of the study methodology that includes the following: case study selection criteria; characteristics of the case study sites; the research questions; and site summaries. The case study sites, which had enrollments ranging from 60 to 2,480, included a program that helped students identify areas of vocational interest and explore related career options and programs targeted toward specific groups (for example, out-of-school urban youths) or students with specific career interests (for example, students interested in careers in manufacturing, the performing arts, and health careers). Appendixes, constituting approximately two-thirds of the document, contain the case studies, which describe the following elements for each school: defining purpose, learning standard, curriculum, worksite learning, governance, and career purpose. (MN)