School choice is the most talked about reform of American public education, yet writings about choice remain highly speculative because no state has adopted a free market approach to education--until now. The charter school is fast becoming one of the most significant attempts at public education reform in this country. Over 1100 charter schools operate in twenty-seven states, with several hundred more to be added in the next two years. School Choice in the Real World looks at the charter school movement through a highly focused lens: it examines charter schools in Arizona, which currently account for nearly one-quarter of all charter schools.Since 1994, Arizona has implemented a charter school law with the lowest barriers to entry in the nation. As a result, Arizona has more than 200 charter school campuses. Some districts have even lost more than 10% of their students to charter schools. Using the state of Arizona as a case study, the editors examine the experiences of actual charter school operators, social scientific analysis, policy discussions, and criticism and forecasting for the future. The editors bring together academics, policy-makers, and practicioners, and they explain and evaluate how school choice works in the real world.Real World School Choice: Arizona Charter Schools; (Robert Maranto, Scott Milliman, Frederick Hess, and April Gresham); Theoretical and National Perspectives; And This Parent Went to Market: Education as Public vs. Private Good; (L. Elaine Halchin); The Death of One Best Way: Charter Schools as Reinventing Government; (Robert Maranto); Congress and Charter Schools; (David L.; Leal); Charter Schools: A National; Innovation, an Arizona Revolution; (Bryan C. Hassel); Social Scientists Look; at Arizona Charter Schools; The Wild West of; Education Reform: Arizona Charter Schools; (Robert Maranto and April Gresham); Why Arizona Embarked on School Reform (and Nevada Did Not); (Stephanie Timmons-Brown and Frederick Hess); Do Charter Schools lì