Choice and consequences: the fight for statewide charter school authorizers in Georgia

The rise of charter schools has been called one of the largest structural changes in education over the past twenty years. This research describes how studying this major shift, which has influenced statewide polices, bureaucracies, practitioners, learners, and local communities, could prove significant. By examining the legislation that has shaped Georgias educational environment and interpreting the laws through an extensive review, explaining what charter schools are, investigating the history of charter schools in Georgia, and by describing how lawsuits, legislation, and funding have altered the educational landscape in this state since charter schools were established in the early 1990s, this major literature and law review seeks to shed light on an issue that impacts education and actors (large and small), and will try to answer whether or not charter school policy and the creation of statewide charter school authorizers (i.e., the growth and propagation of choice) have been worth the consequencesboth intended and unintended.