Written question asked by Lord Whitehead (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 November 2005. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Wednesday, 23 November 2005 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Milwaukee Charter Schools Programme

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions representatives of her Department had with US (a) educators and officials concerned with the Milwaukee charter schools programme and (b) policy institutes during their recent visit to the US; and what assessment they have made of the programme.

Answer: The discussions held with educators and officials concerned with the Milwaukee charter schools' programme included the teaching and learning strategies and curriculum used to engage and motivate young people; the implications of teacher led schools and the accountability systems in place to quality assure provision.The official made the following observations based on his visit to Milwaukee:"1. The inclusive nature of new charter school creation has encouraged the involvement of people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Their expertise and enthusiasm helps practitioners see things from a different angle.""2. There is little intervention or co-ordinated response to prevent fragile charter schools from failing, although there is expertise in the system to share good practice to build capacity and ensure consistency of approach."

Secondary information