A KUOW investigation shows area charter schools broke their promises to parents and students

Charter schools were legalized in Washington state in 2012, and were designed to serve students who often struggle with traditional education in public schools. Frequently, those students come from marginalized communities, including children of color, students with disabilities and refugee families, whose children are in need of English instruction.

For the last six months, KUOW reporter Ann Dornfeld has been investigating the largest chain of charter schools in the region: Impact Public Schools. What she’s found is that charter schools are frequently failing to live up to the promises they’ve made to students, leaving staff, students, and parents frustrated.

Listen to the full Soundside conversation on Dornfeld's reporting by clicking the audio above.

You can read part one of the Broken Promises series here, which covers a lack of educational services like English language classes and special education services.

You can read part two of the Broken Promises series here, which covers problems with the charter school system for holding kids back a grade.