Gary J. Schmitt is director of AEI's Program on American Citizenship. A former staff directorof a Senate committee and presidential appointee, Dr. Schmitt has also served as president of the New Citizenship Project, Inc.—a 501(c)3 dedicated to improving the quality of America’s civic discourse. His writings on the U.S. Constitution, the American founding and American constitutional history have appeared in various scholarly publications and volumes. Dr. Schmitt’s opinion pieces have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and he is a frequent commentator on public affairs radio and television programs. He graduated from the University of Dallas in 1974 with a B.A. in Politics. He received his Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Chicago in 1980.Cheryl Miller is a freelance writer in Washington, DC. Previously, she managed the Program on American Citizenship at the American Enterprise Institute. She has worked as head news clerk and editorial researcher at The New York Times, and as deputy director of research in the Office of Presidential Speechwriting. Her work has appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, Commentary, and the Claremont Review of Books. She graduated from the University of Dallas with a B.A. in English and Politics.

If civic education concerns you, you will be challenged, provoked, and inspired by the laboratories of democracy presented in the vivid pages of Trendsetting Charter Schools. Drawing on models from Saul Alinsky to Milton Friedman (and from the US Constitution to modern South Korea), these charter schools provide strikingly diverse examples that will stimulate debate and imitation.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction-Rick Hess & Daniel LautzenheiserChapter 1: Charter Schools as Nation Builders: Democracy Prep-Daniel Lautzenheiser & Andrew KellyChapter 2: Counting on Character: National Heritage Academies Creating Capital Citizens: - Joanne JacobsChapter 3: César Chávez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy and Civic Education-Richard Lee ColvinChapter 4: In Service of Citizenship: YES Prep Public Schools-Robert MarantoChapter 5: Making Americans: UNO Charter Schools-David FeithChapter 6: Being Part of a People: Ridgeview Charter Schools-William GonchConclusion-Robin Lake & Cheryl MillerAbout the AuthorsAbout the EditorsIndex