One significant change in American education in recent years has been the proliferation of charter schools throughout the country. Although charters are publicly funded, they are allowed to operate independently from traditional public school systems while abiding by rules that vary from state to state. Advocates of charters argue that their independence enables them to innovate and be more flexible in serving their students. Many charter supporters also believe that, by relying on teachers who in most cases are not unionized, better results will arise, in part because it is easier to fire ineffective non-unionized instructors unprotected by tenure and due process dismissal rules. Download report.