Third wave of charters has been a drag on results

DallasNews.com | News for Dallas, Texas | Education: "When the state's Board of Education approved – in one fell swoop – the creation of 89 charter schools, the move was heralded as a 'bold experiment' that would spur new and better schools for the state's neediest kids.

That vote in September of 1998 has proved to be one of the biggest mistakes in the short history of Texas charters. Many of the schools created that day – dubbed Generation Three – have hobbled the movement.

The schools have been at the center of several high-profile financial scandals. Their actions are largely responsible for charter oversight rules that, advocates say, have limited the growth of successful charter schools."