The U.S. Department of Education has pledged to tighten controls of its quarter-billion-dollar-a-year charter schools program—a program repeatedly criticized by the Office of the Inspector General.

CMD's review of documents from the U.S. Department of Education sheds new light on the deep flaws in the design, implementation and oversight of the federal charter schools program.

CMD's review of grant documents shows that lack of democratic oversight is a boon rather than a burden if you want to receive money from the federal charter schools program.