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School Choice &
Charter Schools
Avoiding the Supreme Court's Religious Charter-School Trap: Governance Change for the New Legal Era
Publication Date
May 28, 2026
Authors
Kevin G. Welner, Carol C. Burris, and Preston C. Green III
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
In a new policy brief, Avoiding the Supreme Court's Religious Charter-School Trap: Governance Change for the New Legal Era, authors Kevin G. Welner (University of Colorado Boulder), Carol C. Burris (Network for Public Education), and Preston C. Green III (University of Connecticut) warn that, without proactive legislative action, this radical transformation of states' charter sectors could be fully imposed within two years. Appendix
Review of Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024
Publication Date
June 10, 2025
Authors
Will Flanders; Benjamin Shear, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) examines publicly available test score data from Spring 2024 in Wisconsin to investigate the relative effectiveness and cost of school choice programs.
Review of Resource Realities: A Comparative Analysis of Charter and District School Funding in Washington, D.C.
Publication Date
January 21, 2025
Authors
Krista Kaput, Titilayo Tinubu Ali, and Jennifer O'Neal Schiess; Clive Belfield; Queens College, City University of New York
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Bellwether report explores how much public financing charter schools receive and whether they are funded fairly compared to traditional public schools, specifically in the District of Columbia. After finding disparities, it offers a series of recommendations to reduce those disparities, but upon review these findings and recommendations are not well-supported.
Review of Searching for the Tipping Point: Scaling up Public School Choice Spurs Citywide Gains
Publication Date
December 3, 2024
Authors
Tressa Pankovits; David R. Garcia, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Progressive Policy Institute report purports to examine the impact of charter schools on the achievement of students who remain enrolled in district-run public schools. Based on the data in the report, however, it shows only a weak relationship between the presence of charter schools and increases in achievement for all students, which contradicts the report's claims.
The Fiscal Impacts of Expanded Voucher Programs and Charter-School Growth on Public Schools: Recommendations for Sustaining Adequate and Equitable School Finance Systems
Publication Date
November 21, 2024
Authors
David S. Knight, University of Washington; David DeMatthews, University of Texas at Austin
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
NEPC’s new policy brief, The Fiscal Impacts of Expanded Voucher Programs and Charter-School Growth on Public Schools: Recommendations for Sustaining Adequate and Equitable School Finance Systems, synthesizes research on the fiscal impacts of charter and voucher school policies on public school systems. Authors David S. Knight of the University of Washington and David DeMatthews of the University of Texas at Austin also discuss recent developments, including the influx of voucher policies, often promoted by large philanthropic donations and messaging campaigns.
Review of Did the Emergence of Ohio Charter Schools Help or Harm Students Who Remained in District Schools?
Publication Date
June 20, 2024
Authors
Stéphane Lavertu; Bryan Mann, University of Kansas
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Legislatures across the United States continue to pass policies to add or expand school choice. Within this context, the Fordham Institute, an advocate of school choice expansion, has published a report asserting that charter schools have not negatively affected students in traditional public schools. However, a review of this report finds that though it could contribute to the conversation, its conclusions are highly misleading.
Review of Still a Good Investment: Charter School Productivity in Nine Cities
Publication Date
January 23, 2024
Authors
Alison H. Johnson, Josh B. McGee, Patrick J. Wolf, Jay F. May, and Larry D. Maloney; Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas has maintained, in an ongoing series of reports, that charter schools suffer from inequitable funding compared to public district schools. Their latest output extends this argument, claiming that despite receiving less revenue, charters achieve better results on standardized tests, making them the more cost-effective choice. However, the same methodological flaws identified in earlier reports continue, and worsen, in this one.
Review of From Surviving to Thriving: K-12 Choice and Opportunity for Rural Texas Students and Teachers
Publication Date
December 7, 2023
Authors
Matthew Ladner and Jason Bedrick; Amanda Potterton of the University of Kentucky, Annah Rogers of the University of West Alabama, and Jeanne Powers of Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Heritage Foundation recently published a report that claims increased competition has improved academic achievement in Arizona's rural public schools and that similar policies will be good for rural Texas. However, a review finds several flaws in the report's reasoning and methodology.
Evaluating Research That Alleges Funding Disparities Between Charter and District Schools
Publication Date
September 12, 2023
Authors
Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Over the past decade, pro-charter organizations have published a series of reports claiming that funding disparities put charter schools at a disadvantage compared to public schools run by school districts. However, those conclusions are invariably incorrect due to flawed research methods. In a policy memo released today by NEPC, Evaluating Research That Alleges Funding Disparities Between Charter and District Schools, Mark Weber of Rutgers University and the New Jersey Policy Perspective uses the latest "charter school funding inequity" report to illustrate these fundamental research flaws, thus providing a guide for stakeholders to evaluate the accuracy and transparency of related research.
Review of As a Matter of Fact: National Charter School Study III 2023
Publication Date
September 7, 2023
Authors
Margaret E. Raymond, James L. Woodworth, Won Fy Lee, and Sally Bachofer; Joseph J. Ferrare University of Washington Bothell
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; School Funding; Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
In a recent report, the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) examined charter school students' year-to-year test score growth over four years, and across 31 states. The report shows very small differences favoring charter schools and has been repeatedly trumpeted by charter school advocates as having policy significance-as weighing in favor of charter school expansion.
Review of Think Again: Do Charter Schools Drain Resources From Traditional Public Schools?
Publication Date
May 18, 2023
Authors
David Griffith; Huriya Jabbar, University of Texas at Austin
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute considers whether charter schools increase or decrease traditional public school districts’ total revenues, instructional spending per pupil, and efficiency.
Summit Charter Organization Continues to Make Unjustified Claims
Publication Date
May 10, 2022
Authors
Anum Ali Mohammed and Adam Black; Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Summit Public Schools, a charter school organization operating schools in California and Oregon, published Pathways to Success: Exploring the Long-Term Outcomes of Alumni from Summit Public Schools in September 2021, detailing the success of its graduates. A review by Audrey Amrein-Beardsley of Arizona State University examines these questionable assertions made about the performance and life satisfaction of Summit graduates. The report claims that Summit alumni graduated from college at nearly double the national average and self-reported high levels of well-being, fulfillment, and workplace satisfaction. It also reports that alumni from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds now make more than $60,000 per year on average working full time.
Review of Fiscal Effects of School Choice: Analyzing the Costs and Savings of Private School Choice Programs in America
Publication Date
March 15, 2022
Authors
Martin Lueken; Luis A. Huerta and Steven Koutsavlis, Teachers College, Columbia University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from EdChoice argues for expansion of policies that publicly fund private schools, contending that private schools could provide equal or better outcomes at lesser cost.
Review of Charter School Funding: Dispelling Myths about EMOs, Expenditure Patterns, & Nonpublic Dollars
Publication Date
January 18, 2022
Authors
Angela K. Dills, Patrick J. Wolf, Corey A. DeAngelis, Jay F. May, Larry D. Maloney, and Cassidy Syftestad
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The latest in a series of reports from the University of Arkansas Department of Education unconvincingly attempts to show that charter schools are inequitably funded compared to public district schools. The report, Charter School Funding: Dispelling Myths about EMOs, Expenditure Patterns, & Nonpublic Dollars, runs into several major problems according to Dr. Mark Weber of Rutgers University and the New Jersey Policy Perspective in the latest NEPC review.
Review of Charter School Funding: Support for Students with Disabilities
Publication Date
September 2, 2021
Authors
Cassidy Syftestad, Patrick J. Wolf, Wendy Tucker, and Lauren Morando Rhim; Bruce D. Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent brief from the School Choice Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas erroneously asserts that charter schools are shortchanged of funding for students with disabilities.
Review of Florida Versus Kentucky: School Choice Improves Public School Performance, Too
Publication Date
July 15, 2021
Authors
Samuel E. Abrams and Steven J. Koutsavlis; Sam Abrams and Steven Koutsavlis, Teachers College, Columbia University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from Kentucky's Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions claims, with little supporting evidence, that trends from the 1990s to 2019 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that choice programs catalyze significant educational improvement.
Review of Religious Charter Schools: Legally Permissible? Constitutionally Required?
Publication Date
January 26, 2021
Authors
Nicole Stelle Garnett; Derek Black, University of South Carolina School of Law
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Manhattan Institute recently published a report concluding that the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue requires states to grant charters to religious organizations, including those that intend to deliver an explicitly religious curriculum that teaches religion as truth.
Review of The Third Way: A Guide to Implementing Innovation Schools
Publication Date
January 21, 2021
Authors
Tressa Pankovits, David Osbourne; Carrie Sampson, Arizona State University; Sarah Diem, University of Missouri
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers; Technology & AI; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Progressive Policy Institute recently published a "how-to" guide for entities such as charter management companies that seek to develop innovation schools in urban communities.
Review of Changes in the Performance of Students in Charter and District Sectors of U.S. Education: An Analysis of Nationwide Trends
Publication Date
December 3, 2020
Authors
M. Danish Shakeel and Paul E. Peterson; Yongmei Ni and Eunice Han of the University of Utah
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) at Harvard University recently published a research study touting improvement in the charter sector relative to district schools. The study attributes this, in part, to "enhanced charter performance."
Review of Unleashing Educational Opportunity: The Untapped Potential of Expanded Tax Credit Scholarships
Publication Date
October 22, 2020
Authors
Corey DeAngelis; Bruce Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A Commonwealth Foundation report argues that expanding a program that uses tax credits to create vouchers for private schooling can lead to large economic gains for the state of Pennsylvania. Such gains would result from two purported benefits: increased lifetime earnings for those attending private schools on vouchers, and reduced social costs associated with crime.
Review of Are Charter Schools Safer Than District-Run Schools? Evidence from Pennsylvania | Review of Effects of Charter School Competition on District School Budgeting Decisions: Experimental Evidence from Texas
Publication Date
June 9, 2020
Authors
Corey A. DeAngelis | Corey A. DeAngelis and Christian Barnard; Bruce Fuller, University of California, Berkeley
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The first study describes how rates of reported low-incidence student infractions are lower in charters, on average. Analyses that include some statistical controls continue to yield results favorable to charters. The author concludes, “The public charter school sector advantages suggest that increasing access to public charter schools in Pennsylvania could improve school climate outcomes for students.” The second report aims to show that competition from the opening of an imagined nearby charter school can increase principals’ preference for budget autonomy and change how they allocate campus budgets to differing positions and instructional resources. The authors assert that their study offers “experimental evidence” that “anticipated charter school competition has large negative effects on school leaders’ reported spending on certain categories of support staff.”
Review of Comparing Ed Reforms: Assessing the Experimental Research on Nine K-12 Education Reforms
Publication Date
May 26, 2020
Authors
Paul DiPerna; Bruce D. Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability; Early Childhood; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from EdChoice, working with Hanover Research, identifies and reviews studies that use Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) to determine student achievement or educational attainment outcomes of nine broad "education reform" areas.
Report Provides Weak Justification for Expansion of Newark Charters
Publication Date
March 17, 2020
Authors
Marcus A. Winters; Dr. Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Manhattan Institute report attempts to estimate the effects of charter school enrollment on student test scores in Newark, NJ – a city whose charter sector has been under intense scrutiny – and finds positive effects on English language and math test scores. The report deems these effects "large" as compared to other types of educational interventions.
Review: Ripple Effect: How Expanding School Choice Programs Can Lead to More College Graduates and a Stronger Economy
Publication Date
March 10, 2020
Authors
WILL FLANDERS, PHD; William J. Mathis, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The report presumes a causal chain of: raising the voucher cap from four percent to 20% → more voucher students in K-12 schools → higher graduation rates from college → higher lifetime earnings → more consumer spending → increased state and local taxes collected. The resulting benefits to Wisconsin are asserted to be $3.2 billion over 20 years. The final three steps are based on solid research, although the specific numbers are in some dispute. That is, when students graduate from college, they will have higher average incomes and will spend more, and pay more taxes, over their lifetimes. The numbers get complicated, however, when we start to consider factors like job market opportunities that can accommodate the increased percentage of college graduates.
School Choice Advocacy Report Plays Regression Modeling Games to Make Its Case Against Public Schools
Publication Date
January 21, 2020
Authors
Corey A. DeAngelis; Steven V. Miller, Clemson University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report jointly published by the Reason Foundation and Cato Institute argues that private and charter schools have a strong positive effect on parents’ reported satisfaction with their children's education.
Report About Charters Being a "Rising Tide" Sinks Under Weight of Flawed Data
Publication Date
November 14, 2019
Authors
David Griffith; Yongmei Ni, University of Utah
Research Areas
Charter Schools; General / Needs Review; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute examines whether average achievement in a school district increases as the "market share" of charter schools rises. The report argues that there is a positive competition effect.
Student Achievement in Florida's Charter Schools: A Comparison of the Performance of Charter School Students with Traditional Public School Students
Publication Date
June 18, 2019
Authors
Robert Bifulco, Syracuse University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Florida Department of Education recently published a report consisting almost entirely of simple graphs comparing achievement levels, achievement gaps, and achievement gains on statewide tests among charter school students to those among traditional public school students. The Department's press release touted the report as showing that the state's "charter school students consistently outperform their peers in traditional public schools."
Charter Schools and District Enrollment Loss Do Charter Schools Cause Fiscal Distress in School Districts Do the Costs of California Charter Schools Outweigh the Benefits
Publication Date
May 30, 2019
Authors
Bruce D. Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), based at the University of Washington, Bothell, recently released a series of three policy briefs on the financial impact of charter schools on nearby school districts in California. The briefs are intended to inform ongoing debates over charter school financing and expansion in the state of California.
Report Advocating for More Charter School Facilities Funding Offers Scarce Rationale for Doing So
Publication Date
March 12, 2019
Authors
Mark Weber, Rutgers
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from Bellwether Education Partners contends that more funding should be given for charter school facilities. Focusing on a series of Idaho case studies, the report argues that charter schools are unfairly denied funding for the construction and renovation of their school buildings. These arguments, while focused on Idaho in this particular report, have been made with regard to charter school policies across the U.S.
How School Privatization Opens the Door for Discrimination
Publication Date
December 6, 2018
Authors
Julie F. Mead, University of Wisconsin Suzanne E. Eckes, Indiana University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding; Technology & AI
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
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Fiscal and Education Spillovers from Charter School Expansion
Publication Date
October 4, 2018
Authors
Matt Ridley and Camille Terrier; Clive Belfield
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The paper reaches three key findings. First, due to a subsidy provided by Massachusetts law, per-pupil expenditures in the impacted public schools increased as charter schools expanded. Second, these districts appeared to respond to competitive pressures from charter schools by moving funding to inputs directly related to instruction. Third, test scores in math and English language arts in the existing public schools increased very slightly. All three of these impacts, however, disappear after six years of initial charter school expansion.
Time to Change Course: Reclaiming the Potential of Texas Charter Schools
Publication Date
September 11, 2018
Authors
Adam Jones and Amanda List; Edward J. Fuller
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The report claims Texas had formerly been a leader in creating high-performing charter schools. It further claims that Texas’ past low barriers for entry into the market (i.e., ease of having an application approved by an authorizer) was a contributing factor to this success.
Charter Schools and the Achievement Gap
Publication Date
April 10, 2018
Authors
Sarah Cohodes, Teachers College, Columbia University; A. Chris Torres, Michigan State University; & Joanne Golann, Vanderbilt University.
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report published by the Future of Children, a collaboration of the Brookings Institution and Princeton University, recommended the expansion of intensive school discipline practices to drive academic results. Despite charter schools performing no better than traditional public schools on average, the report found “no-excuses” charter schools demonstrate promising results. The report advanced that the practices should be expanded within and outside the charter school sector.
Charter School Funding: Inequity in New York City
Publication Date
October 11, 2017
Authors
Larry D. Maloney and Patrick J. Wolf; Clive Belfield, Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY)
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A report from the Department of Education Reform (EDRE) at the University of Arkansas claimed that charter schools in NYC were not being fairly funded because of a funding gap favoring district schools. The authors of the report also asserted that certain co-located schools had fiscal advantages over other charters. Unfortunately, an academic review of the report finds it to be dated and of little use for policymakers or researchers.
Charter Management Organizations 2017
Publication Date
September 7, 2017
Authors
James Woodworth, Margaret Raymond, Chunping Han, Yohannes Negassi, W. Payton Richardson, and Will Snow; Gary Miron and Christopher Shank, Western Michigan University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A report from the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO) looked at the impact of charter school operating organizations. The report found that students in charter schools demonstrated slightly greater gains in performance than peers in traditional public schools, especially in charter schools operated by certain types of management organizations. The report contributes to an expansive body of existing research on charter schools by expanding on its prior work by exploring differences in charter school performance based on management organization type.
New York Charter Schools Outperform Traditional Selective Public Schools: More Evidence that Cream-skimming is Not Driving Charters’ Success
Publication Date
May 9, 2017
Authors
Macus A. Winters; Sarah A. Cordes, Temple University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Manhattan Institute’s Marcus Winters released a report that explored the extent to which charter schools’ success could be attributed to “cream-skimming” from struggling public schools in New York. The report claimed that NYC’s charter schools performed better than selective non-charter public schools. The report found that the charter schools performed no differently in ELA and significantly better in math. The report concluded that the success of NYC’s charter schools could not be explained by cream-skimming.
Differences by Design? Student Composition in Charter Schools with Different Academic Models
Publication Date
April 13, 2017
Authors
Nat Malkus And Jenn Hatfield; T. Jameson Brewer, University of North Georgia; and Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A report from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) compared differences in approaches and demographics between and among charter school models and traditional public schools. The report used three national data sets to capture the national universe of charter schools. Using enrollment demographics at different charter school models (e.g., art focused, no-excuses, single-sex, etc.), the report demonstrated that different demographic groups attend different types of charter schools. With regard to different categories of race and ethnicity, family income, and special education status, the report documents demographic sorting as an outcome of school choice.
Segregation, Race, and Charter Schools: What Do We Know?
Publication Date
December 19, 2016
Authors
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, Richard V. Reeves, Edward Rodriguez; Erica Frankenberg, Penn State University College of Education
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A report from the Center on Children and Families at Brookings attempted to compare various research findings on school segregation with a focus on expanding urban charter schools. The report argued that school quality is the primary determinant of student achievement, and that instead of addressing school segregation, policy should focus on improving the schools that students of color and low-income students attend.
Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking – Regulating Charter Schools
Publication Date
August 23, 2016
Authors
William J. Mathis, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
As part of Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking, a multipart brief that takes up a number of important policy issues, William J. Mathis examines charter school accountability. Mathis finds that despite the premise of market-based accountability, charter schools are not sufficiently being held accountable or regulated.
School Closures and Student Achievement: An Analysis of Ohio’s Urban District and Charter Schools
Publication Date
June 16, 2015
Authors
Deven Carleson and Stéphane Lavertu; Ben Kirshner, University of Colorado Boulder; and Matthew Gaertner, Pearson
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability; General / Needs Review
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute investigated school closures in Ohio for urban district and charter schools. The report found that test scores of displaced district students showed greater gains in math and reading relative to students from non-closed schools and that displaced charter students showed gains in math but not reading. Among the findings of the report, closed schools were attended by greater percentages of African American students from low-income families. Additionally, the report noted that displaced students performed better if they transferred to schools with higher levels of performance.
Urban Charter School Study
Publication Date
April 27, 2015
Authors
Andrew Maul, University of California Santa Barbara
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University attempted to investigate whether charter schools generate better outcomes than traditional public schools (TPS) in urban environments. The report, part of a series of reports on the performance of charter schools relative to TPS, asserts charter schools in urban environments provide a slightly greater test score advantage than those in non-urban environments. The report utilizes a methodological approach similar to previous reports from CREDO, and finds that students in urban charter schools were estimated to score approximately 0.055 standard deviations higher on math tests and 0.039 standard deviations higher on reading tests than their peers in urban TPSs.
Separating Fact and Fiction: What You Need to Know about Charter Schools
Publication Date
February 23, 2015
Authors
Gary Miron, Western Michigan University Kevin G. Welner, University of Colorado Boulder and William J. Mathis, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The report addressed 21 "myths" regarding charter schools, which were rejected. Succinctly, the original report addressed various claims about charter schools in such areas as financial equality of charter schools, lower teacher qualifications, student selection demographics, academic outcomes, segregation, and innovation.
No Excuses Charter Schools: A Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence
Publication Date
January 20, 2015
Authors
Albert Cheng, Collin Hitt, Brian Kasida, & Jonathan N. Mill; Jeanne M. Powers, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The authors of this working paper declared that students attending No Excuses charter schools had significantly improved math and reading scores. No Excuses schools feature high academic standards, strict disciplinary codes, extended instructional time, and targeted supports for low-performing students. The hope is that by having high standards for academics and discipline, No Excuses schools will help close the achievement gap between minority students and their White peers. The authors used findings from 10 studies that utilized experimental methods to estimate achievement outcomes.
A Meta-Analysis of the Literature on the Effect of Charter Schools on Student Achievement
Publication Date
September 30, 2014
Authors
Julian R. Betts & Y. Emily Tang; Francesca López, University of Arizona
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) attempted to examine whether charter schools have a positive effect on student achievement. The report reviewed 52 studies selected by the authors and found charters to be serving students well, particularly in math. The CRPE report is an update of prior reports that examine the achievement of charter schools as compared to traditional public schools.
Seeds of Achievement: AppleTree’s Early Childhood D.C. Charter Schools
Publication Date
September 16, 2014
Authors
C. Stillings Candal; W. Steven Barnett and Cynthia E. Lamy, National Institute for Early Education Research
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Early Childhood
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report, funded by the Pioneer Institute and written by Cara Stillings Candal, presents a case, based on anecdotes and basic data, that the AppleTree model, a well-regarded early childhood program in the Washington D.C. area, is “unusually effective” and should be replicated across the nation.
The Productivity of Public Charter Schools
Publication Date
August 19, 2014
Authors
Meagan Batdorff, Larry Maloney, Jay F. May, Sheree T. Speakman, Patrick J. Wolf, Albert Cheng; Gene V. Glass, University of Colorado Boulder and Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The authors of the report claim that this is the first national study of productivity of charter schools relative to traditional public schools. The report utilizes finding from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and “revenues received” to support that charter schools spend less per pupil than traditional public schools and produce achievement as good or superior to that of traditional public schools.
New York City's Children First: Lessons in School Reform
Publication Date
June 3, 2014
Authors
Maureen Kelleher; Randal Reback, Barnard College
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers; Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Center for American Progress summarizes and evaluates the public education reforms during the Bloomberg mayoral era in NYC. The report suggests that positive change resulted from the Children First reforms and makes several policy recommendations. The report describes four aspects of reform during the Bloomberg era, and makes recommendations for NYC and other urban districts. It focuses on top-down school reforms from the mayor's office, rather than on instructional changes inside classrooms.
Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands Department of Education Reform (DER) at the University of Arkansas
Publication Date
May 20, 2014
Authors
Meagan Batdorff, Larry Maloney, Jay F. May, Sheree T. Speakman, Patrick J. Wolf, Albert Cheng; Bruce Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The authors of the report claim large and growing inequities between district funding provided through state, local, federal and other sources and charter school revenues from those same sources, even after accounting for differences in student needs.
The Effect of Co-locations on Student Achievement in NYC Public Schools
Publication Date
April 15, 2014
Authors
Marcus A. Winters; Tina Trujillo and Marialena Rivera, UC-Berkeley
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The report from the Manhattan Institute investigated the effect of colocations of charter schools and traditional public schools on a narrow range of standardized test scores. It focused on students' test scores and looked at fourth through eighth grade ELA and math standardized assessment gains. Colocation was not found to have a significant impact on students' test scores.
A New Frontier: Utilizing Charter Schooling to Strengthen Rural Education
Publication Date
March 13, 2014
Authors
Andrew Smarick; Craig Howley, Ohio University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent document from Bellwether Education Partners argues for expanding charter schools into rurally populated states. It recommends opening the rural charter market and removing barriers to expansion. It highlights several state-level policy recommendations and offers five directives to policymakers: (1) replace barriers to growth with smart, flexible policies; (2) provide flexibility from teacher certification rules; (3) provide fair funding; (4) make facilities accessible; and (5) leverage technology.
Should Charter Schools Pay Rent? Implications for Staffing and Growth
Publication Date
February 20, 2014
Authors
Stephen Eide; Bruce Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report from the Manhattan Institute examined the potential impact of requiring co-located charter schools to pay rent in NYC. The report reflects concerns of charter advocates and operators regarding potential policy changes under Bill de Blasio, New York's new mayor. The report claims that charging rent to co-located charters in NYC would have triggered an average budget deficit of 10.7 percent at those schools. The report also proposes that paying rent could cripple the co-located charters' growth in NYC.
National Charter School Study 2013
Publication Date
July 16, 2013
Authors
Andrew Maul, University of Colorado Boulder Abby McClelland, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University examined charter schools in 26 states and New York City. Its primary findings were: (a) a small positive effect of being in a charter school on reading scores and no impact on math scores; and (b) a relative improvement in average charter school quality since CREDO’s 2009 study.
KIPP Middle Schools: Impacts on Achievement and Other Outcomes
Publication Date
April 30, 2013
Authors
Gregory Camilli, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent study from Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) suggests that KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) charter middle schools may actually boost test-score growth by as much as eight months to eleven months over a three year period.
What Does It Take to Scale Up Innovations? An Examination of Teach For America, Harlem Children’s Zone, and the Knowledge is Power Program
Publication Date
March 14, 2013
Authors
Ben Levin, University of Toronto
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; General / Needs Review
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
What Does It Take to Scale Up Innovations? A new brief investigates whether innovations are scalable and able to make a difference widely, using three commonly proposed innovations as examples. Ben Levin, University of Toronto, analyzes Teach For America (TFA), KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program), and the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), which has already spawned the U.S. Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods program. Levin determined that there are barriers and opportunities to the scalability of these programs. The brief cautions policymakers to avoid the temptation of proclaiming small-scale innovative programs as solutions to large-scale problems in education.
Charter School Performance in Michigan
Publication Date
February 12, 2013
Authors
Andrew Maul, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The CREDO researchers analyzed differences in student performance at charter schools and traditional public schools in Michigan. Charter advocates trumpeted the new CREDO Michigan study as a “smashing success” for charter schools.
Spending by the Major Charter Management Organizations: Comparing Charter School and Local Public District Financial Resources in New York, Ohio, and Texas.
Publication Date
May 3, 2012
Authors
Bruce D. Baker Rutgers University Ken Libby and Kathryn Wiley, University of Colorado
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
New Report Analyzes Charter School Finances in New York, Ohio and Texas to Determine How Much Is Spent By Prominent Charter School Operators Bruce Baker of Rutgers University, along with Ken Libby and Katy Wiley of the University of Colorado, prepared the research brief for the National Education Policy Center. The brief was funded in part by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice and the Albert Shanker Institute.
Charting Equality: Using Charter School Legislation and Policy to Advance Equal Educational Opportunity
Publication Date
February 21, 2012
Authors
Julie F. Mead, University of Wisconsin-Madison Preston C. Green III, Pennsylvania State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
The expansion of charter schools has led to classrooms being more segregated today than they were 30 years ago, according to this new policy brief. The brief provides policymakers with detailed recommendations on how to ensure all students have access to a quality education. Accompanying this brief is a companion report which offers model legislation to carry out the author’s recommendations contained in the policy brief.
Charting Equality: Using Charter School Legislation and Policy to Advance Equal Educational Opportunity
Publication Date
February 21, 2012
Authors
Julie F. Mead, University of Wisconsin-Madison Preston C. Green III, Pennsylvania State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
A newly released report highlights incentives that can be much more effective in attracting and retaining quality teachers than simple merit pay programs. The report shows how merit pay programs that reward teachers based on their students' standardized test scores do little to improve student achievement and offers information on other incentives that could be more successful.
Charter-School Management Organizations: Diverse Strategies and Diverse Student Impacts
Publication Date
January 19, 2012
Authors
Bruce Fuller, University of California-Berkley
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
At the heart of this study of charter management organizations (CMOs), is an impact analysis which found that a small number of CMOs boosted middle-school student achievement.
Charting New Territory: Tapping Charter Schools to Turn Around the Nation’s Dropout Factories
Publication Date
September 13, 2011
Authors
Tina Trujillo, University of California, Berkley
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report advocates for turning struggling public schools into charter schools.
Going Exponential: Growing the Charter School Sector's Best
Publication Date
April 21, 2011
Authors
David Garcia, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report argues that charters schools should be expanded rapidly and exponentially and uses the growth of molds, viruses and companies such as Starbucks as models for charter sector growth.
Reform With Results for New Jersey Schools
Publication Date
February 10, 2011
Authors
Alan R. Sadovnik, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report presents findings on the effectivenss of New Jersey's Abbott v. Burke court decisions. The report argues that the reforms ordered by the court have failed to increase student achievement despite what it terms dramatic spending increases. Based on this, the report argues for instituting such reforms as charters schools, changes to union contracts and vouchers.
Charter Schools: A Report on Rethinking the Federal Role in Education
Publication Date
January 20, 2011
Authors
Gary Miron, Western Michigan University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report summarizes evidence from five studies of student achievement in popular urban charter schools and two studies on charter school revenues and combines it with the authors' judgment and experience to make recommendations regarding the federal role in charter schools.
Equal or Fair? A Study of Revenues and Expenditures in American Charter Schools
Publication Date
June 29, 2010
Authors
Gary Miron and Jessica L. Urschel Western Michigan University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
This report is the most comprehensive to date on the question of whether charter schools are inadequately funded compared with traditional public schools. Miron and Urschel find that though charter schools typically do get less funding than traditional public schools, this is primarily because traditional schools have additional obligations including special education, student support services, food and transportation services which charter schools do not provide (or spend less on).
Urban School Decentralization and the Growth of "Portfolio Districts:"
Publication Date
June 2, 2010
Authors
Kenneth J. Saltman, DePaul University
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers; Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
This policy brief focuses on the portfolio approach to school reform being used in an increasing number of large urban districts including New York, Chicago, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. This approach has been promoted by education reform theorists and some in the Obama administration as a vital and necessary solution to the problems, especially, of urban districts despite the fact that it has unclear advantages, no proof of past success and known high costs.
Charter School Autonomy: A Half-Broken Promise
Publication Date
May 26, 2010
Authors
Charisse Gulosino, University of Massachusetts-Boston
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report argues that autonomy is a prerequisite for there to be innovative, effective charter schools.
Fix the City Schools: Moving All Schools to Charter-Like Autonomy
Publication Date
April 15, 2010
Authors
Katrina E. Bulkley, Montclair State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report argues for the decentralization of urban school districts and cites increased student achievement in post-Katrina New Orleans as support for city schools moving toward a "portfolio" of schools model.
Connecticut's Charter School Law and Race to the Top
Publication Date
March 10, 2010
Authors
Robert Bifulco, Syracuse University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report argues for lifting the charter school cap and increasing funding for charter schools in Connecticut.
Schools without Diversity: Education Management Organizations, Charter Schools, and the Demographic Stratification of the American School System
Publication Date
February 9, 2010
Authors
Gary Miron, Jessica L. Urschel, William J. Mathis,* and Elana Tornquist Dept. of Educational Leadership, Research & Technology College of Education Western Michigan University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
This report, which is a comprehensive examination of enrollment patterns in charter schools operated by Education Management organizations (EMOs), finds that charter schools run by EMOs are segregated by race, family income, disabilities and English language learner status as compared with their local public schools districts.
Everyone Wins: How Charter Schools Benefit All New York City Public School Students
Publication Date
November 17, 2009
Authors
Patrick McEwan, Wellesley College
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report looks at the competition effects of New York City's charter schools and concludes that "students benefit academically when their public school is exposed to competition from a charter."
How New York City's Charter Schools Affect Achievement
Publication Date
November 12, 2009
Authors
Sean Reardon, Stanford University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report estimates the effects on student achievement of attending a New York City charter school rather than a traditional public school. A key finding compares the cumulative effect of attending a New York City charter school for 9 years to the magnitude of average test score differences between students in Harlem and the wealthy New York community of Scarsdale.
Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States
Publication Date
June 24, 2009
Authors
Gary Miron and Brooks Applegate, Western Michigan University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report involved a large scale analysis of 65-70% of the nation’s charter schools and found that average charter performance is equal to, or perhaps lower than, the performance of traditional public schools. Miron¡Çs and Applegate¡Çs review of the report finds that the solid analytic approach employed and the comprehensive data set used make the report a valuable addition to the body of charter school research.
Charter Schools in Eight States: Effects on Achievement, Attainment, Integration and Competition
Publication Date
May 27, 2009
Authors
Derek C. Briggs
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report on charter schools in eight states generally finds that charters have had only modest or insignificant effects on such things as student achievement, student attainment, integration and public school competition.
The Impact of Milwaukee Charter Schools on Student Achievement
Publication Date
May 5, 2009
Authors
Robert Bifulco, Syracuse University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report finds that there are no math achievement gains and small gains in reading in students who attend Milwaukee charter schools when compared to traditional public schools. The report also found that there is no evidence that the presence of charter schools influences that performance in traditional public schools.
Public Charter Schools: A Great Value for Ohio’s Public Education System
Publication Date
December 10, 2008
Authors
Gary Miron, Western Michigan University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report purports to show that charter schools in Ohio are unfairly underfunded relative to traditional public schools. It also claims that districts gain revenue for each student who attends a charter school and that there would be a net loss of revenues for districts if charter schools were closed.
What Do We Know About the Outcomes of KIPP Schools?
Publication Date
November 10, 2008
Authors
Jeffrey R. Henig, Ph.D., Teachers College, Columbia University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
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State Takeover, School Restructuring, Private Management, and Students Achievement in Philadelphia
Publication Date
May 7, 2007
Authors
Derek Briggs, University of Colorado at Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
These two reports examine the impact of private and district management on student achievement in Philadelphia. In 2002, Philadelphia restructured 86 of its lowest-achieving schools and shifted the management of some of them to private companies. The RAND-RFA report concludes that private management has had no impact on math or reading achievement, while district management had a positive effect on math achievement but none on ready. The PEPG report reached virtually the opposite conclusion. It found that private management has had a positive effect on math and reading achievement, while district management has had no measurable effect.
On the Public-Private School Achievement Debate
Publication Date
August 30, 2006
Authors
Christopher Lubienski and Sarah Theule Lubienski, University of Illinois
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Lubienskis’ review of the report finds that the evidence and claims made in the report are critically flawed. Among other things, the researchers did not control for key student demographic data and student-reported data neglected to include key information.
The Financial Impact of Ohio’s Charter Schools
Publication Date
August 1, 2006
Authors
Gene V Glass, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report claims that charter schools in the “Big Eight” urban school districts in Ohio are producing greater student achievement gains, increasing revenues for traditional public schools, and operating at lower costs.
Trends in Charter School Authorizing
Publication Date
May 11, 2006
Authors
Ernest House, University of Colorado
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report surveyed charter school authorizers to explore how they rated on factors that the report’s authors considered important.
Playing to Type? Mapping the Charter School Landscape
Publication Date
May 11, 2006
Authors
Gary Miron, Western Michigan University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This report developed a unique typology to compare charter schools types by their enrollment, demographic background of students and performance.
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