Examining the Relationship between Charter Competition, Teacher Quality, and School Resources on Ohio’s Reading Achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the relationships between charter competition, teacher quality, and school resources on reading achievement. According to the market-based theory, the threat that charter competition poses should encourage traditional public schools to adopt policies and practices that lead to increased student achievement. A linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze district and building-level date to determine which variable(s) presents as the best predictor of reading achievement in Ohio. The sample consisted of 293 schools from four districts between 2005 and 2017. The findings suggest that as the charter school to public school ratio increases in a district, the reading achievement of students attending traditional public schools decreases; when the average reading proficiency for charter schools increases in a district, traditional public students demonstrate higher reading proficiency; the focus on teachers with a highly qualified certification does not lead to increased reading performance scores; and that after accounting for other predictors, the amount of per-pupil funding allocated for curriculum and instruction are significantly related to reading achievement at the elementary level but not at middle school level.