Traditional Public Schools Research Articles

Do charter schools crowd out private school enrollment? Evidence from Michigan

Charter schools have been one of the most important dimensions of recent school reform measures in the United States. Though there have been numerous studies on the effects of charter schools, these have mostly been confined to analyzing their effects on student achievement, student demographic composition, parental satisfaction, and the competitive effects on traditional public schools. This study departs from the existing literature by investigating the effect of charter schools on enrollment in private schools. To investigate this issue empirically, we focus on the state of Michigan where there was a significant spread of charter schools in the nineties. Using data on private school enrollment from biennial NCES private school surveys, and using a fixed effects as well as an instrumental variables strategy that exploits exogenous variation from Michigan charter law, we investigate the effect of charter school penetration on private school enrollment. We do not find any causal evidence that charter schools led to a decline in enrollment in the private schools. Further, we do not find evidence that enrollments in Catholic or other religious schools were affected differently from those in non-religious private schools. Our results are robust to a variety of sensitivity checks.

Educating Amid Uncertainty

Purpose: We examine how uncertainty, both about students and the context in which they are taught, remains a persistent condition of teachers’ work in high-poverty, urban schools. We describe six schools’ organizational responses to these uncertainties, analyze how these responses reflect open- versus closed-system approaches, and examine how this orientation affects teachers’ work. Research Methods: We draw on interviews with a diverse set of 95 teachers and administrators across a purposive sample of six high-poverty, urban schools in one district. We analyzed these interviews by drafting thematic summaries, coding interview transcripts, creating data-analytic matrices, and writing analytic memos. Findings: We find that students introduced considerable uncertainty into teachers’ work. Although most teachers we spoke with embraced the challenges of their work and the expanded responsibilities that it entailed, they recognized that their individual efforts were not sufficient to succeed. Teachers consistently spoke about the need for organizational responses that addressed the environmental uncertainty of working with students from low-income families whose experience in school often has been unsuccessful. We describe four types of organizational responses—coordinated instructional supports, systems to promote order and discipline, socioemotional supports for students, and efforts to engage parents—and illustrate how these responses affected teachers’ ability to manage the uncertainty introduced by their environment. Conclusions: Traditional public schools are open systems and require systematic organizational responses to address the uncertainty introduced by their environments. Uncoordinated individual efforts alone are not sufficient to meet the needs of students in high-poverty urban communities.

School Choice, Racial Segregation, and Poverty Concentration: Evidence From Pennsylvania Charter School Transfers

This article examines how student movements between traditional public schools (TPSs) and charters—both brick and mortar and cyber—may be associated with both racial isolation and poverty concentration. Using student-level data from the universe of Pennsylvania public schools, this study builds upon previous research by specifically examining student transfers into charter schools, disaggregating findings by geography. We find that, on average, the transfers of African American and Latino students from TPSs to charter schools were segregative. White students transferring within urban areas transferred to more racially segregated schools. Students from all three racial groups attended urban charters with lower poverty concentration.

Sociology and School Choice: What We Know After Two Decades of Charter Schools

Charter schools have been on the educational reform landscape for over twenty years. In the last ten years, a number of rigorous studies have examined the effects of these schools on student achievement and educational attainment. Findings reveal mixed results where student achievement is concerned (i.e., some positive, some negative, some neutral) and positive results in terms of educational attainment (i.e., high school graduation and college attendance). The article places this research within a framework that draws on both market and institutional theories, and concludes that additional research on the social organization of charter schools and traditional public schools is needed to better understand the conditions under which school choice is or is not effective.

Brilliant, Bored, or Badly Behaved? Media Coverage of the Charter School Debate in the United States

BackgroundIn recent years, charter schools have received a great deal of media attention, appearing in documentary films, newspaper articles, magazine profiles, television news programs, and even sitcoms and feature films. The media is not alone in its interest in charter schools; researchers in the public and for-profit arenas have also focused their attention on charter schools in recent years.QuestionsThis paper employs qualitative content analysis to answer the following questions: What information have journalists contributed to the charter school debate in the United States? And how might this information have shaped or influenced the debate?Research DesignTo answer these questions, we conducted a qualitative content analysis of print media coverage of the early years of the charter school debate. We analyzed 145 articles about public charter schools and public alternative schools that appeared in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times between 1994 and 2006. We developed two types of coding categories: descriptive and interpretive. The descriptive coding categories captured the following information about each article in our dataset: the publisher, the type of school described and the student population. The interpretive coding categories captured reporters’ descriptions of the students, teachers, resources, and institutional cultures of charter and alternative schools.FindingsOur analysis uncovered several interesting themes. First, we found that print media depictions of charter and alternative school teachers tended to be more positive than media depictions of teachers in traditional public schools. This was especially true of print media coverage of charter schools that serve low-income students and/or students of color. Our analysis also cast doubt on a core assumption of the charter school debate; that charter schools’ approach to educating their students differs significantly from that of traditional public schools and public alternative schools. In their articles about charter schools that serve middle-income students, reporters described institutional cultures and pedagogical strategies identical to those found in alternative schools with similar student populations. When reporting on alternative schools that serve low-income students and/or students of color, reporters described pedagogical strategies that mirrored those found in charter schools with similar student populations.RecommendationsFurther research is needed to determine whether charter and alternative schools are educating their low- and middle-income students differently. If future research confirms this, we warn that charter and alternative schools could be preparing their low-income students and/or students of color inadequately for higher education and work in professional environments.

Choices, Choices: Determining Significant Predictors of Choosing a School and Choosing Charters in Denver's Universal School Enrollment Program

Through charter school laws, more than 40 states now enable parents to send their child to a school other than their neighborhood school. Given the option, what kinds of schools do parents prefer -- charter or traditional public schools? Are there differences in preferences based on family and student performance characteristics? To answer these questions, a body of literature has examined enrollment patterns, but for various reasons of policy and practice, enrollment patterns are not necessarily accurate representations of parental preferences. This study takes advantage of a rare centralized enrollment system in Denver, Colorado, that enabled the authors to track the actual stated choices/preferences of parents. Results indicate the most consistent predictor of affirmatively choosing a school and choosing a charter school is race/ethnicity. In particular, black families are almost always more likely than White families to choose and to choose charters. The same is also usually true for Hispanic families. Beyond race/ethnicity, few other variables demonstrate consistent patterns of relationships or significance across dependent measures or grades. ELL students, those with IEPs, and students who quality for free or reduced lunch sometimes choose or choose charters at significantly greater or lesser rates, but not consistently so. Finally, actual prior academic performance and prior enrollment in a charter school appear to play only a trivial role in predicting whether parents choose or choose charters.

Heading for the Exits: Comparing Characteristics of Leavers from Charter Schools to Traditional Public Schools in Denver Public Schools

Recent discussion about charter schools has focused on whether these public schools of choice push out low performing students in order to improve the schools' performance profile. To examine if this is a systematic phenomenon, this paper compares student exit rates in charter schools to traditional public schools in Denver, Colorado. Results indicate no significant differences in exit rates between school types. This suggests concerns about charters pushing out students are, at least, overstated.

Charter School Spending and Saving in California

Examining resource allocation practices, including savings, of charter schools is critical to understanding their financial viability and sustainability. Using 9 years of finance data from California, we find charter schools spend less on instruction and pupil support services than traditional public schools. The lower spending on instruction and pupil support is offset, not by administrative costs, but by higher spending on operations, consultant services, and a greater rate of savings (carry-over). Further, analysis indicates that the differences in resource allocation patterns between charter schools and traditional public schools is not completely explained by the characteristics of students served. The resource allocation practices revealed in this study, combined with findings from prior research, shed some light on how charter schools may avoid financial deficiency and ensure their sustainability.

The Imperative of the School Choice Option of NCLB: In Whose Interest?

Since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) became law, educators have faced challenges trying to protect the common good of a public education while, at the same time, developing and/or reviewing proposals to provide for the school choice option of NCLB. In the debate over market-driven education versus traditional public education, many times, the ideologies behind each approach come into direct conflict. Educators and legislators need to be able to identify when privileged interests are at the core of reforms or if the education of each student is the primary interest being served. This project provides a real life portrait of the performance of a charter school and a traditional school situated in the sprawling metro Atlanta area. Additionally, the denial of two charter petitions was evaluated. The denials revealed educators who could recognize charter petitions that, as a result of class privilege, might compromise the educational choice of less privileged students. Furthermore, the review of these denials could inform educators of the red flags that might arise from conflicting interests. The study indicates that only by placing students first in the debate between charter schools versus traditional public schools can there be assurance that public educational goals are equitably met among the two.

Solving the Puzzle of Charter Schools: A New Framework for Understanding and Improving Charter School Legislation and Performance

Contributing to the controversy over charter schools are empirical studies, such as the Center for Research on Education Outcomes National Charter School Study 2013, that find that charter schools have mixed results, with some seeing better student achievement outcomes relative to traditional public schools, and others seeing worse. This Note argues that developing a new framework to understand differences in state charter school laws based on their underlying purposes helps explain the significant variation across states in charter school performance. Based on a state-by-state analysis of charter school legislation, this Note finds that states with charter school laws generally fall into three categories: (1) “gap-closing”; (2) “libertarian-oriented”; and (3) “mixed.” The first category includes states with laws that promote charter schools focused on improving outcomes for disadvantaged and underachieving students. The second category includes states with laws that promote charter schools as a means to provide parents and local communities, rather than the government, with more choices and greater control in education. The third category encompasses those states where charter school legislation promotes both of these purposes. Furthermore, results indicate that gap-closing states generally enjoy better charter school performance outcomes than do libertarian-oriented states, and that the typical charter school law of gap-closing states differs significantly from that of libertarian-oriented states. As such, this Note proposes that states can maximize charter school student achievement by adopting features that are characteristic of gap-closing states’ charter school laws—e.g., greater restrictions on entrance into the charter school market and greater oversight of both charter school authorizers and charter schools themselves.

Disparities in the Availability and Price of Low-Fat and Higher-Fat Milk in US Food Stores by Community Characteristics

BackgroundNational surveillance data identify disparities in low-fat milk consumption by race/ethnicity and income. Some localized studies have shown disparities in access to low-fat milk by community characteristics. ObjectiveOur aim was to assess the availability and price of low-fat and higher-fat milk in food stores throughout the United States and examine associations with community characteristics. DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional study involving observational data collection in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Participants/settingsThe study included 8,959 food stores in 468 communities where nationally representative samples of students attending traditional public middle and high schools resided. Main outcome measuresWe studied the availability and price of whole, 2%, 1%, and skim milk. Statistical analyses performedMultivariate logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression analyses were performed. Models included store type, race/ethnicity, median household income, urbanicity, US Census division, and year of data collection. ResultsLess than half of all stores carried 1% and skim milk, and more than three-quarters of stores carried whole and 2% milk. Regression results indicated that the odds of carrying any type of milk were 31% to 67% lower in stores in majority black and 26% to 45% lower in other/mixed race compared with majority white communities. The odds of carrying specifically low-fat milk were 50% to 58% lower in majority Hispanic compared with majority white communities, and 32% to 44% lower in low-income compared with high-income communities. Some significant differences in milk prices by community characteristics were observed in grocery and limited-service stores. On average, low-fat milk options were more expensive in grocery stores in majority black and rural and suburban communities compared with such stores in majority white and urban communities. ConclusionsThis is the first nationwide study to examine the availability and price of low-fat and higher-fat milk in food stores and show disparities in access by community characteristics. Policies and programs can play a role in increasing accessibility of low-fat milk in stores in nonwhite and low-income communities.

A Comparison of Public and Charter School Board Governance in Three States

In this article we compare the governance behaviors and preferences of nonprofit charter school board members with traditional elected public school board members in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Using originally collected survey data, we find that nonprofit charter school board members are less likely to place emphasis on relations with the public, engage in conflict, be ideologically diverse, and perceive the executive as responsible for key governance tasks than traditionally elected public school board members. The findings provide new information for policymakers weighing the potential benefits of education privatization through the use of nonprofit charter schools against the potential loss of democratic board accountability.

“Not at the Expense of Their Culture”: Graduating Native American Youth from High School

What kinds of challenges do educators face in increasing Native American high school graduation rates, and what kinds of adaptations to a traditional high school are understood as necessary to achieve this outcome? This case study explored these questions as part of a larger multiple case study that investigated practices and processes related to high school graduation rates. It focused on educators’ attempts to increase Native American student graduation rates in a high school with typical gaps in graduation rates between Native American students and white students. Data collected included teacher and administrator interviews and documentary evidence. Framed by socioecological theory that focuses on relationships between district, school, and classroom processes and practices, study findings revealed that adaptations to improve Native youth graduation rates included (1) offering personally-relevant, real-world, experiential, and interdisciplinary learning experiences aligned to students’ own learning goals; (2) adapting school schedules to students’ lives outside of school; (3) prioritizing developing students’ sense of worth in contributing to their communities and societies; (4) providing flexibility regarding absences, (5) offering effective supports that emphasize connecting to an adult; and (6) partnering with families and other community members. Implications for future research and practice are discussed in light of the findings.

Understanding the Gap in Special Education Enrollments Between Charter and Traditional Public Schools

A widely cited report by the federal Government Accountability Office found that charter schools enroll a significantly smaller percentage of students with disabilities than do traditional public schools. However, thus far no hard evidence exists to definitively explain or quantify the disparity between special education enrollment rates in charter and traditional public schools. This article uses student-level data from Denver, Colorado, to map the creation and growth of the special education gap in elementary and middle school grades. The gap begins because students with disabilities are less likely to apply to charter schools in gateway grades than are nondisabled students. However, the special education gap in Denver elementary schools more than doubles as students progress between kindergarten and the fifth grade. About half of the growth in the gap in elementary grades (46%) occurs because of classification differences across sectors. The remaining 54% of the growth in the gap in elementary grades is due to differences in student mobility across sectors. However, the gap does not primarily grow—and in fact tends to shrink—due to the movement of students with disabilities across sectors and out of the city’s school system. Rather, the impact of student mobility on the gap is driven primarily by nondisabled students: Regular enrollment students are more likely to enter into charter schools, thus disproportionately reducing the percentage of students with disabilities within the charter sector.

The Uneven Performance of Arizona’s Charter Schools

Arizona enrolls a larger share of its students in charter schools than any other state in the country, but no comprehensive examination exists of the impact of those schools on student achievement. Using student-level data covering all Arizona students from 2006 to 2012, we find that the performance of charter schools in Arizona in improving student achievement varies widely, and more so than that of traditional public schools (TPS). On average, charter schools at every grade level have been modestly less effective than TPS in raising student achievement in some subjects. But charter schools that closed during this period have been lower performing than schools that remained open, a pattern that is not evident in the traditional public sector.

Propensity Score Stratification Using Multilevel Models to Examine Charter School Achievement Effects

The rapid expansion of charter schools reflects a growing interest in education reform and school turnaround efforts across the United States. However, national research on charter school performance remains inconclusive. Of particular debate is the impact of transferring from a traditional public school to a charter school on student achievement and growth. We employ propensity score stratification and multilevel models to balance key covariates between treatment and control groups of a cross-state sample of students, which provides a more complex picture of charter school achievement effects in a quasi-experimental context. We find that charter school students perform consistently better on standardized mathematic achievement measures, and some students grow faster than their traditional public school peers, although the differences are modest. Furthermore, our application of propensity score stratification using multilevel models reduces selection bias which arises from confounding variables and improves the accuracy of charter school effect estimations.

Teacher Quality and Sorting across Traditional Public and Charter Schools in the Detroit Metropolitan Region

Teacher Quality and Sorting across Traditional Public and Charter Schools in the Detroit Metropolitan Region

Comparing Nonprofit Charter and Traditional Public School Board Member Perceptions of the Public, Conflict, and Financial Responsibility: Is there a difference and does it matter?

In this paper, survey data collected from nonprofit charter school board and elected public school board members in Minnesota is used to test three hypotheses relating to theories of New Public Management, democratic governance, and small group dynamics. We find that nonprofit charter school board members perceive lower levels of conflict, place less priority on the general public, and perceive a higher degree of governance responsibly in the area of financial management, than elected board members. We conclude that the increased use of nonprofit charter schools has potentially substantial implications on accountability and effectiveness in the delivery of public education.

Education Rights and Wrongs: Publicly Funded Vouchers, State Constitutions, and Education Death Spirals

Professor Julie Mead considers whether publicly funded voucher programs “subvert” states’ ability to provide an “adequate” public education consistent with state constitutional requirements. The critical analytic move in Mead’s paper involves characterizing publicly funded voucher programs as a “discretionary option” and, in contrast, a state’s duty to adequately fund traditional public schools as a state constitutional “obligation.” Mead then argues that the growth in the number of publicly funded voucher programs and the accelerating participation rates in those programs threaten to dilute states’ abilities to meet their constitutional obligations owed to traditional public schools. Paradoxically, then, it is the interaction of voucher programs’ increased popularity and states’ increased willingness to fund them that Mead exploits to support her conclusion that: “[s]tate constitutions have clearly established that children have a genuine right to a quality education, not merely the privilege to shop for schooling in the educational marketplace.” This response analyzes Mead’s argument.

Assessment of Reading Proficiency in Urban Education: The Case of Charter Schools in Michigan, United States

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the 7th grade reading performance among a random sample of urban public school academies (charter schools) in Wayne County, Michigan, compared with a random sample of traditional urban public schools within the same geographic area. This study was conducted using the fall 2012 Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) reading test scores, as reported by the Michigan Department of Education. A total of 11 public charter schools were selected and represented 15% of the total public charters in Wayne County that serviced middle school aged children. The 11 randomly selected Traditional Public Schools used for the comparison represented 10% of these traditional public schools that were located within a 5-mile radius of the public charter schools. Contingency tables were constructed (type of school vs. reading proficiency) and the data was analyzed using the nonparametric chisquare test for independence. According to the data, the traditional public schools had a higher percentage of grade 7 students who were proficient readers when compared with the public charter schools (30.7% vs. 18.6%, respectively). The difference, however, was not statistically significant and the null hypothesis was not rejected. These results suggested that the public charter schools were not outperforming traditional public schools in grade 7 reading proficiency.