Traditional Public Schools Research Articles

More Alike or More Different Over Time? Exploring Urban Charter and Public School teachers’ Characteristics and Working Conditions

ABSTRACT Using six waves of the Schools and Staffing Survey and the National Teacher and Principal Survey that span two decades, our study explores the differences between urban charter and traditional public school teachers and how those differences become more or less pronounced over time. During this time frame, the charter sector experienced substantial growth and this growth could have the effect of making charter schools more like traditional public schools. We find that charter school teachers are different from their traditional public school counterparts in both their personal characteristics and working conditions, but grow more similar in their satisfaction/commitment and turnover.

Music Education in Charter Schools: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this PRISMA Scoping review was to synthesize research regarding charter school music education. Findings regarding charter school music offerings were varied. At state and national levels, charter schools were less likely to offer music courses than traditional public schools; however, in large urban districts, charter schools offered music courses at comparable or greater rates. Charter school music teachers tended to be less experienced and more likely to be certified through alternative licensure programs. Disparities in music education between charter schools and traditional public schools were also intertwined with factors such as race, socioeconomic status, school size, and location, as charter schools tended to be smaller, serve higher proportions of students of color and/or from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and be in urban areas. Recommendations for music educators include considering state and local policies, administrative structures, and curricular or pedagogical foci when exploring music programs in charter schools.

The Influence of Charter Schools on Education Equity in America

The historical issues that caused a long-lasting education equity issue in America have been relieved by the emergence of charter schools as a popular alternative to traditional public schools. This study aims to analyze the influence of charter schools on educational equity in the United States. The research involved a literary review, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative analysis from reports done by experts in educational equity. This paper will first define the systemic issues of education inequality. Next, the paper will compare the situation of education equity before and after the emergence of charter schools. Then, the paper will identify the reason why charter schools can enhance educational equity in the United States. Finally, this paper will offer constructive suggestions targeting some existing drawbacks of charter schools for improving educational equity in the United States. Overall, this paper finds that charter schools have a positive influence on enhancing educational equity in America.

Is Reputational Pressure Enough to Create Competitive School Choice Effects? Evidence from Seoul’s School Choice Policy

During the pandemic, a number of states instituted hold-harmless funding policies to protect school district financially from declining enrollments. In addition, some school choice policies have protected traditional public schools financially from declining enrollments. Together, these policies raise the question of whether competitive effects can exist in a policy environment of reduced financial pressure. Theoretically, despite the lack of financial pressure, schools could feel competitive pressure in other ways including a loss of reputation as students move to schools of choice. To provide insights on whether schools can improve without the threat of financial loss, we examine the Seoul school choice program which introduced autonomous private high schools (APHSs) in the context in which there is equalized funding across schools. More specifically, we examine whether competition induced by APHSs affects the achievement of students attending traditional public and private schools. The effect of APHSs is identified by exploiting plausible exogenous APHSs’ entry through the random assignment of students. We find a small and positive effect of APHS penetration on the Korean and English achievement of private school students while finding no effects for traditional public schools, which have limited ability to respond.

The market-level effects of charter schools on student outcomes: A national analysis of school districts

We study the total, market-level effects of charter schools, and their mechanisms, on a national level and across multiple outcomes. Using a generalized difference-in-differences method, we find that increasing the charter market share by 10 percentage points increases math and ELA elementary/middle test scores of the entire geographic district in which they locate by 0.01 standard deviations and increases the high school graduation rate by 1–2 percentage points. The effects are concentrated in larger, urban districts. The main mechanism appears to be the participant effect, though competitive effects are increasing in the participant effect and driven partly by the closure of low-performing traditional public schools. Causal interpretation of these findings is reinforced by analysis of potential endogeneity of charter school location and timing using placebo analysis and other methods. This study improves understanding of the array of charter mechanisms and their effects on multiple outcomes, on a national basis.

Teacher Morale, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout in Schools of Choice Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Student enrollment patterns have been studied during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many families seeking alternatives to traditional public schools. Less is known about teacher experiences in these alternatives. We explored predictors of teacher job satisfaction, burnout, and morale. Of particular interest was whether these presented differently across school types. We surveyed teachers nationwide (n = 798) in May 2022. Three linear regression models were tested. Results suggested that teacher autonomy and administrative support were significant predictors in each model. Private school teachers experienced greater job satisfaction and morale than traditional public school teachers; charter school teachers had greater levels of morale.

Who Has Access to Strings? Description of Public Schools With Orchestra Programs in Texas

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine enrollment in string orchestra instruction across Texas. Three central research questions guided the investigation: (a) How well is orchestra represented in districts and schools across the state of Texas? (b) What are the characteristics (FRPL eligibility, locale, student race/ethnicity, size/UIL classification) of schools with orchestra programs in Texas? and (c) How do program enrollment and UIL participation vary among these characteristics? Using 2015–2016 enrollment data collected by the Texas Education Agency, we examined string enrollment within secondary traditional public schools in the state. Major findings were that more than two-thirds of schools offering strings were Title I eligible campuses and enrollment on urban, Title I eligible, and African American or Hispanic majority campuses had lower string enrollments than their suburban, non-Title I, and White majority counterparts.

Idaho

This article is an update on public school finance in the state of Idaho. The article includes updated information regarding the following topics: funding priorities for P–12, changes to the funding formula for P–12, pressing state issues affecting P–12, and exclusive to P–12, what are the alternatives to traditional public schools offered by your state and what does the trend in funding look like for these alternatives. As of 2022, the state of Idaho maintains the lowest per pupil expenditure (PPE) in the nation, ranking 51st when including the District of Columbia. Idaho’s PPE was $8,376 in 2021, which comes in at 58% of the national average of $14,360. The average Idaho teacher’s salary is $51,817 which ranks 45th in the nation. Idaho also ranks last in K–12 education support staff average earnings at $25,830. However, the state of Idaho interestingly ranks 17th in the area of student achievement. The legislature voted to temporarily change its funding formula to an enrollment-based calculation for the 2021–2022 school year. Governor Little vetoed House Bill 723, which means the funding formula will switch back to an average daily attendance calculation in 2023–2024. The major funding priorities for the state of Idaho related to education are as follows: funding the Career Ladder, full-day kindergarten, teacher compensation, literacy initiative, and the opportunity scholarship. A couple of pressing state issues for Idaho include the teacher shortage and the public school funding formula, which is always a topic of possible revision.

Indiana

This report about Indiana school funding relates to budgetary changes in the state’s school funding priorities and technical changes to its state aid to schools formula. Pressing issues that affect school funding as well as public policy dimensions of alternatives to traditional public schools are considered. The most pressing need for the schooling system that is mediated by the school funding program remains increasing the labor market supply of highly credentialed teachers. The most evident public policy trend is the continuing expansion of free market-based school choice options.

Rhode Island

Over the past decade, Rhode Island has undergone significant transformations in its education funding and priorities. The state’s education funding formula, established in 2010, reached full implementation in 2021, with the central principle that funding should accompany the student. During FY2022, Rhode Island allocated over $1.074 trillion in state education aid, emphasizing early childhood education, school resource officers, and extended-day programs as priorities aligned with its 2021–2025 Strategic Plan for P-12 Education. In higher education, the state expanded resources, adding 33 FTE positions. Although the core funding formula remained unchanged, ongoing evaluation ensured its adaptability to educational goals. Challenges in Rhode Island education funding include COVID-19 responses, student mental health, English language proficiency, and school infrastructure. Rhode Island also offers alternatives to traditional public schools, including charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling.

Hawai’i

Budgeting on a biennium basis, Hawai’i has two education budgets with appropriations of more than $2 billion for 2022–2023. A strong budget flush with COVID-19 relief funds and higher-than-expected tax revenues are funding priorities that include recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting pre-pandemic shortfalls, and new advancing education initiatives. Hawai’i uses a weighted student formula with adjustments made at the beginning of each biennium. Weight increases for English learners and homeless students are recent changes to the funding formula. Charter schools serve as one alternative to traditional public schools and students in charter schools receive equalized student funding. Hawai’i is unique among the states because it has a single school system for the entire state and a single university system. The University of Hawai’i system budget is about 6% of the state education budget and P-12 schools, including libraries and charter schools, are about 21% of the state’s budget. One of the most challenging school finance issues facing Hawai’i’s leaders is how to use the excess funds in the current budget to have the maximum impact on schools in a manner that is sustainable in the future.

The Plantation “All Charter” Model and the Long Durée of Resistance for Black Public High Schools in New Orleans

Education research has often overlooked how the long durée of resistance for Black education has shaped current educational policy. We complicate notions of Black public school closures in two case studies from extensive ethnographic research in post-Katrina New Orleans through our reading of the plantation. Findings suggest these institutions have served as linchpins for the transferal of the blues. Data analysis also indicates that traditional public school closures have functioned as a plantation management device. We encourage future inquiries into portfolio governance models, school “choice,” and school closures to consider the plantation complex and to recognize that post-Katrina education reforms were not isolated policy enactments.

Principal perceptions of the staying power of changes made in response to COVID-19

ABSTRACT Beginning in early 2020, schools around the world experienced an unprecedented disruption to teaching and learning: the COVID-19 pandemic. Leading schools during this unprecedented time has undoubtedly been challenging, and school principals have been tasked with making sense of these challenges and adopting many new schooling practices in response to the pandemic. While research is beginning to emerge on how principals engaged in leadership during the early stages of the pandemic, questions remain about the future of schooling. Specifically, what changes to schooling made in response to the pandemic have the potential to remain post-pandemic? To investigate this topic I applied a narrative research design and conducted 40 interviews with 15 traditional public school principals in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The findings of this work indicate principals made significant changes to schooling as a result of the pandemic. These principals believe many of these changes have staying power, which will result in the profession becoming more virtual in the future. These findings yield several practical implications including the need for states, districts, and leadership preparation programs to make intentional efforts to support principals as they evolve into ‘virtual’ leaders.

Student-Teacher Ethnoracial Matching at Charter and Traditional Public Schools

ABSTRACT Using classroom-level data from nearly all California schools, we investigate whether Hispanic, Asian, Black, and Native students in grades K-5 are more likely to have a teacher of the same race at charter schools or traditional public schools in 2017-18, what school and student characteristics explain these differences, and how ethnoracial matching rates changed since 2012-13. Hispanic and Black students experience greater rates of ethnoracial matching at charter schools, whereas Asian and Native students experience greater match rates at traditional public schools. Having a same-race principal is a strong predictor of student-teacher ethnoracial match in many models. Since 2012-13, ethnoracial matching increased for Hispanic and Asian students, decreased for Black students, and remained stable for Native students. These findings are important given the benefits of exposure to teachers of the same ethnoracial identity and number of students of color in charter schools.

Collective Bargaining Agreement Restrictiveness in Unionized Charter Schools

Although charter schools are frequently afforded flexibility from many state laws that govern traditional public schools, a growing number of charter school teachers have now unionized and introduced collective bargaining to the charter sector. Using data from a detailed content analysis of teacher CBAs from California, we compare the restrictiveness of CBAs in 75 unionized charter bargaining units to the restrictiveness of CBAs in 31 nearest neighbor traditional public school district bargaining units. We find that independent charter CBAs are much more flexible than the CBAs of traditional public school districts, but charter school CBAs of bargaining units combined with traditional public school districts are comparably restrictive.

“What Library?”

Although charter schools are a growing segment of the US education market, they are less likely than traditional public or private schools to have dedicated library facilities, staffing, or services. Currently there is little data about what services charter schools provide to support literacy, research, or technology skill building - services commonly provided by school libraries. Without these data it is unknown whether, how, or to what extent charter schools without school libraries ensure that their students have access to these crucial learning resources. This study collected data in 87 US based K-12 charter schools across 11 states using an online survey completed by school administrators. This survey addresses library services of charter schools both with and without school library facilities. The survey shows that most charters lack facilities and staffing to provide quality school library services. In charters that have a school library the data suggests the school benefits from more services to encourage reading for fun and information literacy instruction that can improve technology use and research skills. This study informs future research and advocacy for charter school libraries.

Charter school proliferation and school district fiscal stress, a chicken‐egg problem

AbstractCharter schools have become one of the most popular school choice programs in recent years. While being accused of endangering the fiscal health of local school districts, charter school proliferation could also be the result of fiscal stress of local school districts. However, this reverse causation has not been fully studied in the literature. Using data of local school districts in Ohio from 2011 to 2019, I adopt an Instrumental Variable approach to investigate the possible scenario that the rapid growth in charter school enrollment could be caused by fiscal stress of school districts. The results suggest that the inadequate funding from state and local sources had led to a significant increase in charter school enrollment for urban districts, although the charter demand is inelastic to public funding changes. Students could be left with no better options but to choose charter schools over failing traditional public schools.

The Politics of School Reopening During COVID-19: A Multiple Case Study of Five Urban Districts in the 2020-21 School Year.

Purpose: Nearly all schools in the United States closed in spring 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyze traditional public and charter school reopenings for the 2020-21 school year in five urban districts. We provide a rich and theoretically grounded description of how and why educational leaders made reopening decisions in each of our case districts. Research Methods: We used data from a multiple-case study from March 2020 to July 2021. The research team conducted 56 interviews with school, district, and system-level leaders; triangulated with publicly available data; and also drew on interview data from a subsample of parents and guardians in each of our sites. We analyzed these data through qualitative coding and memo writing and conducted detailed single- and cross-case analyses. Findings: School system leaders in our case sites generally consulted public health authorities, accounted for state-level health and educational guidance, and engaged with and were responsive to the interests of different stakeholders. Districts' adherence to and strategic uses of public health guidance, as well as a combination of union-district relations and labor market dynamics, influenced reopening. Parents, city, and state lawmakers, and local institutional conditions also played a role, helping to explain differences across cases. Implications: In contrast to the "politics or science" framing that has dominated research and public discourse on school reopening, we show that local pandemic conditions and local political dynamics both mattered and in fact were interrelated. Our findings have some implications for how educational leaders might navigate future crises.

Charter Schools: An Alternative Option in American Schooling

Charter schools are educational institutions in the United States funded through taxation but operated privately under a charter or contract with a public entity, providing alternative public education options to families. Charter schools are subject to fewer rules and regulations and have greater autonomy than traditional public schools over operations, curriculum, and instruction, although have greater stakes in school accountability.

“I Went There”: How Parent Experience Shapes School Decisions

As school choice expands, families face an increasingly arduous decision-making process around school enrollment. Through interviews with a socioeconomically and ethno-racially diverse sample of 60 parents in Dallas, Texas, we illustrate one key way families negotiate this choice landscape. We find that many parents use their own educational experiences as first-stage decision rules for narrowing the types of schools they consider for their children through experience-motivated replication and experience-motivated avoidance. Parents with positive schooling experiences sought to replicate the type of school they attended for their children, while parents with negative schooling experiences aimed to avoid the type of school they attended. While experience-motivated replication was used by parents across race and class positions, it was most common among White parents who often entrenched patterns of white flight through replication of private or suburban school enrollment. In contrast, experience-motivated avoidance was used by Black parents in our sample as a strategy to disrupt educational inequality for their children by eliminating traditional public schools, where parents reported feeling underserved as children, from their choice sets. This study adds to our understanding of how families negotiate the increasingly complex school choice landscape, and mechanisms for the persistence of intergenerational educational inequality.