The Effects of Charter School Laws and Programs on Student Outcomes: A Study Across Multiple States

Nationwide, charter schools play an important role in the school choice movement, which aims to reform education by increasing parental choice and decreasing institutional regulations. Although school performance varies widely, few studies have examined characteristics that distinguish effective charters from ineffective ones. In addition, research has focused on achievement effects for charter school students, with little attention to systemic effects for students in traditional public schools. Research has also relied heavily on test scores, ignoring important measures of educational attainment such as dropout, graduation, and college enrollment rates.

We are conducting a multi-state study of schools in Chicago, Denver, Florida, Milwaukee, Ohio, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Texas to fill this knowledge gap. The research questions include:

• What effect do charter have on the achievement and educational attainment of their students? Do these effects differ across race/ethnicity?
• Are there differences in charter school effects across states and districts? If so, are these differences related to notable differences in policies governing charter schools?
• What are the demographic and academic profiles of students entering charter schools, and how do charter schools affect the mix of students in conventional public schools by race/ethnicity and academic ability? Are these effects associated with the state and district policy environments in which charter schools operate?
• Do charters promote improved achievement in conventional public schools by introducing competition, or do they harm the performance of conventional public schools? Are these effects associated with the state and district policy environments in which charter schools operate?

Answers to these questions will provide critical information to policymakers as they wrestle with how to establish a policy framework that promotes positive effects for students in charter schools and traditional public schools alike.

This project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, Joyce Foundation, and Stranahan Foundation. Reports on Philadelphia and Chicago are currently available. Partners include RAND, Florida State University, and the University of Wisconsin. A final cross-cutting report is scheduled for the end of 2008.

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