Evaluating the Effectiveness of Charter School Management Organizations

Charter management organizations (CMOs) are nonprofit entities that start and manage new charter schools. By centralizing and sharing certain functions and resources across schools, CMOs aim to enhance school performance and student outcomes, achieve greater efficiency, and expand and sustain schools. Over the last several years, the number and reach of CMOs has increased dramatically, leading to a diverse array of organizational models and school designs. In the 2007-2008 school year, there were at least 33 CMOs operating more than 189 schools that enrolled over 57,000 students.

Mathematica and the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington (CRPE) are research partners for a multiyear national study of CMO effectiveness, funded by the NewSchools Venture Fund and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The study, which runs from 2008 to 2011, is examining the impact that CMOs are having on student achievement, as well as the internal structures, practices, and policy contexts that influence these outcomes. The impact analysis will employ both experimental and quasi-experimental methods. The data sources include school records, site visits, CMO and district cost data, and surveys of CMOs, principals, and teachers. A case study interim report will be produced by the end of 2010 and a final report by summer 2011. A public use data set will be available at the completion of the study.

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