Are Charter Schools More Racially Segregated Than Traditional Public Schools?

Are Charter Schools More Racially Segregated Than Traditional Public Schools? PDF Author: Yongmei Ni
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 7

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Book Description
Are most charter schools more racially segregated than traditional public schools (TPS)? How do local circumstances affect the degree to which charter schools are more racially segregated or diverse than TPSs? As the charter school movement in Michigan and nationwide gains popularity, these questions have become important policy issues. In order to begin to answer these questions, this brief uses Michigan's student-level data for the 2003-2004 school year to group charter schools according to student residence and carefully compares charter schools and TPSs according to the racial diversity of the TPSs from which charter schools draw their students. Several key findings emerge from this analysis: (1)Although charter school students were more racially diverse at the state level than those in Michigan's TPSs, not all charter schools are more diverse; (2) Depending on where their students come from, charter schools had very different effects on racial segregation. Charter schools drawing students mainly from the districts in which they are located tended to be more racially segregated than their host districts, while charter schools drawing students from outside the host districts show some positive evidence toward racial integration; and (3) The effects of charter schools on racial segregation vary across districts depending upon their degree of racial segregation. While charter schools drawing students from segregated districts show no further racial segregation, charter schools drawing students from racially diverse districts are more segregated than these districts. It is concluded that if diversity in charter schools is an important goal for policymakers, the state legislature and charter school authorizers could encourage charter schools to adopt racial integration as a major goal of their recruitment process. (Contains 7 tables and 3 footnotes.).

Are Charter Schools More Racially Segregated Than Traditional Public Schools?

Are Charter Schools More Racially Segregated Than Traditional Public Schools? PDF Author: Yongmei Ni
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 7

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Book Description
Are most charter schools more racially segregated than traditional public schools (TPS)? How do local circumstances affect the degree to which charter schools are more racially segregated or diverse than TPSs? As the charter school movement in Michigan and nationwide gains popularity, these questions have become important policy issues. In order to begin to answer these questions, this brief uses Michigan's student-level data for the 2003-2004 school year to group charter schools according to student residence and carefully compares charter schools and TPSs according to the racial diversity of the TPSs from which charter schools draw their students. Several key findings emerge from this analysis: (1)Although charter school students were more racially diverse at the state level than those in Michigan's TPSs, not all charter schools are more diverse; (2) Depending on where their students come from, charter schools had very different effects on racial segregation. Charter schools drawing students mainly from the districts in which they are located tended to be more racially segregated than their host districts, while charter schools drawing students from outside the host districts show some positive evidence toward racial integration; and (3) The effects of charter schools on racial segregation vary across districts depending upon their degree of racial segregation. While charter schools drawing students from segregated districts show no further racial segregation, charter schools drawing students from racially diverse districts are more segregated than these districts. It is concluded that if diversity in charter schools is an important goal for policymakers, the state legislature and charter school authorizers could encourage charter schools to adopt racial integration as a major goal of their recruitment process. (Contains 7 tables and 3 footnotes.).

Choice Without Equity

Choice Without Equity PDF Author: Erica Frankenberg
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Charter schools
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Research Comparing Charter Schools and Traditional Public Schools. Information Capsule

Research Comparing Charter Schools and Traditional Public Schools. Information Capsule PDF Author: Christie Blazer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 21

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Book Description
During the 2008-09 school year, over 5,000 charter schools operated in 40 states and Washington, D.C. and were attended by over 1.5 million students, or about three percent of the nation's public school students. Although the first U.S. charter schools opened in 1992, debate continues over whether they provide students with a better education than traditional public schools. This Information Capsule reviews studies that compared the achievement of students attending charter and traditional public schools and found mixed results. Most studies have found that charter schools produce achievement gains that are about the same or lower than those found in traditional public schools, although a few studies have concluded that charter schools have a positive effect on student achievement. These inconsistent findings have led some researchers to conclude that the rapid growth of the charter school movement has significantly outpaced the evidence supporting its impact on student achievement. Because there is such wide variation from state to state in charter schools' mission, funding, student populations, size, grade level coverage, and independence from regulations and teacher contracts, there may never be a single definitive study that determines if charter or traditional public schools provide students with better learning opportunities. This Information Capsule also reviews research comparing the qualifications of teachers at charter schools and traditional public schools and student segregation in charter schools. Most studies have found that charter school teachers have less teaching experience than teachers at traditional public schools. In addition, charter schools appear to intensify racial and economic segregation. Finally, information on charter schools operating within the state of Florida and in Miami-Dade County is provided. A more comprehensive Literature Review on charter school research is available at Research Services' Web site (http://drs.dadeschools.net). The Literature Review also summarizes research conducted in the following areas: student achievement at new versus more established charter schools; student achievement at conversion versus start-up charter schools; student mobility at charter schools; charter school teacher attrition rates; demographic characteristics of students attending charter schools; and the impact of charter school competition on the achievement of students remaining in traditional public schools. (Contains 4 tables.).

A Smarter Charter

A Smarter Charter PDF Author: Richard D. Kahlenberg
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807755796
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Moving beyond the debate over whether or not charter schools should exist, A Smarter Charter wrestles with the question of what kind of charter schools we should encourage. The authors begin by tracing the evolution of charter schools from Albert Shanker's original vision of giving teachers room to innovate while educating a diverse population of students, to today's charter schools where student segregation levels are even higher than in traditional public schools. In the second half of the book, the authors examine two key reforms currently seen in a small but growing number of charter schools, socioeconomic integration and teacher voice, that have the potential to improve performance and reshape the stereotypical image of what it means to be a charter school.

Creating Quality Schools

Creating Quality Schools PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
This booklet presents information on how total quality management can be applied to school systems to create educational improvement. Total quality management offers education a systemic approach and a new set of assessment tools. Chapter 1 provides a definition and historical overview of total quality management. Chapter 2 views the school district as a system and explains how it fits into the larger community system. Guidelines for fostering a consumer-supplier relationship to transform the school system are provided in the third chapter, and the principles of managing processes to ensure the cooperative interaction among subsystems for the optimization of the system are outlined in chapter 4. The fifth chapter describes analytic tools to measure educational change, and chapter 6 presents a flowchart and plan for continuous educational improvement. The final chapter offers 13 recommendations generated from the experiences of other school districts. Two figures are included. Research organizations and acknowledgments are listed. (LMI)

A Study on Charter School Effects on Student Achievement and on Segregation in Florida Public Schools

A Study on Charter School Effects on Student Achievement and on Segregation in Florida Public Schools PDF Author: Seungbok Choi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
ABSTRACT: Charter schools have now been in operation for two decades in the U.S., and for 15 years in Florida. Florida took the third place in the U.S. in the number of charter schools operated and the student enrollment in 2010. This study examined the assumed effects of charter school policy on the public school system: charter school effect on student achievement in charter schools and in TPSs, and segregation effects and stratification effects on charter schools and traditional public schools (TPSs). I applied three perspectives to investigate charter school effect on student achievement: School effectiveness theory, Market competition theory, and Social inequality theory. The racial/ethnic segregation effect and the socio-economic stratification effect were examined longitudinally and cross-sectionally. Datasets of primary and secondary public schools and county educational and demographic information covering 1998 to 2010 were obtained from multiple sources: the Common Core of Data from NCES, the Florida School Indicator Report, the Florida Department of Education, Florida Statistics Abstract, and Census Bureau. Hierarchical linear modeling was utilized to explore charter school effect in different organizational levels and hierarchical multivariate linear modeling was used to take into account the closely correlated relationships of the demographic compositions in public schools. The analyses of student achievement in charter schools and traditional schools indicated that charter schools and traditional public schools are significantly different from each other, and that the school characteristics were more influential on the school performances than county characteristics or the year effects, especially in the higher grades. Some charter schools achieved better in some subjects and grades in that they started at the lower scores than TPSs but grew faster during the period of 1998-2010. However, the charter school effectiveness turned out to be insignificant or even negative when control variables were introduced such as educational factors and demographic compositions. Market competition theory could not explain the variations in schools' FCAT scores, while social inequality theory explained them better. The findings of this study did not support the School Effectiveness Theory nor the Market Competition Theory in charter school movement. Instead, Social Inequality Theory was proved to be relevant to understand the differences in public school academic achievement. The analyses of segregation and stratification effects showed that charter schools were more racially and socio-economically segregated, and that they exacerbated the segregation and stratification in traditional public schools. The analyses of the Dissimilarity Index (DI) distribution among charter schools and TPSs revealed that the demographic compositions in charter schools deviate more from the county means than do TPSs during the period of 1998 through 2009. Charter schools had much lower proportion of free/reduced price lunch program students than TPSs in every school level, which was negatively related to the percentage of white students but positively to the percentage of black students. The years of charter school policy adoption in a county have similar effects on both groups: The longer it was since a county introduced charter school policy, the fewer black students and the more white students would enroll in charter schools. Overall, charter schools were likely used as pockets for white flight and self-isolation as well and exacerbated socio-economic stratification in public schools. The analyses of charter school DIs supported the warnings of white flight, self-isolation, and socio-economic stratification (Carnoy, 2000; Frankenberg, Lee, & Orfield, 2003; Rivkin, 1994). Findings of this study suggested that the increasing proportion of black students and free/reduced price lunch program recipients have enrolled in TPSs for all school levels along the years during the period of 1998-2009, but that the percentages of white students in TPSs have decreased year by year even though the rates are small. The analyses implied that charter schools were likely to locate around TPSs that had a higher proportion of a certain demographic group: The higher proportion of a certain demographic groups in a certain area would induce charter schools targeting these groups. Hierarchical multivariate linear models (HMLM) were introduced to detect the relative relationships between demographic groups. The multivariate analyses suggested that middle school charters were likely to locate around the TPSs with more white students and fewer Hispanic students, while elementary charter schools opened more around the TPSs with fewer black students. The location and targeting strategies of charter schools affected also the racial/ethnic distributions in high TPSs, even though the relationship got weaker. The proportions of free/reduced lunch program students in TPSs havd a consistently and significantly negative influence on the proportions of white students and a positive influence on the percentages of black and Hispanic students in TPSs. The academic performances of TPSs were highly and negatively related to the proportion of black students, while the relationship becomes much weaker to the percentage of white students and neutral to that of Hispanic students. The cross-sectional multivariate analyses suggested that charter schools created more racially segregated educational institutes in public education in Florida. The racial/ethnic compositions in TPSs were closely interrelated to the issues of the socio-economic stratification and residential division (Carnoy, 2000; Frankenberg, et al., 2003; Rivkin, 1994). The comparisons of the explained variance proportions by HMLM models and those of other models revealed that the percentages of white students were much more sensitive to the socio-economic and residential factors than the proportions of black students were, while the proportions of Hispanic students were much more sensitive to the charter school factors. The findings of this study highlighted the critical role of social context in public educational policies and the importance of policy design. This study rediscovered the old but important principle that charter school policy makers need to take into account the expectable but ignored or unintended consequences of the policy in public education system and the impacts of the policy on the non-choosers in TPSs as well.

Choosing Charters

Choosing Charters PDF Author: Joshua L. Glazer
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 080775899X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
Do charter schools strengthen students’ educational experience? What are their social costs? This volume brings together a group of premier researchers to address questions about the purposes of charter schools and the role of public policy in shaping the educational agenda. Chapter authors explore topics seldom encountered in the current charter school debate, such as the challenges faced by charter schools in guaranteeing students civil rights and other legal protections; the educational and social implications of current instructional programs designed specifically for low-income and minority students; the use of charters as school turnaround agents; and other issues that lie at the intersection of education, politics, and social policy. Readers across the political spectrum, both supporters and critics of charter schools, can use this book to inform public policy about the ways in which charters affect diversity and inequality and the potential to devise policies that mitigate the most troublesome social costs of charter schools. Book Features: Examines how charter schools affect diversity and equity in U.S. schools. Describes how segregation plays out by race, ethnicity, and income; by disability and language-minority status; and by culture, language, and religion. Considers charter schools within a broader social context of high poverty rates, changing demographics, and continued housing and school segregation. Examines charter schools in the context of a new federal administration that is forging its own path in education and other domains of social policy. Includes some of the most prominent researchers and commentators in the field spanning policy research traditions, methodological approaches, and theoretical perspectives.

Making Sense of Charter Schools

Making Sense of Charter Schools PDF Author: Ron W. Zimmer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Charter schools
Languages : en
Pages : 12

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Book Description
The debate over charter schools often appears to be driven by theory and ideology, with little information on how the reform itself is affecting students. This occasional paper adds clarity to the debate by consolidating the results from the RAND Corporation2s comprehensive assessment of charter schools. A key feature of this assessment has been the use of individual student-level data to track students from school to school over time and to measure their test scores in traditional and charter schools. The analysis dispels many of the arguments from charter proponents or critics. The results show that test scores for charter school students are keeping pace with comparable students in traditional public schools. Similarly, minority students are performing no better in charter than in traditional classrooms, so charters are not affecting the achievement gap for these students. Charter proponents have also expected that competition from charters would improve the performance of traditional public schools, but the evidence does not support this contention. On a more positive note, charter schools have achieved comparable test score results with fewer public resources and have emphasized non-core subjects more than have traditional schools. In addition, the evidence shows that charter schools have not created 3white enclaves4 or 3skimmed4 high-quality students from traditional public schools, as critics feared. Finally, we discovered that school level operations varied considerably between charter and traditional schools, but these operational differences had little effect on student achievement.

Trends, Policies, and Practices Related to Racial, Socioeconomic, and Linguistic Segregation in California's Charter Schools, 1998-2013

Trends, Policies, and Practices Related to Racial, Socioeconomic, and Linguistic Segregation in California's Charter Schools, 1998-2013 PDF Author: Jennifer Baucom Ayscue
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
California became the nation's second state to approve charter schools when it passed legislation in 1992, and it currently has more charter schools than any other state. Developed during a post-civil rights era, charter schools are not attached to civil rights policies. This study is based on the integration theory of choice and uses an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to explore racial, socioeconomic, and linguistic segregation in California's charter schools compared to traditional public schools (TPSs), and in some cases, magnet schools, and the ways in which charter policies and practices relate to level of segregation. Segregation trends are analyzed for the state, Riverside Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA), Sacramento CBSA, and Los Angeles Unified School District using measures of concentration and exposure/isolation. The relationship between segregation and academic achievement in charter schools compared to TPSs is analyzed using ordinary least squares regression. Interviews with leaders, teachers, and parents at three charter schools in Los Angeles are analyzed to identify mechanisms related to varying levels of segregation. Findings indicate that segregation is intensifying in California's charters and TPSs. While the disparities in enrollment and segregation between charters and TPSs are generally modest, charters tend to enroll disproportionately large shares of advantaged students and small shares of historically disadvantaged students. Charters tend to be more segregated than TPSs. High levels of segregation are correlated with lower academic achievement in both charters and TPSs. The relationship between segregation and academic achievement in charters compared to TPSs varies among geographic areas, but generally in segregated schools, charters outperform TPSs, and in desegregated schools, TPSs outperform charters. Three categories of school-level mechanisms are related to segregation: 1. founding decisions about the mission, type, location, and facility; 2. policies and practices around outreach, recruitment, enrollment, transportation, curriculum and instruction, student support services, and teacher diversity; and 3. responses to families' attitudes toward diversity and approaches to information sharing. District and state policies also influence these mechanisms. The findings generate implications for policy and practice in multiple areas, including diversity goals, siting decisions, transportation, facilities, information dissemination, enrollment, curriculum and instruction, teacher hiring, and housing.

Selling School

Selling School PDF Author: Catherine DiMartino
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807776785
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 195

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Book Description
This timely book outlines the growth and development of marketing and branding practices in public education. The authors highlight why these practices have become important across key fields within public education, including leadership and governance, budgeting and finance, strategic initiatives, use of new technology, the role of teachers in marketing, and messaging. From an organizational perspective, they explore the implications of edvertising on the democratic mission of public education, especially as related to issues of equity and access for students who have been historically underserved. The authors argue that expansive marketing campaigns, unequal funding sources, and lack of regulation are quickly and profoundly reshaping public education without the benefit of robust research or public debate. Selling School is important reading for principals navigating increasingly marketized school systems, for policymakers constructing legislation, and for parents negotiating school choice. “DiMartino and Jessen are right in their prescient discussion of the muddling of public and private models in public education through marketing.” —From the Foreword by Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University, Bloomington “This book pioneers new ground as the authors move the literature on the marketization of education into a more nuanced analysis of how branding discourses and practices have entered the logic of public schooling.” —Gary L. Anderson, New York University “Essential for readers interested in learning about how private sector practices affect the functions of public schools.” —Janelle Scott, University of California, Berkeley