Charter schools after three decades: Reviewing the research on school organizational and instructional conditions

Abstract

Charter school policies have focused on improving three aspects of schools—autonomy, innovation, and accountability—with the intention of promoting advances in curriculum, instruction, and learning that lead to better student outcomes. However, most research on charter schools tends to neglect school organizational and instructional conditions. Overall, reviews show that charter schools have inconsistent effects on student achievement scores, a finding that masks heterogeneous effects among different types of charter schools, operators of charter schools, and authorizers of charter schools and the organizational and instructional conditions under which they operate. This systematic review of the literature focuses on what we know about the organization of charter schools and the resources—material, human, and social as well as professional development and teaching practices—within them. We end by identifying gaps where more research is needed.

Gestão privada das escolas públicas – percepções de docentes portugueses

“…As CS estão amplamente estudadas (e continuam a sê-lo) nos diversos contextos em que estão estabelecidas. As controvérsias, os debates, as vantagens e desvantagens que se lhes sobrepõem estão devidamente documentados (Dallavis;Berends, 2023;Mullen;Bartlett, 2022;Ravitch, 2014). Todas as questões, sugestões, recomendações e reflexões, sobretudo éticas e políticas, resultantes dessas investigações devem servir de base para problematizar a suposta vantagem competitiva e econômica da sua implementação em sistemas educativos onde não existem.…”

“…Resumidamente, as CS são escolas públicas geridas por entidades privadas que podem ser constituídas por professores, famílias, empresas ou outros atores da sociedade civil, em consórcio ou individualmente (Dallavis;Berends, 2023;Mullen;Bartlett, 2022). Estas escolas, criadas por contratualização entre a entidade gestora e o estado, são de frequência gratuita, financiadas sobretudo pelo Estado, mas que, dependendo da regulamentação estatal, podem recorrer a outras fontes de financiamento (fundações, empresas, patrocinadores individuais) e obter fins lucrativos.…”

“…As entidades financiadoras e as entidades estatais monitorizam e fiscalizam a qualidade das escolas através de resultados acadêmicos, controle financeiro e cumprimento das disposições legais contratuais. Caso a escola não cumpra os objetivos contratuais, ela pode ser encerrada (Dallavis;Berends, 2023;Santos;Rodrigues, 2021).…”

Dually Noted: Examining the Implications of Dual Enrollment Course Structure for Students’ Course and College Enrollment Outcomes

“…Organizational contexts of schooling, including how classes are structured, have been linked to student outcomes for decades (e.g., Barr & Dreeben, 1983;Dallavis & Berends, 2023;Gamoran, Nystrand, et al, 1995;Gamoran, Secada, et al, 2000). Within-school differences, including distinct curricular pathways and access to resources, have consequences for student learning and performance (Domina et al, 2023).…”

Public School Choice Options in the United States

“…However, studies that evaluate charter schools based on student-level performance are more varied, with reported positive [88,89,91,92], negative [87,93,94], and null effects [95][96][97]. It is worth pointing out that studies that have found positive effects tend to be lottery-based studies [98], which require charter schools to be over-enrolled to be included, meaning family and student interest in these schools exceed their enrollment capacity. Over-enrollment in charter schools can be indicative of their academic success, and thus the findings might not be generalizable across all charter schools.…”