“No Excuses” charter schools for increasing math and literacy achievement in primary and secondary education: a systematic review

Abstract

This Campbell systematic review examines the effects of No Excuses charter schools on students? math and literacy achievement gains compared to similar students in public schools. The review summarizes evidence from 18 studies, including 5 randomized controlled trials and 13 quasi‐experimental studies. No Excuses charter schools, on average, produced larger math and literacy achievement gains for their students than their public school peers ‐ with higher gains for math. These benefits increase for three years, at which point the achievement gains stabilized or returned to lower gains. Plain language summary No Excuses charter schools associated with greater gains in math and literacy than traditional public schoolsThe No Excuses charter school model focuses heavily on high academic expectations, rigid and consistent discipline, extended instructional time, intensive teacher training, and increased parental involvement. This review examines the effect of No Excuses charter schools on math and literacy achievement. On average, No Excuses charter schools are associated with greater student gains on standardized measures of math and literacy achievement when compared to traditional public schools – with higher gains for math. What did the review study?Students from low socio‐economic backgrounds or traditionally disadvantaged groups often underperform their peers on standardized tests of math and literacy achievement. This “achievement gap” is associated with negative education and career outcomes – both short‐term and long‐term. No Excuses charter schools are intended to reduce this gap and improve the achievement gains of traditionally disenfranchised groups.For the purposes of this review, No Excuses charter schools are those charter schools that highlight the importance of high academic expectations for all students, rigid discipline enforcement, extended time in school, intensive teacher training, and parental involvement.This review examines whether No Excuses charter schools are associated with greater achievement gains in math and literacy compared to the achievement gains of similar students enrolled in traditional public schools. What studies are included?This review includes studies that evaluate the effects of No Excuses charter schools on students’ literacy and math achievement gains. It includes 18 studies conducted in the United States spanning from 1990‐2015. What are the main results of this review?No Excuses charter schools, on average, produced larger math and literacy achievement gains for their students than their public school peers – with higher gains for math. These benefits increase for three years, at which point the achievement gains stabilized or returned to lower gains. What do the findings of this review mean?No Excuses charter schools may help underperforming students make larger achievement gains in math and literacy, more so than at traditional public schools. Additional research is needed to examine the effects of this intervention while accounting for significant issues related to ...

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

“…Meta-analyses report that "no excuses" charter schools have large, positive, and statistically significant effects on student math and reading achievement and that these effects are greater than effects for charter schools in general (Betts & Tang, 2019;Cheng et al, 2017). Similarly, a systematic review of recent studies focusing on effects of "no excuses" schools on academic achievement supports the finding that the positive benefits of attending a "no excuses" school likely continue for three years (Krowka et al, 2017). An evaluation study focusing on KIPP network schools demonstrates positive effects on student achievement for students in elementary and middle schools and for those students entering a KIPP high school who did not attend a KIPP elementary or middle school (Tuttle et al, 2015).…”

“…The majority of urban charter schools in many American cities are considered "no excuses" schools (Angrist et al, 2012(Angrist et al, , 2013Coen et al, 2019). "No excuses" schools include well-known school networks such as KIPP, Uncommon Schools, and Achievement First as well as stand-alone, independent charters (Krowka et al, 2017). These models typically include previously mentioned characteristics of strict discipline, high dosage tutoring, additional instruction time, teacher feedback, and a commitment to each student (Chabrier et al, 2016), with some quantitative studies finding positive academic effects but other qualitative studies providing critiques of some aspects of the model.…”

A Qualitative Research Synthesis of the “No Excuses” Charter School Model

“…The problem with this framing is that it lends itself to research questions that ask whether "no excuses" charter schools raise standardized assessment scores (i.e., close the achievement gap) and to the instrumental assumption that raising student test scores is an authentic form of political and economic empowerment. Indeed, the most widely cited research on the "no excuses" model primarily seeks to measure its effect on standardized assessment scores (Angrist et al, 2012;Fryer, 2014;Krowka et al, 2017;Tuttle et al, 2013;Woodworth et al, 2008). This framing reflects broader shifts in the education policy field toward depoliticized, positivist inquiry in which policy problems are defined by the quantitative measures by which policy interventions are measured (Anderson, 2017), a model of research C. Wright Mills (1959) termed "abstracted empiricism" (p. 124) and Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno (1972) described as the "instrumental reason" of positivism involving "the obedient subjection of reason to what is directly given" (p. 25).…”

“…The “no excuses” charter school model adopts a “do whatever it takes” approach to closing the achievement gap and sending their graduates to university, including a longer school day and year, continuous assessment, and a strict disciplinary code to monitor student behavior. There is an emerging consensus in research literature that the “no excuses” CMOs produce modest achievement gains as measured by standardized assessments, and they are frequently held up as a model to close the achievement gap that other schools should emulate (Angrist et al, 2012; Fryer, 2014; Krowka et al, 2017; Woodworth et al, 2008). However, the “no excuses” model is not without controversy.…”

The Abolitionist Potential of Critical Creativity: An Inquiry About the Impacts of Theatrical Performance for Title I Charter High School Students

“…No-excuse charters make the case that poverty should not be an excuse for poor achievement, and they advocate for rigor, character education, and high expectations (Dishon & Goodman, 2017). Charter umbrellas such as Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) and Uncommon Schools are well-known no-excuse schools, but there are many independent no-excuse charters, as well (Krowka et al, 2017). Krowka et al (2017) outlined the main characteristics that define these charter schools:…”