Since their inception nearly three decades ago, charter schools have played a critical role in the reform of our nation’s public education system. As the charter movement has progressed, many single-site schools have evolved into charter management organizations (CMOs) responsible for operating networks of several campuses with the hope of increasing the number of quality seats available to students and families. Growing to scale is often challenging for single-site schools and small CMOs. In order to execute expansion successfully, this study sought to answer the overarching question, “How does a charter school or small CMO know that it is ready to grow?” The study’s findings demonstrated that, in order to evaluate readiness for scale, charter/CMO leaders must consider several key internal and external factors. The internal factors are: (a) “The Why” (primary reason or motivation for scaling), (b) Organizational Identity, (c) Human Capital, (d) Governance, (e) Fiscal Health, (f) Infrastructure, and (g) Growth Mindset and Strategy. The external factors are: (a) Need and Demand; (b) Funding; (c) Facilities; (d) Political Context, Policy, and Climate; (e) Parent and Community Relations; and (f) Collaboration and Competition Inside and Outside the Sector. The research and findings from this study also informed the development of a workbook for charter/CMO leaders seeking to evaluate their organization’s proficiency in internal factors and optimality of external factors in order to determine their readiness to scale.

This research seeks to examine the impact of charter schools on Latino performance in Los Angeles Unified School District. Using school-level data from the Ed-Data database provided by the California Department of Education, this study compares Latino academic achievement in charter high schools and non-charter public high schools across five dimensions of academic achievement: math performance, reading performance, graduation rate, dropout rate, and University of California and/or California State University (UC/CSU) eligibility. The results find a positive, significant charter school impact for Latino students in math performance, dropout rate, and UC/CSU eligibility. Analyses also indicate that charter schools positively impact Latino reading performance and graduation rate, however the results are marginally significant.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006. / Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Prepared for: Center for Public Policy. Bibliography: leaves 120-129.

Using data from the DataQuest and Ed-Data databases provided by the California Department of Education (2006-2012), this study assesses if charter schools provide a net benefit to students compared to non-charter schools. Further, it examines if charter management organizations improve the performance of charter schools. I find that charter schools have no net benefit across all grades. However, charter schools get significantly better performance on high school language arts tests. Minority and low-income students perform better at charter schools than traditional public schools, especially at the middle school level. Minorities in middle schools perform even better at CMOs than independent charter schools.

By elucidating the distinct values of charter school advocates, this thesis will draw out unspoken assumptions about the nature of how charter schools function in America’s public school arena. Laying out the framework of three theories of charter school action will enable discussions on charter school policy to start from a shared point of understanding.

By elucidating the distinct values of charter school advocates, this thesis will draw out unspoken assumptions about the nature of how charter schools function in America’s public school arena. Laying out the framework of three theories of charter school action will enable discussions on charter school policy to start from a shared point of understanding.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

This literature review addresses the increasingly popular charter school movement and its effectiveness in academic achievement and multicultural diversity. It examines the literature starting with the foundations of the charter school movement to the present state of American charter schools. Implications for charter school counselors are discussed. Although charter schools are gaining support in some public arenas, and with policymakers, more evidence is needed before charter schools can embody public official’s claims as the new solution in public education. / text

Background: A great deal of research on charter schools has examined the neoliberal origins of charter schools, the academic performance of charter school students, charter school governance, and the balance between autonomy and accountability. However, there is a lack of research that has investigated the formal processes by which the accountability side of the equation is carried out, particularly in the area of charter renewal. No study has yet analyzed the weight given to factors used by charter authorizers in making high-stakes accountability decisions, and to whether modifying variables related to the population served impact the outcomes of these decisions. Also, while some studies have looked at charter school operations through the lens of institutional theory, no study has yet looked at changes made by charter operators in the face of high-stakes authorizer scrutiny, and whether those changes may impact the outcomes of the decisions. Purpose: To examine the factors explicitly considered by the board of the largest charter authorizer in the U.S., and determine whether the outcomes have been consistent with the established criteria, whether the outcomes show evidence of being affected by the nature of the population served by the charter school, and to look for evidence that changes suggested by institutional theory have an predictive value in understanding the outcomes of high-stakes authorizer decisions. Setting: Charters in Arizona authorized and considered for renewal by the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS, the Board) during the period from June 2010 to November 2012. Participants: 117 Arizona charters granted by the ASBCS which were considered by for renewal during the study period. Research Design: Quantitative study. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected from the public records provided to the Board during the period of operation leading up to renewal, and provided to the Board during the renewal consideration. Analysis was conducted using multinomial logistic regression analysis with the IBM SPSS 22 statistical software package. Findings: Academic performance over the years immediately preceding the renewal consideration and the number of compliance actions taken over that same period significantly predicted whether the outcome of the renewal decision would be renewal without conditions, renewal with conditions, or denial. Several factors which had been suggested by the literature as having predictive value, including improvement in academic performance and financial viability, did not prove to have significant predictive value. Certain factors related to the population served by the charter, including socioeconomic status, grades served, and size of the school population, had predictive value in ways that generally supported the literature. Mimetic isomorphic changes as identified in this study did not prove to have significant predictive value regarding the outcome of the renewal decision. Findings regarding consistently low performing schools and the overturning of denial decisions on appeal lead to questions regarding the market efficacy assumptions made by neoliberal charter proponents. Conclusions: This study reinforces the importance of charter authorizers having clear, measureable criteria for high-stakes decisions, and for charter operators to understand those criteria and how they affect the operations of the schools.

Charter schools have recently become a hot topic of debate in the United States. For parents who cannot afford private schooling or moving to another school district, charter schools seem to be an attractive option. These schools, which are often argued to outperform traditional schools, offer an alternative path to public education which allows teachers more flexibility to employ innovative strategies in the classroom. In order to expedite the creation of such schools, Republicans in the Georgia General Assembly called for the amending of the Georgia Constitution which would allow the state to approve charters by circumventing the publicly elected local school board. This study analyzes the more recent political history of the Commission, the debate surrounding the amendment, and ultimately the vote itself for Amendment 1.