Charter Schools in Eight States uses longitudinal data from eight states to evaluate the effects of charter schools on achievement, attainment, integration, and competition. The findings are mixed. Achievement: The study examines seven jurisdictions and finds insignificant effects on reading and math performance in five, and small negative effects in two others. Attainment: In the two jurisdictions with data, the study finds positive effects for charter high schools’ rates of graduation and college matriculation. Integration: The study finds no evidence that charter schools are skimming high-achieving students away from public schools, or that charter schools lead to increased racial/ethnic stratification, but these findings should be regarded as equivocal because the supporting analyses use highly aggregated data. Competition: The study finds no evidence that the average student achievement at public schools either increases or decreases in response to entry of charter schools to the educational “marketplace.” On the whole, the methods used in this report are exemplary. The authors describe their statistical analyses in a transparent manner that makes it possible for readers to form their own opinions about the strength of the argument being advanced. The review does raise questions about all four of the report's sections, particularly stressing some weaknesses in the data and analyses regarding the integration and competition findings. Overall, however, the report makes an important contribution to the empirical literature on charter school effectiveness.

Suggested Citation: Briggs, D.C. (2009). Review of "Charter Schools in Eight States: Effects on Achievement, Attainment, Integration and Competition." Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit. Retrieved [date] from http://epicpolicy.org/thinktank/review-Charter-Schools-Eight-States

In 2002, the city of Philadelphia began a policy of restructuring its lowest-achieving elementary and middle schools. 86 schools were included. Restructuring can take on a wide variety of forms, but in Philadelphia the most prominent approaches shifted school management to either the district or one of several private providers. In 2007, after four years of this policy, two research reports were issued, one by RAND in collaboration with Research For Action (RAND-RFA) and one by the Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG). Both reports examined whether any positive effects on the math and reading achievement of students could be attributed to privately managed schools, district-managed schools, or neither. According to the RAND-RFA report, private management has had no cumulative effect on math or reading achievement, while district management has had a positive effect on math achievement but no effect on reading. According to the PEPG report, private management has had a positive effect on the percentage of students reaching "Basic" levels of performance in math and reading, while district management has generally had no effect. The different findings from the two reports can largely be explained by the fact that PEPG did not have the same access to data as did RAND-RFA. PEPG also analyzed data using a different methodological approach than did RAND-RFA, due in large part to the data limitations. This review identifies and describes methodological weaknesses in the report from RAND-RFA as well as in the PEPG report. Overall, while the RAND-RFA study appears to better capture the overall effects of Philadelphia's reform than does the PEPG study, it does not differentiate effects between the elementary and middle school grades. Further analysis and research is needed before drawing any definitive conclusions.

Suggested Citation:

Briggs, D. (2007). Review of Two Reports about Privately Managed Schools in Philadelphia. Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit. Retrieved [date] from http://epicpolicy.org/thinktank/review-two-reports-about-privately-managed-schools-philadelphia

The report reviewed here concludes that Florida's recently instituted policy of test-based retention has helped academically struggling elementary school students improve their reading. According to the review, the report overstates the effect of retention on student achievement.

Suggested Citation:

Briggs, D. (2006). Review of "Getting Farther Ahead By Staying Behind: A Second-Year Evaluation of Florida's Policy to end Social Promotion."  Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit. Retrieved [date] from http://epicpolicy.org/thinktank/review-getting-farther-ahead-staying-behind-a-second-year-evaluation-floridas-policy-end-s