Charter Schools
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Equity As a Measurement of Success in Charter Schools
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America is in the midst of a contentious debate over whether charter schools are an effective institutional remedy for closing the education gap. The divisive nature of the issue tends to push policymakers, educators, and parents to extremes; observers and stakeholders often fail to acknowledge the unique regional and local…
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Competitive Outcomes: Does Increased School Choice Mean Better Schools in the Long Run?
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As American political rhetoric becomes more and more partisan, debates around public education have become increasingly divisive. From Betsy DeVos’s support for charter schools to nationwide protests by public teachers demanding higher pay, disagreement abounds regarding how best to serve America’s struggling students. In December, New Orleans propelled itself to…
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What Happens After a School Closes?
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School closure can be a jarring process for students, families and communities. Over the past decade, school closures have become a lightning rod, sparking debate across the country. These closures raise several key questions, including where students go after a low-performing school closes and how students perform academically after their…
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Teachers’ Unions Improve Student Achievement: Insights from California Charter Schools
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Over the past several decades, public sector unionization rates have held fairly steady, even as private sector unionization rates have plummeted. Among economists and social scientists, a debate persists as to whether public sector unions serve the public interest. Proponents argue that these unions increase the efficiency of the public…
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Do Charter Schools Raise Student Earnings? Evidence from Texas
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Texas education policy in the 1990s provided the blueprint for Bush-era school reforms. In 1993, the Texas legislature introduced high-stakes testing, followed by the authorization of Texas’ first charter schools—schools that are publicly funded but privately managed—in 1995. When George W. Bush left the Governor’s Mansion for the White House,…
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Calculating Success: Understanding Data in Chicago’s Charter Schools
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Charter schools have become a dominant fixture in the city of Chicago and across the United States. Nationwide, enrollment in charter schools has more than doubled in the past ten years. In Chicago during the early 2000s, legislative action increased the number of available charters within the city from 45…
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“A” For Attendance: Do Certain Types of Absences Affect Students Differently?
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Students who miss school intermittently suffer more than students who miss school due to mass disruptions like snow days, suggesting there are more negative effects from poor attendance than just missed instructional time.
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Focus on Finance: A Changing of the Guard in Boston
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Meredith Weenick discusses managing rising benefit obligations during a transition in leadership.
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Power Plays: What’s Ahead for US Energy
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The former Chairman and CEO of Chicago-based Excelon, John W. Rowe discusses the future of energy production, pricing, and policy.
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Stand and Deliver: A Historical Perspective on Chicago’s Teachers Union Strike
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Understanding Chicago’s teacher union strike and its impact from a historical context.
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A Less Adversarial Model for Charter Schools
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Can’t we all just get along? Charter schools offer strategies for closing the achievement gap that public schools can use.