Charter schools have become a prominent alternative to traditional public schools in the quest to improve K–12 education. RAND has conducted empirical, evidence-based research of charter schools across the United States to assess how charter schools affect the student population of traditional public schools and to understand the effects on student achievement and test scores in both charter schools and public schools.
MULTIMEDIA
In this Resilient Communities podcast, Jennifer Steele discusses the differences in policies and practices between charter and traditional schools in New Orleans, where charter-based reform spread in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
REPORT
Hurricane Katrina set the stage for a transformation of public education in New Orleans, replacing the city's existing school system with a decentralized choice-based system of both charter and district-run schools. Using principal, teacher, and parent surveys administered three years after Katrina, this study examined schools' governance and operations, educational contexts, educator quality and mobility, and parental choice and…
RESEARCH BRIEF
RAND researchers found many similarities between charter and traditional schools in New Orleans but greater satisfaction among charter school parents with their children's schools, as well as more perceived choices.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
In this article, the author examines two school districts that are highly decentralized to understand the central-office roles: (1) Edmonton, Canada; and (2) Lake Wales Charter Schools District in central Florida.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Charter schools are increasing in numbers as alternatives to traditional public schools, and research shows some associated positive effects on student attainment. RAND recommends that the federal government support further investigation.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Charter schools do not generally draw the top students from other public schools. Their test-score gains are similar to those of traditional public schools, but they have higher rates of students graduating high school and attending college.
NEWS RELEASE
While the number of charter schools continues to grow, debate continues about whether charter schools provide a better education experience than traditional public schools. Proponents contend that charter schools expand educational choices for students, improve student achievement and provide much-needed competition to public schools.
REPORT
Along with the growth of the charter school movement has come contentious debate about its effects on both charter students and those in nearby traditional public schools. This study helps determine why previous research has drawn differing conclusions through its examination of charter schools' effect on overall educational attainment.
NEWS RELEASE
Chicago's multi-grade charter high schools (those serving students in grades 7-12, 6-12 or K-12) appear to improve their students' chances of graduating and attending college, as compared with the city's traditional public high schools.
REPORT
Chicago's multi-grade charter high schools (those serving students in grades 7-12, 6-12 or K-12) appear to improve their students' chances of graduating and attending college, as compared with the city's traditional public high schools.
MULTIMEDIA
RAND experts field questions from the media on the report Achievement and Attainment in Chicago Charter Schools.
RESEARCH BRIEF
This research brief summarizes research finding that students attending ''multigrade'' charter high schools in Chicago attain substantially higher rates of graduation and college entry than do students in traditional public high schools.
REPORT
Vouchers and charter schools are two of the most prominent and far-reaching forms of family-choice policies currently in evidence in the nation's schools. An updated version of the report Rhetoric Versus Reality takes a detailed look at what is known about the effects of school choice.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
In recent years, a series of articles have examined the performance of charter schools with mixed results.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
This chapter summarizes a series of studies the authors have conducted over the last 4 years that evaluate the effectiveness of California charter schools.
REPORT
Testimony presented to the California Select Committee on the Master Plan for Education on August 1, 2006.
REPORT
Charter schools in California generally perform on par with traditional public schools despite receiving fewer resources. However, they have not closed the achievement gaps for minorities or had the expected competitive effects on traditional schools.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
One of the biggest public school reform movements in the past decade has been the passage of charter school laws.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2012 RAND Corporation.