Insufficient Accountability? Heterogeneous Effects of Charter Schools Across Authorizing Agencies

• Published in: American educational research journal Vol. 60; no. 4; pp. 696 - 734
• Main Authors: Ferrare, Joseph J., Waddington, R. Joseph, Fitzpatrick, Brian R., Berends, Mark
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2023; American Educational Research Association
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Accountability; Charter Schools; Governance; Governing Boards; Nonprofit Organizations; Outcomes of Education; Quasi-experimental methods; School Administration; School Effectiveness; Indiana; United States > US; school effects; charter schools; quasi-experimental methods; charter school authorizers; charter school operators
• ISSN: 0002-8312; 1935-1011
• DOI: 10.3102/00028312231167802

We estimate the longitudinal effects of charter schools authorized by different authorizing bodies on student achievement by using student-level data from Indiana. The results of our analysis point to substantial variation, especially between the state’s two largest authorizers: Ball State University and the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office. Some of the variation is driven by the types of operators these bodies authorize to run charter schools. However, operator effects are not consistent across authorizers, suggesting a more complex story about how authorization affects student achievement. These results point to the ways that public and private interests in charter schools may complicate the work of authorizers and suggest a need for policymakers to offer more guidance in how authorizers carry out their various accountability mandates.