Charter Schools and Equity in Education Huriya Jabbar Assistant - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Charter Schools and Equity in Education

Huriya Jabbar Assistant Professor Education Policy and Planning Department of Educational Administration

Today’s Talk

• Emergence of charter schools
• What we know (and don’t know) about charters and:
• Student outcomes
• Parent choice
• Competitive effects
• School diversity
• Teachers
• Politics and governance
• Summary and key questions

• What is a charter school?
• Started in 1991
• Publicly funded
• Privately managed (mostly

non-profit)

• Why did they emerge?
• Multiple aims
• Market-oriented vision

becomes dominant

Charter Schools, Markets, and Equity

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Number of States

Source: Farrell, C. (2013). Taking Stock of Charter Schools. University of California, Berkeley.

What does the research say about charter schools and student outcomes?

• On average, no or small differences between TPS and

charters in test scores

• But larger positive impacts for some schools
• Less attention to other outcomes
• Variation in methods, charter laws, charter types

àNeed more nuanced questions and evaluation of broader set of outcomes

Berends, 2015; Betts & Tang, 2011; CREDO, 2013, 2015; Dobbie & Fryer, 2015; Lubienski & Weitzel, 2010; Wohlstetter et al., 2013

What does the research say about how parents choose schools?

• Goals:
• Put pressure on schools
• Better match between families’ needs and school
• fferings, put pressure on schools
• But choice is complex, positioned, and not “rational”
• Choice alone cannot guarantee equity if quality and

distribution of schools is unequal

Bell, 2009; Betts & Loveless, 2010; Cooper, 2007; Harris & Larsen, 2015; Holme, 2002; Sattin-Bajaj, 2014; Schneider & Buckley, 2002; Wohlstetter et al., 2013

What about students left behind in TPSs?

• Theory vs. reality of

competitive effects

• Mixed results
• Schools’ strategies

inconsistent with theory

• Again, need to explore

mechanisms and conditions

Belfield & Levin, 2002; Jabbar, 2015; Jennings, 2010; Ni & Arsen, 2010

What does the research say about charter schools and diversity?

• Charter schools more segregated than TPS in area
• Why?
• Does it matter?
• Separate but equal?
• Choice as a missed opportunity

Bifulco & Ladd, 2007; Brookings, 2016; Frankenberg et al., 2010; GAO, 2012; Garcia, 2008; Golann, 2015; Jabbar, 2015; Scott, 2005; UCLA Center for Civil Rights Remedies, 2016; Wohlstetter et al., 2013; Zimmer & Guarino, 2013

What does research say about teachers and leaders in charter schools?

• Less research in this area.
• Concern in charter community over staff diversity and

retention

• Higher rates of turnover for teachers and leaders in

charter schools

• Hiring and compensation flexibility

Baker & Dickerson, 2006; Cannata & Penaloza, 2012; Carruthers, 2012; Sun & Ni, 2016; Stuit & Smith, 2012

Who decides, who resists?

• Governing education markets
• Regulation and oversight
• Politics of charter schools
• Interest groups, philanthropy
• Researching charter schools

Henig, 2008; Lubienski, Scott, & Debray, 2011; Reckhow & Snyder, 2014; Scott, 2009

Key takeaways, remaining questions

• Variation in charter effectiveness
• Some charters show gains in student achievement
• Rethink assumptions of choice
• Parent choice constrained, not based only on academics
• Competition places pressure on schools, but strategies

used to compete are not those expected by policymakers

• Charter schools exacerbate segregation
• Regulation and oversight likely key to ensuring equity, but

understudied

• 25 years later, still many unanswered questions
• Need more nuanced research, broader policy discussion

Thank you! Comments, questions: Huriya Jabbar Assistant Professor Educational Policy and Planning Department of Educational Administration The University of Texas at Austin jabbar@austin.utexas.edu