7.3 School Choice and Charter Schools

School choice and charter schools are hot topics in education policy. They aim to give families more options beyond traditional public schools, potentially improving opportunities for disadvantaged students and driving competition-fueled improvements.

However, the impact of school choice is debated. While some studies show modest benefits, critics worry it may increase inequities and drain resources from public schools. The governance and funding of charter schools also raise complex issues around accountability and access.

Rationale for School Choice

Arguments for Providing School Options

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Top images from around the web for Arguments for Providing School Options

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  100UP Saturday Summer School: a lens on possibilities for disadvantaged learners | UCT News View original

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  Parents, teachers and legislators rally for school choice | Mississippi Today View original

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  Frontiers | Narratives of Systemic Barriers and Accessibility: Poverty, Equity, Diversity ... View original

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  100UP Saturday Summer School: a lens on possibilities for disadvantaged learners | UCT News View original

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• School choice advocates argue that providing families with options beyond their assigned public school can improve educational opportunities and outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged students
• Increasing competition among schools to drive improvements in quality and efficiency
• Empowering parents to select the school that best fits their child's needs and interests
• Providing alternatives to low-performing or unsafe schools, especially in underserved communities

Charter Schools as a School Choice Mechanism

• Charter schools are publicly funded but independently operated schools that have greater autonomy and flexibility than traditional public schools
• This autonomy allows charters to innovate with curriculum, instruction, and school models to better serve diverse student needs
• Charters can operate more efficiently by avoiding bureaucratic constraints of school district central offices
• Charter schools are held more accountable for student outcomes through performance contracts and the threat of closure
• Other forms of school choice beyond charters include magnet schools, private school vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, homeschooling, and inter/intra-district public school choice

Impact of School Choice

Academic Outcomes and Equity Concerns

• Research on the academic impacts of school choice and charters is mixed and varies by context
• Some studies have found modest positive effects on test scores and educational attainment, while others show no significant differences or negative impacts compared to traditional public schools
• Critics argue that school choice can exacerbate inequities by enabling advantaged families to self-segregate into higher-performing schools, leading to increased stratification by race, class, and ability
• School choice may create uneven playing fields where charters can exclude higher-need students through selective enrollment practices, pushing-out low performers, and not providing full special education services

Access Barriers and Resource Allocation

• School choice may expand access to potentially higher-quality options, but barriers such as lack of transportation, information gaps, and complex application processes can limit participation by the most disadvantaged students and families
• Critics argue that school choice diverts resources and high-achieving students from district schools, leading to greater concentrations of poverty and academic challenges in traditional public schools

Governance of Charter Schools

Authorization and Oversight

• State laws determine the types of entities that can authorize charter schools (school districts, state boards of education, universities, non-profit organizations), the criteria for granting and renewing charters, and the oversight and accountability requirements
• Most charters are operated by non-profit organizations, but some states allow for-profit education management organizations (EMOs) to manage charter schools, which raises concerns about privatization
• In exchange for autonomy, charters are accountable to their authorizers and must meet academic, financial, and operational benchmarks to stay open, but authorizers rarely close low-performing charters in practice

Funding and Facilities

• Charter schools receive public funding based on their enrollment, which is often lower per-pupil than district schools
• Charters do not have access to local facilities funding and may struggle to find and finance adequate buildings
• Charter school boards are appointed rather than elected, raising questions about democratic accountability to the communities they serve

Challenges of School Choice vs Charter Schools

Tensions with Traditional Public Schools

• The rapid growth of charter schools, especially in urban areas, has created tensions with district schools
• Charters are often seen as a threat that siphons students and funding from traditional public schools, leading to instability and budget cuts

Equity and Access Issues

• While charters are technically open to all, critics argue that some use targeted marketing, burdensome application requirements, and harsh discipline policies to shape their student bodies and push out students they don't want to serve
• Virtual charter schools, which deliver instruction online, have come under scrutiny for low academic performance, high student turnover, and fraud

Influence of Private Interests

• Concerns have been raised about the role of philanthropy and wealthy donors in shaping the charter sector and education policy to align with business interests and market-based reform agendas
• Non-profit charter school boards may contract with for-profit management companies, which can lead to conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds

Debates about Public Education

• The proliferation of charter schools has fueled debates about the purpose of public education and the role of the state in providing and regulating schooling
• Critics see charters as a step towards privatization that undermines public education as a public good and democratic institution