Previous charter school research has shown mixed results for student achievement, which could be the consequence of different policy environments or methodological approaches with differing assumptions across studies. This analysis discusses these approaches and assumptions and estimates effects...

We analyze the relationship between charter high school attendance and educational attainment in Florida and in Chicago. Controlling for observed student characteristics and test scores, we estimate that among students who attended a charter middle school, those who went on to attend a charter...

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that operate autonomously, outside the direct control of local school districts, and generally enroll students through the choices of their parents rather than through residential assignment. These schools have proved popular nationwide. The authors...

Although charter schools are growing in number, debate continues about whether they provide a better education than traditional public schools. The report examines charter schools in Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, San Diego, and the states of Florida, Ohio, and Texas, using...

A key aim of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is to provide new educational options to parents whose children attend Title I schools identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring because of a lack of yearly progress. The first option allows children to transfer to...

This article analyzes the relationship between charter high school attendance and educational attainment in Florida and Chicago. Students who attended a charter middle school and went on to attend a charter high school were 7 to 15 percentage points more likely to earn a standard diploma than...

In the academic and policy debates over the merits of charter schools, two things are clear: First, they are here to stay and, second, their quality varies widely. Policy makers therefore need to understand how to design charter laws that promote the creation of high-performing schools. Crucial...

During the past decade, charter schools have been one of the fastest growing segments of the K–12 education sector. This is the first report to examine how charter schools may affect long-term attainment, including high-school graduation and college entry. The authors find that Chicago's...