>Charter Schools
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.
Are Charter Schools a Good Option in the Gulf States?
In an effort to improve public education, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama have each examined the potential of charter schools. For nearly two decades, RAND has conducted objective, evidence-based research on choice-based education reforms to help education policymakers make the right decisions for their communities.
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All Authors All Authors Ahn, June Baird, Matthew D. Bodilly, Susan J. Booker, Kevin Brewer, Dominic J. Buddin, Richard Chau, Derrick Daley, Glenn A. Duque, Matthew Edelman, Amanda F. Gill, Brian Gottfried, Michael A. Guarino, Cassandra M. Hamilton, Laura S. Jones, John T. Krop, Cathy Lavertu, Stephane Marsh, Julie A. McCaffrey, Daniel F. McEachin, Andrew Millot, Marc Dean Nelson, Christopher Opfer, V. Darleen Pane, John F. Pane, Joseph D. Perera, Rachel Ross, Karen E. Sandler, Melinda Sass, Tim R. Schwam-Baird, Michael Schwartz, Heather L. Schweig, Jonathan Stecher, Brian M. Steele, Jennifer L. Steiner, Elizabeth D. Timpane, P. Mike Toma, Eugenia Vernez, Georges Welsh, Richard O. Witte, John Zimmer, Ron
Teach For America Passes the Test with Most Participants in Principal Survey
More than 85 percent of principals surveyed were satisfied with their schools' Teach for America (TFA) corps members. Principals who were TFA alumni or who led charter schools were less satisfied with corps members' abilities than other principals.
What Do Principals Think About Teach For America?
Principals are generally satisfied with the Teach For America teachers they receive, their classroom contributions, and the professional development and support the program provides.
How Does Personalized Learning Affect Student Achievement?
Describes the concept and implementation of personalized learning and considers achievement findings in a small sample of schools.
RAND Review: July-August 2017
This issue highlights recent RAND research on the prevalence and burden of chronic health conditions; on the economic benefits of U.S. overseas security commitments; and on what RAND is doing to anticipate emerging global security challenges.
Observations and Guidance on Implementing Personalized Learning
Schools implementing personalized learning were pursuing a wide variety of approaches and students closed achievement gaps relative to national norms. Observed challenges to implementation lead to recommendations for implementers.
Personalized Learning: Lessons from Implementation
Personalized learning focuses on meeting students' individual needs while incorporating their interests and preferences. What does this look like in schools that have implemented personalized learning schoolwide?
Does School Choice Mean Students Attend Better Schools? The Case of Post–Hurricane Katrina New Orleans
Researchers examined school choice outcomes in New Orleans following 2005's Hurricane Katrina, including exit patterns of students across sectors and school types in New Orleans and the destination schools of mobile students.
Online Schools in Ohio: Examining Enrollment and Success
Who attends e-schools in Ohio? How do they perform compared with students in brick-and-mortar schools? And what do policymakers and educators need to know going forward?
Student Enrollment Patterns and Achievement in Ohio's Online Charter Schools
We utilize state data of nearly 1.7 million students in Ohio to study a specific sector of online education: K–12 schools that deliver most, if not all, education online, lack a brick-and-mortar presence, and enroll students full-time.
Making American Education Great Will Require More Than Charter Schools
The nomination of Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education has shone a spotlight on charter schools. While charters could become an important part of a great education system, this burst of attention poses a risk that other issues will be ignored.
School Choice, Student Mobility, and School Quality: Evidence from Post-Katrina New Orleans
This paper analyzes student mobility in post-Katrina New Orleans between and within the various sectors and school types using a multinomial framework.
What Do We Know About Charter Schools? Moving Beyond the Talking Points
Since their inception in 1992, charter schools have been a lightning rod for controversy in the education policy world. Research highlights the importance of moving beyond test scores and broadening the scope of measures that evaluate success in order to fully assess the performance of charter schools.
Remaking a School System in the Wake of Natural Disaster
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.
Perceptions of Charter and Traditional Schools in New Orleans
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.
Perceptions of Traditional and Charter Schools in New Orleans
After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans replaced the city's existing school system with a decentralized choice-based system of both charter and district-run schools. An examination of principal, teacher, and parent surveys found many similarities between charter and traditional schools' performance but greater satisfaction among charter school parents with their children's schools, as well as more perceived choices.
Expanding What Counts When Evaluating Charter School Effectiveness
The message of this chapter is that it is possible to expand the way we measure school outcomes to better reflect the goals of charter schools, thus providing more useful information for students, parents, school administrators, and policy makers, all of whom make decisions that influence the success of charter schools.
Understanding the Role of Charter Schools in Improving Education
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.
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Choice-Based Education Reform