Taking Measure of Charter Schools: Better Assessments, Better Policymaking, Better Schools (New Frontiers in Education)

Charter schools offer something that public school systems, parents, and teachers need: a way to experiment with alternative ways of teaching, motivating students, organizing schools, using technology, and employing teachers. While people came down on both sides of support for or against charter schools, everyone was surprised by how difficult it was to assess charter school performance. The first part of this book focuses on how to improve estimates of charter schools' performance, especially their benefits to students who attend them; the second part suggests how policymakers can learn more about charter schools and make better use of evidence. The editors and authors suggest ways states and localities can improve the quality of data on which charter school studies are based and trace some of the ways charter school research influences policy. Contents......Page 6 Ch01. Through a Glass Darkly: An Introduction to Issues in Measuring the Quality of Charter Schools......Page 8 Part I. IMPROVING RESEARCH ON CHARTER SCHOOLS......Page 20 Ch02. Madness in the Method? A Critical Analysis of Popular Methods of Estimating the Effect of Charter Schools on Student Achievement......Page 22 Ch03. Expanding What Counts When Evaluating Charter School Effectiveness......Page 40 Ch04. The Effect of Attending Charter Schools on Achievement, Educational Attainment, and Behavioral Outcomes: A Review......Page 62 Ch05. The Selection of Students into Charter Schools: A Critical Issue for Research and Policy......Page 72 Ch06. Admission Lotteries in Charter Schools......Page 90 Ch07. Charter School Maturation as a Factor in Performance Assessment and Accountability......Page 120 Ch08. What Do We Know about Teachers in Charter Schools?......Page 136 Part II. HOW POLICY MAKERS CAN MAKE BETTER USE OF EVIDENCE......Page 160 Ch09. The State of State Charter School Research......Page 162 Ch10. Would Better Research Lead to Better Schools?......Page 186 Ch11. Conclusions about Charter School Policy and Research......Page 210 Index......Page 222 About the Contributors......Page 234 Through a glass darkly: an introduction to issues in measuring the quality of charter schools / by Julian R. Betts and Paul T. Hill Madness in the method?: a critical analysis of popular methods of estimating the effect of charter schools on student achievement / by Julian R. Betts, Y. Emily Tang, and Andrew C. Zau Expanding what counts when evaluating charter school effectiveness / by Laura S. Hamilton and Brian M. Stecher The effect of attending charter schools on achievement, educational attainment and behavioral outcomes: a review / by Julian R. Betts The selection of students into charter schools: a critical issue for research and policy / by Julian R. Betts Admission lotteries in charter schools / by Patrick J. McEwan and Robert B. Olsen Charter school maturation as a factor in performance assessment and accountability / by Paul T. Hill and Lydia Rainey What do we know about teachers in charter schools? / by Dominic J. Brewer and June Ahn The state of state charter school research / by Robin J. Lake and Larry Angel Would better research lead to better schools? / by Jeffrey R. Henig Conclusions about charter school policy and research / by Julian R. Betts and Paul T. Hill. Synopsis: This book breaks new ground on how policymakers and journalists can fairly assess charter school performance. The editors and authors show how good approaches to charter school assessment would also work for regular public schools, which is important because of the requirements of No Child Left Behind