Principal investigator: Eduarda Miller de Figueiredo
Authors: Joshua D. Angrist, Parag A. Pathak, and Christopher R. Walters
Original name: Explaining Charter School Effectiveness
Location of the Intervention: Massachusetts – United States
Sample Size: 23 schools
Sector: Education
Primary Variable of Interest: MCAS test score
Type of Intervention: PUBLIC Charter
Methodology: 2SLS and LATE
Summary
The schools charter These are public schools that operate independently and have generated increasing interest in the analysis of their performance and the heterogeneity of their results. By analyzing the heterogeneity of the treatment effect in this type of school in Massachusetts, comparing urban and non-urban environments using the 2SLS and LATE methods, the authors find that the schools charter Urban schools take their students far beyond the performance levels characteristic of urban public school districts, while charter Non-urban settings leave their students' performance unchanged.
- Policy Problem
Interest in schools charter have grown rapidly, with increasing evidence suggesting that schools charter In urban settings, these schools have the potential to generate impressive performance gains, especially for minority students living in areas of high poverty. The presence of this type of school in Boston and Lynn has been shown to increase student performance in mathematics and English language arts (ELA), as well as school attendance. These positive effects have also been reported in Washington, Chicago, and New York (Hoxby and Rockoff, 2004; Hoxby, Murarka, and Kang, 2009; Dobbie and Fryer, 2011).
Current interest, however, lies in charter schools in school districts outside urban areas, given that the results for this set of schools are more mixed (Hu, 2011). Little evidence has been found of performance gains in schools outside high-poverty urban areas (Angrist, Pathak, and Walters, 2011).
The article analyzed here examined the heterogeneity of the treatment effect in schools. charter from Massachusetts, through explanatory variables at the student and school levels.
- Implementation and Evaluation Context
In Massachusetts, there are 34 schools. charter primary education and 16 schools charter secondary education. Where urban schools have younger students than non-urban schools. Furthermore, the schools charter Urban schools also have a longer school day and year than non-urban schools, with the extra time seemingly going towards increased teaching of mathematics and literature, and still, 19% of schools charter Urban schools have classes on Saturdays.
The schools charter Urban schools spend almost as much as traditional public schools, while schools charter Non-urban schools spend less. Another detail is the student-to-teacher ratio in schools. charter is generally lower than the ratio of staff in traditional public schools and, furthermore, schools charter Non-urban areas have smaller class sizes.
Upon analyzing the sample, the authors observed that urban students are more likely to be Black or Hispanic and have significantly lower baseline test scores than other students from public schools. In which schools charter Urban schools serve a higher proportion of Black students than urban public schools. Furthermore, it was analyzed that students from schools charter Students in both urban and non-urban areas have slightly higher baseline test scores than their counterparts from traditional public schools.
- Policy/Program Details
A charter school is a public school that operates independently, having the freedom to design classrooms that meet the needs of its students. Operating under a contract with an "authorizing" entity (NGO, government agency, or university), which holds them accountable for high standards, they are exempt from state or local regulations related to operation and management, but adhere to public school regulations, do not charge tuition, and are not affiliated with a religious institution. The charter school commits to achieving specific educational objectives (National Charter School Resource Center, n.d.; National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, n.d.).[1].
- Assessment Method
Lottery data was collected for the school set. charter The sample consisted of schools in Massachusetts that have elementary and secondary education levels, excluding schools that closed, schools that opened after the 2009-2010 school year, and schools that serve non-traditional populations. Thus, the final sample comprised a total of 17 elementary schools and 6 secondary schools, including both urban and non-urban schools.
The student data used for the research were collected from administrative records from the school years 2001-2002 to 2010-2011. These records contain information on demographics, schools attended, and scores from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).[2].
Through lottery-based identification that captures causal effects for candidates, using the student's test score in the second-stage equation for lottery analysis. i on the Serie g in the year t () as the dependent variable. However, since ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates failed to capture causal effects if the decision to apply for or attend a charter school is correlated with unmeasured ability, motivation, or family background, the authors used a binary variable indicating lottery availability as an instrumental variable for time spent at the charter school. Thus, estimating the results through a two-stage least squares (2SLS) model.
A two-part estimate of the local mean treatment effect (LATE) was also performed, with the first part capturing differences in potential outcomes in the treated state and the second part capturing differences in potential outcomes in the untreated state. In other words, the authors compared performance in each area using the uncharted local mean.
- Main results
Second-stage estimates show that one year of school attendance charter Elementary school lottery, increases math scores by 0,21 and 0,08
in ELA. 2SLS estimates for high schools reveal larger causal effects, with score gains of 0,27
per year in mathematics and 0,21
per year in ALS.
Furthermore, the results masked considerable heterogeneity regarding urban and non-urban status. Where estimates for urban high schools suggest that these schools generate gains of 0,32 in mathematics and 0,15
In ALS, and for non-urban women, the results are negative.
The schools charter Urban high schools increase scores for most applicants, though not uniformly. Girls see slightly greater gains in math, while boys show greater gains in ELA. Black and Hispanic students benefit considerably from attending urban high schools, but math gains for whites are smaller. Attendance at urban high schools increases math and reading scores across all groups.
Based on LATE estimates, the ELA scores of non-urban elementary school students in public schools exceed the performance level in non-urban settings by 0,10.The results for non-urban high school students show a more positive selection than in elementary school. These results show an advantage for these schools, in that urban elementary schools raise their students' scores from a typically low level to a level much closer to that achieved by non-urban students.
Therefore, on average, schools charter Urban schools take their students far beyond the performance levels characteristic of urban public school districts, while charter Non-urban settings leave their students' performance unchanged or diminished from a higher starting point.
- Lessons in Public Policy
Urban charter schools in Massachusetts generate impressive performance gains, whereas non-urban schools are largely ineffective and appear to reduce performance.
Reference
Angrist, Joshua D., Parag A. Pathak, and Christopher R. Walters. 2011. “Explaining Charter School Effectiveness.” National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Working Paper 17332.
[1] For more information, please consult: https://www.publiccharters.org/about-charter-schools/what-charter-school e https://charterschoolcenter.ed.gov/what-charter-school. Accessed on: 09 Jan. 2023.
[2] Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).
