Efficiency and Effectiveness of Indiana Charter Schools

1
Efficiency and Effectiveness of Indiana Charter
Schools

• Indiana Charter School Association
• 2009 Conference
• April 29, 2009
• Jonathan Plucker, Director
• Terri Akey, Research Scientist

The research reported in this presentation was
requested and funded by the Indiana General
Assembly. However, the conclusions are those of
the research team and do not necessarily
represent the views of the funding agency.
2
Center for Evaluation andEducation Policy (CEEP)

• CEEP promotes and supports rigorous program
  evaluation and nonpartisan policy research
  primarily, but not exclusively, for education,
  human service and non-profit organizations.
• In the area of K-12 education policy, CEEPs
  mission is to help inform, influence and shape
  sound policy through effective, nonpartisan
  research and analysis.
• For more information about CEEP, go to
  http//ceep.indiana.edu

3
Conclusions From Charter School Study

• Charter schools educate a different student
  population than do school corporationslargely
  minority and low-income, with disproportionately
  few special education and LEP students.
• There are no practical differences in student
  achievement scores for charter and traditional
  public schools, although performance trends at
  the high school level should be interpreted with
  caution.
• The case can be made that charter schools are
  either over-funded or under-funded, depending on
  the perspective taken.
• There is a considerable lack of coordination and
  support among charter schools across the state,
  especially in critical areas such as providing
  special education services and advocacy.
• Misinformation about charter schools is
  widespread, and nearly all of the stakeholders
  interviewed, including many charter advocates,
  cited some incorrect or unclear information about
  charter school laws, policies, or procedures.

4
Charter Schools In Indiana

• Familiarity with Charter Schools

• Support Creation of More Charter Schools?

5
Charter School Enrollment and Demand

• Charter school enrollments are increasing at a
  relatively constant rate, compared to their local
  school corporations and the state of Indiana as a
  whole.
• There appears to be a relatively high demand for
  charter schools, particularly in urban areas at
  the elementary level.
• Children who attend charter schools, for the most
  part, attend for at least two or more years and
  for a significant amount of time that they are
  eligible to attend a particular charter school
  given their age and the grade levels served by
  the school. However, in areas with significantly
  mobile populations, charter schools are afflicted
  with the same high mobility as traditional public
  schools.

6
Charter School Enrollment Trends
Percentage Growth in Total Student Enrollment for
Charter School, Feeder Corporations, and the
State of Indiana
6
7
Who Attends Indiana Charter Schools?

• The majority of the students served by charter
  schools across the state (70) are members of an
  ethnic minority.
• 61 of charter schools students received free or
  reduced lunch services compared to 39 across the
  state of Indiana and 49 in feeder corporations.
• The largest groups of students served by charter
  schools are younger studentscompared to the
  state and feeder districts who serve a higher
  percentage of high school students.
• The proportion of male and female students in
  charter schools is evenly split and no different
  from state and feeder schools.

8
Who Attends Charter Schools?
Ethnic/Racial Breakdown of 2007-08 Student
Enrollment for Charter Schools, Feeder
Corporations, and the State of Indiana
Ethnic/Racial Breakdown of 2007-08 Student
Enrollment for Charter Schools, Feeder
Corporations, and the State of Indiana
Ethnic/Racial Breakdown of 2007-08 Student
Enrollment for Charter Schools, Feeder
Corporations, and the State of Indiana
8
9
Who Attends Charter Schools?

• Percentage of Students Who Receive Special
  Education Services Attending Charter Schools,
  Feeder Corporations, and the State of Indiana

Percentage of Students Who Receive LEP Services
Attending Charter Schools, Feeder Corporations,
and the State of Indiana in 2007-08
9
10
Charter School Funding

• Charter schools are funded using the exact same
  formula as other traditional public schools.
• Charter school General Fund revenue is higher
  than school corporation Fund revenue, from
  approximately 600 to 1,200 higher depending on
  the year. However, school corporations receive
  additional dollars from other sources that
  charter schools do not.
• Some charter schools receive grant funding and/or
  private dollars, however, for the most part,
  these dollars are a very small percentage of
  total charter school revenue.
• Charter school General Fund expenditures exceed
  the General Fund expenditures of school
  corporations, however, when total expenditures
  are examined for both types of schools (including
  Capital Projects, Debt Service, and
  Transportation Funds), school corporations spend
  nearly 1,700 more per pupil than charter
  schools.

11
Charter School Funding

• General Fund Revenues per Pupil for All School
  Corporations, Urban Corporations, and Charter
  Schools, 2004-08

General Fund Per-Pupil Expenditures for All
School Corporations, Urban School Corporations,
and Charter Schools Over Fiscal Years 2005-2007
Total Per-Pupil Expenditures for School
Corporations and Charter Schools Over Fiscal
Years 2005-07
11
12
Charter School Achievement Analysis Methods

• Charter school students were matched to similar
  students in the same grade level and feeder
  school from which the charter student transferred
• Students were matched on gender, ethnicity, level
  of prior achievement and free-reduced lunch.
• Analysis examined change in ISTEP performance
  from 2006-07 to the 2007-08 school year.
• Analyses were conducted for both passing rates
  and scale scores with no difference in
  interpretation of findings
• Length of attendance at the charter school was
  used as a covariate
• Analysis model was a matched comparison, analysis
  of covariance design

13
Charter School Academic Performance

• There is no practical difference between student
  performance in charter schools and traditional
  public schools.
• With respect to longer-term outcomes like
  graduation and college attendance rates, no
  conclusions can be made at this time as
  sufficient data are not available.
• Charter schools are increasingly offering
  opportunities for students to take advanced
  classes, such as AP courses and dual enrollment.
• Performance is higher for students who have
  attended charter schools for a longer period of
  time.

14
Charter School Achievement

• Percentage of Elementary (Grades 3-5) Students
  Passing Language Arts ISTEP in Charter Schools
  and Feeder Schools

Percentage of Middle School (Grades 6-8) Students
Passing Language Arts ISTEP in Charter Schools
and Feeder Schools
Percentage of High School (Grades 9-12) Students
Passing Language Arts ISTEP in Charter Schools
and Feeder Schools
14
15
Charter School Achievement

• Percentage of Elementary (Grades 3-5) Students
  Passing Math ISTEP in Charter Schools and Feeder
  Schools

Percentage of Middle School (Grades 6-8) Students
Passing Math ISTEP in Charter Schools and Feeder
Schools
Percentage of High School (Grades 9-12) Students
Passing Math ISTEP in Charter Schools and Feeder
Schools
15
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CEEP Contact Information
Jonathan A. Plucker, Ph.D. Director jplucker_at_india
na.edu Terri Akey, Ph.D. Research
Scientist tmakey_at_indiana.edu 1900 East Tenth
Street Bloomington, Indiana 47406-7512 812-855-44
38 Fax [phone] http//ceep.indiana.edu