Competitive Effects of Charter Schools in Milwaukee

• In Event: Evaluating Charter Schools: Beyond Average Achievement Effects

Abstract

Proponents of charter schools claim that a highly competitive school choice environment will increase student performance. Using longitudinal, student-level data from Milwaukee public schools (MPS), I estimate the competitive effects of different types of charter schools on the outcomes of students attending traditional public schools (TPS). Identification comes from the longitudinal variation in competition levels generated by the entry and exit of these different types of charter schools. I find that non-MPS charter schools, MPS charter schools with higher autonomy and newly formed MPS charter schools have significant positive competitive effects on TPS. I conclude that a competitive school market with high autonomy and high quality charter schools is beneficial to all students, even those who remain in TPS.

Author

• Hiren Dhiraj Nisar, Abt Associates Inc.