Charter School Performance in Michigan: Policy Implications for Expansion Into Rural Settings

• In Event: 41.083 - Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: 41.083-8 - The Role of Teachers and Leaders in School Choice Policy

Abstract

Charter school growth has exploded in urban centers around the United States due to a rallying call to close the “achievement gap” that persists between students of color and their white suburban counterparts. However, one group of students is consistently ignored in many education reform communities: rural districts. Using statistical analysis and building from the critique of neoliberalism by Wacquant, this study compares the achievement data of rural charter schools to urban charter schools in a Michigan as an example to make a case for continued expansion into rural districts, allowing all students the opportunity to have equal access to a quality education.

Authors

• Rachel Roegman, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Ruqayyah Perkins-Williams, Purdue University

• Yukiko Maeda, Purdue University