Comparative Analysis of For-Profit and Nonprofit Charter Schools: Mission Statements, Academic Programs, and Locations

• In Event: School Choice Policies Shaping Neighborhoods, School Locations, and "Destinies"

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between charter mission statements, academic programs, and their site-specific geographic characteristics using a sample of more than 3,000 charter schools operated by for-profit (EMOs) and nonprofit organizations in forty-one states. The study combines market-based school reform, institutional theory, and resource dependency as theoretical frameworks. One way of exploring the diversity of for-profit and nonprofit charter school providers is to examine their mission/vision statements and schools’ instructional or curricular themes through content analysis from charter school websites. In treating charter school websites as qualitative documents, we draw on an emerging body of qualitative studies of school websites (Carpenter, 2006; Wilson & Carsen, 2016).
The other main feature of this project is geo-spatial analyses of all data. School-level data encompassing school location are taken initially from the Common Core of Data and the 14th edition of the EMO Profiles report published by the National Education Policy Center. Using geographic information systems, we map the physical locations of point data within contextual data on the demographic features of the communities in which they are located. This approach allows for sophisticated and innovative analyses that take into account multiple variables, including socioeconomic trends among communities and students, as well as school-level data on curriculum and school demographics. For instance, our initial effort in this regard examines the goals that these charter schools have for their educational programs relative to the percentage African Americans resident in various charter school neighborhoods (Lubienski, Gulosino & Weitzel, 2009).
On the whole, we find differences in mission statements that reflect each charter’s unique goals and objectives. Charter schools have mission statements that emphasize a small-scale, intimate environment, comprised of individuals, families, and community. Other mission statements, however, have placed greater emphasis on a ‘market’ perspective, viewing career, higher education, and graduation as the keys to success. Both for-profit and nonprofit charter operators’ mission statements see no tension between a vision of small, personalized schools and their commitment to quality curriculum.
More importantly, our findings show predominance of curricular orientation variations by geographic location: back-to-basics and direct instruction in urban areas, virtual and blended schools in suburban areas, and project based learning in rural areas. The analysis we present here should further probe how these overlaps may explain part of the variations in charter school mission. These finding are in line with our theoretical expectation that charter schools serve disadvantaged neighborhoods where they can fulfill unmet needs, including the opportunity to target students with less-risky socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds.
The study adds to the literature on charter schools. To our knowledge, this is the first multi-state study done on charter school mission statements and neighborhood attributes. The result is a much richer and more accurate picture of the charter school universe. With this current project, we expect to determine the potential for a system based on autonomy and choice to meet the needs of all students.

Authors

• Charisse Atibagos Gulosino, University of Memphis

• Gary J. Miron, Western Michigan University