Market Differentiation: Relationships Between Charter School Instructional Themes and Demographics, Neighborhood Characteristics, and Student Achievement

• In Event: Examining Charter School Resources and Practices

Abstract

One way to examine market differentiation in school choice is to review instructional themes. These themes serve the twin goals of setting the focus for school decisions and conveying the unique characteristics of the school to prospective families. However, the relatively scant empirical research examining instructional theme content focuses only on educational approaches in isolation of other charter school characteristics. This paper looks at the combination of instructional themes, school demographics, and academic achievement of charter schools across the state of California. We find clear evidence of market differentiation in preferences for instructional themes by student demographics and neighborhood characteristics. We also find differences in student achievement depending on the instructional focus of the school.

Authors

• Charisse Atibagos Gulosino, University of Memphis

• Jonah Liebert, New York City Department of Education