Charter School Achievement Outcomes in North Carolina for Grades 3–5

• In Event: Charter School Outcomes

Abstract

North Carolina has permitted publicly funded charter schools since the 1990's and in 2011 North Carolina increased the allowable number of schools as they have increased to 187 in 2019. These schools were to be innovative schools allowing for experimentation and flexibility to yield better educational outcomes. This study uses publicly available 2018-19 data to examine if these charter schools offer students an achievement advantage. To compare the traditional and charter schools, propensity score matching was used to better balance the schools to facilitate the analysis. The results show 1) these schools serve a different population from traditional public schools, and 2) achievement benefits are mixed as defined by grade level and student groups.

Authors

• Theodore Stefan Kaniuka, Fayetteville State University

• Brandi Gill, Fayetteville State University