Charter School Authorizing and Public Accountability: Rhetoric Versus Reality

• In Event: Examining School Choice Using Varied Methods and Theories

Abstract

To highlight the opportunities and risks afforded by accountability-based charter policy, this study interrogates the alignment between policy rhetoric and implementation using data from Pennsylvania. Like many states, Pennsylvania’s charter school law is framed around accountability, with authorizers responsible for enacting charter school accountability. Pennsylvania authorizers have also been accused of discriminating against operators of color under the guise of accountability. Using document analyses to capture authorizers’ accountability practices, I find that Pennsylvania authorizers failed to meet their accountability mandate, suggesting that even when policy is explicitly framed as an accountability measure, there is no guarantee that accountability will occur. Further, this lack of authorizer transparency makes it impossible to determine the extent, causes, or remedies for discriminatory authorizing practices.

Author

• Sophia Seifert, Temple University