Autonomy and Variation in Charter School Systems: Governance, Practices, and Outcomes Across Contexts

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Charter schools are defined by a governance model that grants autonomy at multiple levels—both to authorizers, who oversee the sector, and to school leaders, who make day-to-day operational decisions. This layered autonomy is intended to foster innovation and responsiveness to local needs. At the same time, it produces substantial variation in how charter systems function across states, authorizers, and schools. While this flexibility is central to the charter model, relatively little is known about how differences in authorizer practices and school-level decisions translate into the kinds of schooling options available to students and their academic outcomes. In line with the conference theme, this panel examines how autonomy-driven variation in governance and practice shapes educational opportunities and outcomes across diverse contexts.

The first two papers in this panel focus on autonomy at the authorizer level and how it structures the charter sector. The first paper examines authorization decisions in North Carolina through a computational content analysis of more than 500 applications submitted to open a new charter school. The findings provide insight into how discretion in authorization decisions shapes the types of schools available to families and how this varies by the demographic composition of students. The second paper analyzes charter authorizer performance frameworks across states which are often used for high-stakes renewal and closure decisions. The findings document substantial variation in how authorizers define and measure school quality, contributing to possible differences in student achievement both within and across states.

The latter two papers examine how autonomy at the school level translates into varied practices and student outcomes. The third paper investigates how charter schools and traditional public schools responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on survey data from school leaders in Tennessee and Indiana linked to student achievement outcomes. The study highlights variation in how schools addressed challenges such as learning loss, staffing, and student well-being, and assesses which strategies are associated with academic recovery. The fourth paper provides a national analysis of special education enrollment and outcomes in charter schools over more than a decade. By examining differences across disability categories, school types, and authorizers, the study sheds light on how organizational choices shape access to and outcomes for students with disabilities.

Taken together, these papers provide a multi-level view of how autonomy shapes the charter schools that open, the practices they adopt, and the students they serve. By linking these dimensions of variation to student outcomes, the panel offers new insights for policymakers seeking to design governance and schooling systems that promote academic achievement for all students.

Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Dillon Gregory McGill, Texas Tech University

Discussants

• Douglas N Harris, Tulane University

• Ron W Zimmer, University of Kentucky

Individual Presentations

• The Choice No One Talks About: Charter Authorization Decisions - Presenting Author: Shelby Leigh Smith, University of Southern California

• Do charter schools and traditional public schools have different academic performance standards? - Presenting Author: Jamie M. Carroll, Tulane University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Josep M Nadal-Fernandez, Tulane University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Julianne Meiu, University of Southern California

• What Drove Recovery? Comparing Pandemic-Era Challenges, Strategies, and Student Recovery Across School Sectors - Non-Presenting Co-Author: Mark Berends, University of Notre Dame; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Julie Dallavis, University of Notre Dame; Presenting Author: Margaret Dawson-Amoah, University of Southern California; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Danielle Duffy Duffy-Chipman, University of Kentucky; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Joseph J Ferrare, University of Washington Bothell; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Adam Kho, University of Kentucky; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Nicolas Pardo, University of Southern California; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Stephen Ponisciak, University of Notre Dame; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Shelby Leigh Smith, University of Southern California; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Joseph Waddington, University of Notre Dame; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Ron W Zimmer, University of Kentucky

• Enrollment and Achievement Trends for Students with Disabilities in U.S. Charter Schools - Presenting Author: Natalie Neugebauer Schoettler, Auburn University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: David T Marshall, Auburn University

Organizer

• Shelby Leigh Smith, University of Southern California