Working Paper: NBER ID: w21078
Authors: Helen F. Ladd; Charles T. Clotfelter; John B. Holbein
Abstract: A defining characteristic of charter schools is that they introduce a strong market element into public education. In this paper, we examine the evolution of the charter school sector in North Carolina between 1999 and 2012 through the lens of a market model. We examine trends in the mix of students enrolled in charter schools, the racial imbalance of charter schools, the quality of the match between parental preferences in charter schools relative to the quality of match in traditional public schools, and the distribution of test score performance across charter schools relative those in traditional public schools serving similar students over time. Taken together, our findings imply that the charter schools in North Carolina are increasingly serving the interests of relatively able white students in racially imbalanced schools.
Keywords: Charter Schools; Education Policy; Racial Segregation; Market Dynamics
JEL Codes: H52; H75; I24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| charter school enrollment (I28) | student performance (D29) |
| demographic shifts in charter school population (J45) | racial imbalance within the charter school sector (I24) |
| market dynamics of charter schools (H44) | average test score gains (C12) |
| parental preferences and school offerings (I21) | parental satisfaction (J13) |
| entry of more academically able students (D29) | rising test scores (I24) |