Working Paper: NBER ID: w25796
Authors: Sarah Cohodes; Elizabeth Setren; Christopher R. Walters
Abstract: Can schools that boost student outcomes reproduce their success at new campuses? We study a policy reform that allowed effective charter schools in Boston, Massachusetts to replicate their school models at new locations. Estimates based on randomized admission lotteries show that replication charter schools generate large achievement gains on par with those produced by their parent campuses. The average effectiveness of Boston’s charter middle school sector increased after the reform despite a doubling of charter market share. An exploration of mechanisms shows that Boston charter schools reduce the returns to teacher experience and compress the distribution of teacher effectiveness, suggesting the highly standardized practices in place at charter schools may facilitate replicability.
Keywords: charter schools; education policy; replication; student outcomes
JEL Codes: H75; I21; I28
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Charter school attendance (I21) | Academic achievement (I23) |
| Replication charter schools (C59) | Achievement gains (I24) |
| Charter school sector expansion (I21) | Average effectiveness of Boston's charter middle school sector (I24) |
| Proven providers (L84) | Effectiveness after the reform (D78) |
| Expansion charters (Y10) | Achievement gains (I24) |