National Charter School Research Project

Inside Charter SchoolsTeachers, Leaders & Educational Programs

Do students learn more in charter schools than they would have learned in other schools? To date most studies of charter school effectiveness have treated the schools as a homogenous group. Instead, Inside Charter Schools is an attempt to understand how charter schools differ from each other and from other public schools.

Inside Charter Schools examines the following main school components:

Teachers and Leaders - skills, background, roles, and turnover of the people who lead and teach in charter schools

Do charter schools use teacher time and skills differently?

Who is teaching and leading charter schools today, and how did they get there?

What causes some charter schools to decline due to leadership change, while others remain stable or improve?

Educational Programs - academic programs and school environment of charter schools, with a special emphasis on how low-income students are taught

Do charter schools offer options that were not previously available to the students they serve?

How do state and authorizer policies influence charter school educational structures and strategies?

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Additional Information

Introducing Inside Charter Schools Download
A presentation given at the Department of Education's Charter School Programs Office introducing the three-year, multi-methods study of charter school human resources.

Relating Human Resources and Charter Laws Download
A presentation given at the National Charter School Showcase in Washington DC, April 5 and 6, 2007, discussing what is currently known about charter school human resources strategies and how these strategies relate to common elements in state charter laws.

Leadership in Great Lakes Charter Schools Download
In the spring of 2007, NCSRP administered a survey to charter school principals in three Great Lakes States – Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Principals were asked to report on their background, their daily work, and the extent to which the school was prepared for leadership transitions. The presentation and accompanying summary tables provide the results of that survey.

Perspectives on Charter School Leaders Download
A presentation given at the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools’ National Conference in Albuquerque describing what is known from national surveys and a survey of Great Lakes charter school principals on the strengths, weaknesses, and confidences of charter school directors.