There was substantial variation among charter high schools on test scores, college enrollment, and college selectivity—more variation than among non-charter schools once incoming characteristics were controlled¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2022: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q3 i? After controlling for incoming skills, experiences, and background, variation among charter schools on test scores, college enrollment, and selectivity exceeded variation among non-charter schools; top charters outperformed top non-charters while a few performed at the level of the lowest non-charters. → Gwynne 2017

Evidence¶

Gwynne 2017¶

Gwynne, J.A., & Moore, P.T. (2017). Chicago's charter high schools: Organizational features, enrollment, school transfers, and student performance. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. http://cps.edu/NewSchools/Pages/RFP2017.aspx

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Chapter 5/6 variation analysis across charter high schools on test scores, college enrollment, and college selectivity in the controlled models; at a small number of charters average test scores exceeded 0.50 standard deviations above the district average versus 0.30 at the highest-performing non-charter schools, and some charter college enrollment rates exceeded 70 percent versus around 50 percent at top non-charters.

"once we controlled for differences in incoming skills, experiences, and background characteristics, there was far more variation among charter schools on these outcomes than among non-charter schools."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Charter high school students had better attendance and test scores than comparable non-charter students, controlling for incoming characteristics — related
• Charter high school students were more likely to transfer to another CPS high school than comparable non-charter students, and transfer rates were highest in low-performing or newly established charter schools — related
• Student background characteristics are less strongly related to promotion power scores than to status measures — related
• Charter high school students had comparable high school graduation but much higher four-year college enrollment, selective-college enrollment, and four-semester college completion than comparable non-charter students — related
• No school type stood out on TAP performance, but charter schools had substantially lower dropout rates after controlling for incoming student characteristics — related
• Graduation rates differ largely across Chicago schools, with many new charter and magnet schools and several neighborhood high schools showing exceptionally high rates beyond what incoming freshman characteristics would predict — related
• Students at high promotion power high schools have substantially better expected long-term outcomes than similar students at average promotion power schools — related
• Undermatch occurs when students attend a college less selective than their high school academic achievement would allow — related
• Selective enrollment students from low-income neighborhoods are less likely to attend selective colleges than similarly-performing low-income students who do not enroll — related
• Graduation and enrollment trends vary by school type: non-charter non-selective schools caught up to charters on graduation, but charters and selective enrollment lead on college enrollment — related
• DC public high schools show wide variation in promotion power for college-ready SAT scores, graduation, and college enrollment — related