NAPCS Resource Roundup

Growth in Charter Schools Operated by Management Organizations

Number of Charter Schools and Students Enrolled in Charter Schools

Source: Compiled by NAPCS using the Public Charter Schools Dashboard and reports on CMO and EMO management organizations from the National Education Policy Center.

Growth in Charter Schools Operated by Management Organizations: Interactive Feature

Detroit Families Shopping for Schools En Masse

A new report from Michigan Future Schools, a non-profit committed to opening small high schools in Detroit, confirms what many of us in the charter sector knew: families in Detroit are choosing alternatives to their zoned schools en masse. Detroit ranks #3 in our annual market share report, with 37 percent of students attending charter schools in the 2010-2011 academic year. The Michigan Future Schools report indicates that 71 percent of Detroit families have “shopped” for a school for their children and 45 percent of families have selected an alternative school to the Detroit public school they are assigned to attend (more info about the study can be found here).

While we support families researching and selecting schools that are the best fit for their students, one finding in the study should give pause. Only 35 percent of families ranked academic performance as the most important factor when considering alternative schools. Research has shown that students who select higher performing schools, rather than choosing schools based on location, safety, or demographic make-up, experience higher academic gains. Policymakers in Detroit may want to consider efforts to increase the type of information parents receive about the school performance of all options in the city. School choice for choice’s sake is not likely to lead to higher levels of student performance, unless the school choice options are high quality options.

Fortunately there are some good charter options in Detroit. This past fall five Detroit charter schools were identified as Schools of Excellence. Check out the feature on Detroit Edison Public School Academy (DEPSA) in this article. And here’s an article about a college trip that students at University Prep Science and Math High School will be taking to visit Ivy League universities.

Public Charter Schools’ Use of Student-Centered Approaches

The CRPE/Mathematica studies of non-profit charter management organizations (CMOs) (see here and here) highlighted some of the common educational strategies used by CMOs. A new project, Students at the Center, aims to provide educators with resources on key components of student-centered approaches in the era of Common Core Standards. The project’s newest report looks at whether high performing school districts and CMOs are utilizing student-centered strategies in ways that fundamentally change schooling for students.

The project defines student-centered approaches as “those that engage each student in acquiring the skills, knowledge, and expertise needed for college and career success.” Specifically, student-centered approaches are those that:

• Embrace the learner’s experience and learning theory as the starting point of education;
• Harness the full range of learning experiences at all times of the day, week, and year;
• Expand and reshape the role of the educator; and
• Determine progression based upon mastery.

The study finds that nearly all of the school districts and CMOs examined use at least some student-centered strategies. The CMOs appear to use student-centered approaches with a greater percentage of their students than the traditional school districts. Moreover, the study indicates that it will be more difficult for school districts to make changes to embrace student-centered approaches since they lack the flexibility built into the public charter school model. The table below shows some of the strategies used by the 25 CMOs examined in the report.


Source: Levin, B., A. Datnow, & N. Carrier. (2012). Changing school district practices. Washington, DC: Students at the Center.