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The Growing Segmentation of the Charter School Sector in North Carolina

Author

Listed:
  • Helen F. Ladd

    (Sanford School of Public Policy Duke University Durham, NC 27708)

  • Charles T. Clotfelter

    (Sanford School of Public Policy Duke University Durham, NC 27708)

  • John B. Holbein

    (Sanford School of Public Policy Duke University Durham, NC 27708)

Abstract

A defining characteristic of charter schools is that they introduce a strong market element into public education. In this paper, we examine through the lens of a market model the evolution of the charter school sector in North Carolina between 1999 and 2012. We examine trends in the mix of students enrolled in charter schools, the racial imbalance of charter schools, patterns in student match quality by schools’ racial composition, and the distributions of test score performance gains compared to those in traditional public schools. In addition, we use student fixed effects models to examine plausibly causal measures of charter school effectiveness. Our findings indicate that charter schools in North Carolina are increasingly serving the interests of relatively able white students in racially imbalanced schools and that despite improvements in the charter school sector over time, charter schools are still no more effective on average than traditional public schools.

Suggested Citation

  • Helen F. Ladd & Charles T. Clotfelter & John B. Holbein, 2017. "The Growing Segmentation of the Charter School Sector in North Carolina," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 12(4), pages 536-563, Fall.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:edfpol:v:12:y:2017:i:4:p:536-563
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    19. Celeste K. Carruthers, 2012. "The Qualifications and Classroom Performance of Teachers Moving to Charter Schools," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 7(3), pages 233-268, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Susan Dynarski & Daniel Hubbard & Brian Jacob & Silvia Robles, 2018. "Estimating the Effects of a Large For-Profit Charter School Operator," NBER Working Papers 24428, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Tobin, Zachary, 2024. "How do public schools respond to competition? Evidence from a charter school expansion," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Sorensen, Lucy C. & Holt, Stephen B., 2021. "Sorting it Out: The Effects of Charter Expansion on Teacher and Student Composition at Traditional Public Schools," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    4. Lauren Sartain & Lisa Barrow, 2022. "The Pathway to Enrolling in a High-Performance High School: Understanding Barriers to Access," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 17(3), pages 379-407, Summer.
    5. Julia Chabrier & Sarah Cohodes & Philip Oreopoulos, 2016. "What Can We Learn from Charter School Lotteries?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 30(3), pages 57-84, Summer.
    6. John D. Singleton, 2019. "Incentives and the Supply of Effective Charter Schools," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(7), pages 2568-2612, July.
    7. Helen F. Ladd & John D. Singleton, 2020. "The Fiscal Externalities of Charter Schools: Evidence from North Carolina," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 15(1), pages 191-208, Winter.
    8. Singleton, John D., 2017. "Putting dollars before scholars? Evidence from for-profit charter schools in Florida," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 43-54.
    9. Nzuza, Zakhele Dennis, 2024. "Schools within the uMgungundlovu district: Principals’ perspectives on categorization and school functionality," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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