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Estimating the Effects of a Large For-Profit Charter School Operator

Author

Listed:
  • Susan Dynarski
  • Daniel Hubbard
  • Brian Jacob
  • Silvia Robles

Abstract

In this paper, we leverage randomized admissions lotteries to estimate the impact of attending a National Heritage Academy (NHA) charter school. NHA is the fourth largest for-profit charter operator in the country, enrolling more than 56,000 students in 86 schools across 9 states. Unlike several of the other large for-profit companies that operate virtual charters, NHA only has standard bricks-and-mortar schools. Our estimates indicate that attending a NHA charter school for one additional year is associated with a 0.04 standard deviation increase in math achievement. Effects on other outcomes are smaller and not statistically significant. In contrast to most prior charter school research that finds the largest benefits for low-income, underrepresented minorities in urban areas, the benefits of attending an NHA charter network are concentrated among non-poor students attending charter schools outside urban areas. Using data from a survey of school administrators in traditional public and charter schools, we document several aspects of school organization, culture and instructional practice that might explain these positive effects.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:24428
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Marco Bertoni & Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren & Olmo Silva, 2023. "Free to improve? The impact of free school attendance in England," CEP Discussion Papers dp1946, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    2. Hamermesh, Daniel S. & Gordon, Rachel A. & Crosnoe, Robert, 2023. "“O Youth and Beauty:” Children's looks and children's cognitive development," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 275-289.
    3. Bertoni, Marco & Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel & Silva, Olmo, 2023. "Free to improve? The impact of free school attendance in England," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121281, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Daniel S. Hamermesh & Rachel A. Gordon & Robert Crosnoe, 2019. "O Youth and Beauty: Children’s Looks and Children’s Cognitive Development," NBER Working Papers 26412, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Bertoni, Marco & Heller-Sahlgren, Gabriel & Silva, Olma, 2023. "Free to Improve? The Impact of Free School Attendance in England," Working Paper Series 1476, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    6. Neri, Lorenzo & Pasini, Elisabetta & Silva, Olmo, 2022. "The Organizational Economics of School Chains," IZA Discussion Papers 15442, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Lorenzo Neri & Elisabetta Pasini, 2020. "Heterogeneous Effects of School Autonomy in England," Discussion Paper Series, School of Economics and Finance 202010, School of Economics and Finance, University of St Andrews.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I0 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J0 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General

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