IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/tpr/edfpol/v14y2019i3p441-471.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Donors and Founders on Charter School Boards and Their Impact on Financial and Academic Outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Charisse A. Gulosino

    (Department of Leadership and Policy Studies College of Education University of Memphis Memphis, TN 38152)

  • Elif Şişli Ciamarra

    (Leo J. Meehan School of Business Stonehill College Easton, MA 02357)

Abstract

This study provides the first systematic analysis of the composition of charter school governing boards. We assemble a dataset of charter school boards in Massachusetts from 2001 to 2013 and investigate the consequences of donor and founder representation on governing boards. We find that the presence of donors on the charter school boards is positively related to financial performance and attribute this result to the donors' strong monitoring incentives because of their financial stakes in the school. We also show that financial outcomes are not generated at the expense of academic outcomes, as the presence of donors on the boards is also associated with higher student achievement. Founder representation on charter school boards, on the other hand, is associated with lower financial performance but higher academic achievement.

Suggested Citation

  • Charisse A. Gulosino & Elif Şişli Ciamarra, 2019. "Donors and Founders on Charter School Boards and Their Impact on Financial and Academic Outcomes," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 14(3), pages 441-471, Summer.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:edfpol:v:14:y:2019:i:3:p:441-471
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/edfp_a_00255
    Download Restriction: Access to PDF is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Renee B. Adams & Benjamin E. Hermalin & Michael S. Weisbach, 2010. "The Role of Boards of Directors in Corporate Governance: A Conceptual Framework and Survey," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(1), pages 58-107, March.
    2. Anderson, Ronald C. & Duru, Augustine & Reeb, David M., 2009. "Founders, heirs, and corporate opacity in the United States," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 205-222, May.
    3. Cind Du Bois & Ralf Caers & Marc Jegers & Rein De Cooman & Sara De Gieter & Roland Pepermans, 2009. "The link between board composition and board objectives: an empirical analysis on Flemish non-profit schools," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(3), pages 173-182.
    4. Caroline M. Hoxby, 2003. "The Economics of School Choice," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number hox03-1, June.
    5. Booth, James R. & Deli, Daniel N., 1999. "On executives of financial institutions as outside directors," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 227-250, September.
    6. Joshua D. Angrist, 2004. "Treatment effect heterogeneity in theory and practice," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 114(494), pages 52-83, March.
    7. Burak Güner, A. & Malmendier, Ulrike & Tate, Geoffrey, 2008. "Financial expertise of directors," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 323-354, May.
    8. D. Mark Anderson & Mary Beth Walker, 2015. "Does Shortening the School Week Impact Student Performance? Evidence from the Four-Day School Week," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 10(3), pages 314-349, July.
    9. Caroline Minter Hoxby, 2003. "School Choice and School Productivity. Could School Choice Be a Tide that Lifts All Boats?," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of School Choice, pages 287-342, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Loderer, Claudio & Waelchli, Urs, 2010. "Firm age and performance," MPRA Paper 26450, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Tim R. Sass, 2006. "Charter Schools and Student Achievement in Florida," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 1(1), pages 91-122, January.
    12. James Heckman & Salvador Navarro-Lozano, 2004. "Using Matching, Instrumental Variables, and Control Functions to Estimate Economic Choice Models," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(1), pages 30-57, February.
    13. Ashlyn Aiko Nelson & Beth Gazley, 2014. "The Rise of School-Supporting Nonprofits," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 9(4), pages 541-566, October.
    14. Eldenburg, Leslie & Hermalin, Benjamin E. & Weisbach, Michael S. & Wosinska, Marta, 2004. "Governance, performance objectives and organizational form: evidence from hospitals," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 527-548, September.
    15. Michael Lubatkin & Eric Gedajlovic & William S. Schulze, 2004. "Crossing the threshold from founder management to professional management : A governance perspective," Post-Print hal-02311640, HAL.
    16. Fama, Eugene F, 1980. "Agency Problems and the Theory of the Firm," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 88(2), pages 288-307, April.
    17. Heckman, James J, 1978. "Dummy Endogenous Variables in a Simultaneous Equation System," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(4), pages 931-959, July.
    18. He, Lerong, 2008. "Do founders matter? A study of executive compensation, governance structure and firm performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 257-279, May.
    19. Ni, Yongmei, 2009. "The impact of charter schools on the efficiency of traditional public schools: Evidence from Michigan," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 571-584, October.
    20. Eric Gedajlovic & Michael H. Lubatkin & William S. Schulze, 2004. "Crossing the Threshold from Founder Management to Professional Management: A Governance Perspective," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(5), pages 899-912, July.
    21. Philip M. Gleason & Christina Clark Tuttle & Brian Gill & Ira Nichols-Barrer & Bing-ru Teh, 2014. "Do KIPP Schools Boost Student Achievement?," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 9(1), pages 36-58, January.
    22. Helen F. Ladd & Edward B. Fiske, 2008. "Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 3(1), pages 149-150, January.
    23. Paul T. Hill & Lawrence Angel & Jon Christensen, 2006. "Charter School Achievement Studies," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 1(1), pages 139-150, January.
    24. Richard Buddin & Ron Zimmer, 2005. "Student achievement in charter schools: A complex picture," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(2), pages 351-371.
    25. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    26. Booker, Kevin & Gilpatric, Scott M. & Gronberg, Timothy & Jansen, Dennis, 2008. "The effect of charter schools on traditional public school students in Texas: Are children who stay behind left behind?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 123-145, July.
    27. Hansmann, Henry, 1988. "Ownership of the Firm," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(2), pages 267-304, Fall.
    28. Philip M. Gleason & Christina Clark Tuttle & Brian Gill & Ira Nichols-Barrer & Bing-ru Teh, 2014. "Do KIPP Schools Boost Student Achievement?," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 025c1b3af1c040ecbedfbce45, Mathematica Policy Research.
    29. Melinda Muth & Lex Donaldson, 1998. "Stewardship Theory and Board Structure: a contingency approach," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(1), pages 5-28, January.
    30. Lex Donaldson & James H. Davis, 1991. "Stewardship Theory or Agency Theory: CEO Governance and Shareholder Returns," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 16(1), pages 49-64, June.
    31. Priscilla Wohlstetter & Courtney L. Malloy & Guilbert C. Hentschke & Joanna Smith, 2004. "Improving Service Delivery in Education Through Collaboration: An Exploratory Study of the Role of Cross‐Sectoral Alliances in the Development and Support of Charter Schools," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 85(5), pages 1078-1096, December.
    32. repec:mpr:mprres:8002 is not listed on IDEAS
    33. Hilscher, Jens & Şişli-Ciamarra, Elif, 2013. "Conflicts of interest on corporate boards: The effect of creditor-directors on acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 140-158.
    34. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    35. Willard, Gary E. & Krueger, David A. & Feeser, Henry R., 1992. "In order to grow, must the founder go: A comparison of performance between founder and non-founder managed high-growth manufacturing firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 181-194, May.
    36. Kroszner, Randall S. & Strahan, Philip E., 2001. "Bankers on boards: *1: monitoring, conflicts of interest, and lender liability," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 415-452, December.
    37. David Yermack, 2015. "Donor Governance and Financial Management in Prominent U.S. Art Museums," NBER Working Papers 21066, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hilscher, Jens & Şişli-Ciamarra, Elif, 2013. "Conflicts of interest on corporate boards: The effect of creditor-directors on acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 140-158.
    2. Wu, Chloe Yu-Hsuan & Hsu, Hwa-Hsien, 2018. "Founders and board structure: Evidence from UK IPO firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 19-31.
    3. Charlotte L. Schuster & Alexander T. Nicolai & Jeffrey G. Covin, 2020. "Are Founder-Led Firms Less Susceptible to Managerial Myopia?," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(3), pages 391-421, May.
    4. Min Jung Kang & Y. Han (Andy) Kim & Qunfeng Liao, 2020. "Do bankers on the board reduce crash risk?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 26(3), pages 684-723, June.
    5. Kennedy Mwengei B. Ombaba & David Kosgei, 2017. "Board Composition and Financial Distress of Listed Firms in Kenya. An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Finance and Investment Analysis, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 6(4), pages 1-4.
    6. Adetoun Adedotun Amubode & Hassanat Motunrayo Rauf-Lawal & Boiso Maria Owodiong-Idemeko, 2016. "Attitude of Couples and Marrigeable Singles in Establishing Joint Fashion Business," Journal of Management and Sustainability, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 6(1), pages 192-205, March.
    7. Jeanjean, Thomas & Stolowy, Hervé, 2009. "Determinants of board members' financial expertise -- Empirical evidence from France," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 378-402, December.
    8. Nguyen, Thi Tuyet Mai, 2017. "An examination of independent directors in Vietnam," OSF Preprints ay6dv, Center for Open Science.
    9. Weiping Liu & Haibin Yang & Guangxi Zhang, 2012. "Does family business excel in firm performance? An institution-based view," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 965-987, December.
    10. Ahmed Bouteska, 2020. "Do Board Characteristics Affect Bank Performance? Evidence from the Eurozone," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(6), pages 535-548, October.
    11. Ahrens, Jan-Philipp & Uhlaner, Lorraine & Woywode, Michael & Zybura, Jan, 2018. "“Shadow emperor” or “loyal paladin”? – The Janus face of previous owner involvement in family firm successions," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 73-90.
    12. Min Jung Kang & Andy (Y. Han) Kim, 2017. "Bankers on the Board and CEO Incentives," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 23(2), pages 292-324, March.
    13. repec:beo:journl:v:62:y:2018:i:216:p:63-84 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Chauhan, Yogesh & Pathak, Rajesh & Kumar, Satish, 2018. "Do bank-appointed directors affect corporate cash holding?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 39-56.
    15. Block, Joern H., 2012. "R&D investments in family and founder firms: An agency perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 248-265.
    16. Michael A. Abebe & Pingshu Li & Keshab Acharya & Joshua J. Daspit, 2020. "The founder chief executive officer: A review of current insights and directions for future research," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 406-436, November.
    17. 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).
    18. Jens Grigoleit, 2011. "Kapitalmarktreaktionen auf die Ankündigung des Wechsels von Vorstandsvorsitzenden in den Aufsichtsrat bei deutschen Unternehmen," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 131-157, January.
    19. Yu, Mei & Ashton, John K., 2015. "Board leadership structure for Chinese public listed companies," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 236-248.
    20. Dennis Epple & Richard Romano & Ron Zimmer, 2015. "Charter Schools: A Survey of Research on Their Characteristics and Effectiveness," NBER Working Papers 21256, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    21. Bill Francis & Iftekhar Hasan & Qiang Wu, 2015. "Professors in the Boardroom and Their Impact on Corporate Governance and Firm Performance," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 44(3), pages 547-581, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:tpr:edfpol:v:14:y:2019:i:3:p:441-471. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: The MIT Press (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://direct.mit.edu/journals .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.