Can Successful Schools Replicate? Scaling Up Boston's Charter School Sector
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 13,
no. 1, February 2021
(pp. 138-67)
Abstract
Can schools that boost student outcomes reproduce their success at new campuses? We study a policy reform that allowed effective charter schools in Boston, Massachusetts to replicate their school models at new locations. Estimates based on randomized admission lotteries show that replication charter schools generate large achievement gains on par with those produced by their parent campuses. The average effectiveness of Boston's charter middle school sector increased after the reform despite a doubling of charter market share. An exploration of mechanisms shows that Boston charter schools compress the distribution of teacher effectiveness and may reduce the returns to teacher experience, suggesting the highly standardized practices in place at charter schools may facilitate replicability.Citation
Cohodes, Sarah R., Elizabeth M. Setren, and Christopher R. Walters. 2021. "Can Successful Schools Replicate? Scaling Up Boston's Charter School Sector." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 13 (1): 138-67. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20190259Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I21 Analysis of Education
- I28 Education: Government Policy
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