Charter school authorizers and student achievement

In this paper we analyze the relationship between charter school authorizers and student achievement. We perform this analysis using a 10-year panel dataset from Minnesota, a state that permits four distinct types of authorizers—local school boards, postsecondary institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the Minnesota Department of Education. The results of the analysis indicate that there is no statistically significant relationship between charter school authorizing type and mean levels of student achievement. However, the analysis also reveals that schools authorized by nonprofit organizations exhibit substantially more variability in achievement than schools authorized by local school boards.

► We analyze the relationship between charter school authorizers and student achievement. ► We use a 10-year panel dataset from Minnesota, a state that permits four distinct types of authorizers—local school boards, postsecondary institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the Minnesota Department of Education. ► Results of the analysis indicate that there is no statistically significant relationship between charter school authorizing type and mean levels of student achievement. ► The analysis reveals that schools authorized by nonprofit organizations exhibit substantially more variability in achievement than schools authorized by local school boards.