ABSTRACT

School Choice at the Crossroads compiles exemplary, policy-relevant research on school choice options—voucher, private, charter, and traditional public schools—as they have been implemented across the nation. Renowned contributors highlight the latest rigorous research findings and implications on school vouchers, tuition tax credits, and charter schools in states and local areas at the forefront of school choice policy. Examining national and state-level perspectives, each chapter discusses the effects of choice and vouchers on student outcomes, the processes of choice, supportive conditions of school choice programs, comparative features of school choice, and future research. This timely volume addresses whether school choice works, under what conditions, and for whom—further informing educational research, policy, and practice.

part Section I|1 pages

Introduction and Overview

chapter 1|8 pages

Introduction

School Choice at the Crossroads
ByMark Berends, R. Joseph Waddington, John Schoenig

part Section II|1 pages

Where We Are

chapter 2|17 pages

Educational Vouchers and Tax Credit Scholarship Programs in the United States

1990–2017
ByJohn F. Witte

chapter 4|15 pages

Does Private School Choice Improve Student Achievement?

A Review of the Evidence
ByPatrick J. Wolf, Anna J. Egalite

chapter 5|23 pages

The Effects of Charter Schools on Student Achievement

ByJulian R. Betts, Y. Emily Tang

chapter 6|15 pages

Innovation in Charter Schools

An Exploratory Analysis
ByMark Berends, Roberto V. Peñaloza, Marisa Cannata, Ellen B. Goldring

chapter 7|20 pages

Redefining What It Means to Be a Teacher

An Examination of Teacher Autonomy and Innovation in Indianapolis Charter Schools
ByMadeline Mavrogordato

chapter 8|19 pages

Taking Charge of Choice

The Case and Implications of Mayoral Charter Control
ByClaire Smrekar, Madeline Mavrogordato

chapter 9|20 pages

Scaling up and Sustaining Charter School Effects

ByMark Berends, R. Joseph Waddington

part Section III|1 pages

Understanding the Context of School Choice

chapter 10|13 pages

Achievement versus Attainment

Are School Choice Evaluators Looking for Impacts in the Wrong Places?
ByCollin Hitt, Patrick J. Wolf, Michael Q. McShane

chapter 11|17 pages

Searching for Policies and Practices that Make Charter Schools Successful

What Can Research Tell Us?
ByPhilip M. Gleason

chapter 12|30 pages

The Politics of Charter School Evidence in Local Context

The Case of Los Angeles
ByJanelle Scott, Elizabeth DeBray, Christopher Lubienski, Johanna Hanley, Elise Castillo, Samantha L. Hedges

chapter 13|14 pages

Self-Governing Schools, Parental Choice, and the Public Interest

ByHelen F. Ladd