| Session Title: Charter Management Organizations (CMOs): Their Growth and Impacts on Student Achievement |
| Multipaper Session 647 to be held in Ventura on Friday, Nov 4, 10:45 AM to 11:30 AM |
| Sponsored by the Pre-K - 12 Educational Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| David Silver, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, david.silver@gatesfoundation.org |
| Discussant(s): |
| David Silver, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, david.silver@gatesfoundation.org |
| Abstract: Charter Management Organizations (CMOs), non-profit organizations that operate multiple charter schools, have been expanding over the past decade and are now serving substantial numbers of disadvantaged students. CMOs have attracted significant media attention and substantial funding from foundations and federal grant programs. The National Study of CMO Efficacy is the first rigorous national evaluation of CMOs. This panel will summarize the findings of this study including those pertaining to: (1) the issues CMOs face as they attempt to expand, and (2) the impacts of CMOs on student achievement and the CMO practices that are associated with larger impacts on students. The presentation will coincide with the release of a report from this comprehensive four year study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and the Center for Re-inventing Public Education at the University of Washington; the study is sponsored by the NewSchools Venture Fund and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. |
| The Emergence of Charter Management Organizations |
| Robin Lake, University of Washington, rlake@u.washington.edu |
| Paul Hill, University of Washington, bicycle@u.washington.edu |
| What do CMOs do, how quickly are they expanding, and what growth challenges do they face? This presentation will provide an overview of the national CMO landscape including the growth and geographic location of CMO schools and the range of services and supports CMO provide to schools. In addition findings will be shared about the opportunities and challenges associated with CMO growth, such as financial sustainability, economies and diseconomies of scale, instructional quality, and human capital. |
| CMO Impacts on Student Achievement and Promising Practices |
| Joshua Haimson, Mathematica Policy Research, jhaimson@mathematica-mpr.com |
| Brian Gill, Mathematica Policy Research, bgill@mathematica-mpr.com |
| Josh Fergeson, Mathematica Policy Research, jfurgeson@mathematica-mpr.com |
| Bing-Ru The, Mathematica Policy Research, bteh@mathematica-mpr.com |
| Moira McCullough, Mathematica Policy Research, mmccullough@mathematica-mpr.com |
| Ira Nichols-Barrer, Mathematica Policy Research, inichols-barrer@mathematica-mpr.com |
| Alexandra Killewald, Mathematica Policy Research, akillewald@mathematica-mpr.com |
| Natalya Verbitsky Savitz, Mathematica Policy Research, nsavitz@mathematica-mpr.com |
| What are the effects of CMOs on student achievement and which CMO practices are most promising? This presentation will summarize the study's impact findings including the average impacts of all CMOs on student achievement, the variation of impacts across different CMOs, and the CMO practices that are positively associated with impacts. We will discuss the extent to which impacts are associated with a variety of CMO practices and structures including teacher coaching and evaluation approaches, use of CMO instructional models, student behavior strategies, the use of student formative assessments to inform instruction, the expansion of the school day or year, and CMO size and growth. The quasi-experimental and experimental impact methods will be briefly described. |