A recent report by AEI, Measuring Diversity in Charter School Offerings, examines the type of instructional model used by 1,151 public charter schools in 17 U.S. cities to see what the available options are for families interested in public schools of choice. Using the National Alliance’s Data Dashboard to identify every charter school in their target cities, the researchers then scoured each school’s website and coded information about its pedagogy (e.g. “no excuses,” online, or single-sex learning) and content (e.g. STEM, arts, or vocational) emphasis. Overall, the report found an almost even split between “specialized” and “general” public charter schools—those without a particular pedagogy or curriculum. A foundational idea behind the public charter school movement is to give charter schools the autonomy to be innovative, and the amount of specialized schools suggests that this idea is being implemented.
In terms of the specialized schools, the most common models were no excuses (“generally used to describe schools that have strict discipline systems and high expectations for student behavior,” according to the AEI report) and progressive (including “project- and inquiry-based,” and “child-centered” learning) schools. The authors analyzed each city and found that demographics, the charter school enrollment share, and the number and type of authorizers contributed to differences in the educational offerings. For example, the researchers postulate that, “academic achievement is often the primary concern for low-income communities; thus, there are more no-excuses and STEM schools in poorer communities,” because they are tested and trusted methods. In 2012, the National Alliance conducted a nationwide survey of charter schools to learn more about their instructional models, among other information. Our survey found that more than half (58 percent) of respondents categorized their school as “college prep,” with STEM, community service, and arts-focused schools comprising the most common secondary categories also selected by “college prep” school leaders. Data on instructional public charter school models are difficult to collect. We appreciate AEI’s report which helps to pull back the curtain on public charter school instructional strategies. Nora Kern is the Senior Manager for Research and Analysis at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
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