School Choice at the Crossroads Research Perspectives

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.

Contents Preface Section I: Introduction and Overview Introduction: School Choice at the Crossroads Mark Berends, R. Joseph Waddington, and John Schoenig Section II: Where We Are Educational Vouchers and Tax Credit Scholarship Programs in the United States: 1990-2017 John F. Witte Organizational and Social Costs of Schools’ Participation in a Voucher Program Megan Austin Does Private School Choice Improve Student Achievement? A Review of the Evidence Patrick J. Wolf, and Anna J. Egalite, Charter Schools The Effects of Charter Schools on Student Achievement Julian R. Betts, and Y. Emily Tang Innovation in Charter Schools: An Exploratory Analysis Mark Berends, Roberto V.Peñaloza, Marisa Cannata, amd Ellen B. Goldring Redefining What It Means to be a Teacher: An Examination of Teacher Autonomy and Innovation in Indianapolis Charter Schools Madeline Mavrogordato Taking Charge of Choice: The Case and Implications of Mayoral Charter Control Claire Smrekar, and Madeline Mavrogordato Scaling up and Sustaining Charter School Effects Mark Berends and R. Joseph Waddington Section III: Understanding the Context of School Choice Achievement versus Attainment: Are School Choice Evaluators Looking for Impacts in the Wrong Places? Collin Hitt, Patrick J. Wolf, and Michael Q. McShane Searching for Policies and Practices that Make Charter Schools Successful: What Can Research Tell Us? Philip M. Gleason The Politics of Charter School Evidence in Local Context: The Case of Los Angeles Janelle Scott, Elizabeth DeBray, Christopher Lubienski, Johanna Hanley, Elise Castillo, and Samantha L. Hedges Self-Governing Schools, Parental Choice and the Public Interest Helen F. Ladd Contributor Bios

Mark Berends is a Professor of Sociology and the Director of the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity at the University of Notre Dame, USA. R. Joseph Waddington is Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky, USA. John Schoenig is the Senior Director of Teacher Formation and Educational Policy for the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame, USA.