Education Topics

• Research Methods and Reviews
• Teacher Quality and Compensation
• Value-Added Methods
• Curricula and Computers in the Classroom
• School Choice and Charter Schools
• College Access
• Career-Focused Education
• At-Risk Youth
• School Leadership
• After-School Initiatives
• Academic and Nonacademic Competencies
• Clients

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Charter School Management Organizations

Charter management organizations (CMOs) are nonprofit entities that start and manage new charter schools. By centralizing and sharing certain functions and resources across schools, CMOs aim to enhance school performance and student outcomes, achieve greater efficiency, and expand and sustain schools. Over the last several years, the number and reach of CMOs has increased substantially, leading to a diverse array of organizational models and school designs. In the 2007-2008 school year, there were at least 43 CMOs operating more than 292 schools.

Mathematica and the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) at the University of Washington (CRPE) are research partners for a multiyear national study of CMO effectiveness, commissioned by the NewSchools Venture Fund and sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. The study is examining the impact that CMOs are having on student achievement, as well as the CMO structures, practices, and policy contexts that may influence these outcomes. The impact analysis will employ both experimental and quasi-experimental methods. Data sources include school records; site visits; CMO and district cost data; and surveys of CMOs, principals, and teachers. A case study interim report will be produced in 2010 and a final report in 2011. An interim report, describing CMO practices and growth challenges, has been completed and a final report will be produced in 2011.

Publications

"The National Study of Charter Management Organization (CMO) Effectiveness: Report on Interim Findings" (June 2010)