The Impact Of Charter Schools On The Budget, Operations, And Educational Services Of Columbus City Schools
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Date
2009
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Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy
Program
Doctor of Education
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This item is made available by Morgan State University for personal, educational, and research purposes in accordance with Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Other uses may require permission from the copyright owner.
Abstract
Today one of the most notable school reform efforts is that of providing school choice options to families. An aim of this reform effort is to create market driven changes in the performance of traditional public schools. Of all school choice options, charter schools have emerged as an influential educational choice. As public schools, charter schools provide educational policy makers and reformers greater flexibility to select preferred models of operation to meet the needs of students, while taking advantage of the financial benefits of public funding. Though there is independent and empirical data that documents the impact of charter schools' increased flexibility on public education, much of the focus has been on environments that are representative of the national charter school movement. This study sought to determine the budgetary, operational, and educational impact of the charter school movement on traditional public schools in Columbus, Ohio, as well as whether the District had made any changes in operations and educational services as a result of market driven charter schools. In order to determine the impact of charter schools, as well as the operational and educational changes made by Columbus City Schools, qualitative research methods were utilized. Four school administrators were interviewed and their responses indicated that charter schools have impacted the budget and operations of Columbus City Schools. In an effort to remain competitive, Columbus City Schools have responded by catering to the needs of their consumers by offering updated facilities, new educational programming and school organizational structures. Though charter schools have prompted Columbus City Schools to become more responsive to the needs of their consumers, the increased educational and operational autonomy granted to charter schools have created challenges for the District. As students return from charter schools to the Columbus City Schools, educators bear the responsibility of remedying the educational deficits of students in charter schools that were not adequately prepared to be assessed on state standardized tests. This implication may prove to be an area worth exploring in future research.