Audience
Researchers
Keywords
Charter Schools, Ability Grouping, Mathematics Achievement, Academic Achievement, Comparative Analysis, Individualized Instruction, Mathematics Instruction
Title
Does the Organization of Instruction Differ in Charter Schools? Ability Grouping and Students’ Mathematics Gains
Author(s)
Berends, M., & Donaldson, K. 2016
Abstract
Although we have learned a good deal from lottery‑based and quasi‑experimental studies of charter schools, much of what goes on inside of charter schools remains a “black box” to be unpacked. Grounding our work in neoclassical market theory and institutional theory, we examine differences in the social organization of schools and classrooms to enrich our understanding of school choice, school organizational and instructional conditions, and student learning. Our study examines differences in students’ mathematics achievement gains between charter and traditional public schools, focusing on the distribution and organization of students into ability groups. In short, we ask: (1) How does the distribution of ability grouping differ between charter and traditional public schools? And (2) What are the relationships between ability group placement and students’ mathematics achievement gains in charter and traditional public schools?