Resilience And Community: A Story Of Charter School Closure

Abstract

Are charter schools as resilient as district schools? Charter schools are highly contested in educational research. While many research findings suggest that charter schools can produce high test scores from their students and provide unique educational opportunities to children who otherwise would not have choice in their education, other studies indicate that charters have organizational weaknesses that implicate financial difficulties and shortcomings in educational attainment. My research evaluates charter school resilience in Maricopa County, Arizona. I tracked the closure rates of charter schools and district schools between years 2013-2014 and 2017-2018. I found that district schools seldom close and charter schools located in areas with higher percentages of families in poverty may be at a greater risk of closing than charter schools located in areas with lower percentages of families in poverty. This finding could implicate that children and families of low-income neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by charter school closure and negative impacts on education associated with it. Education inequality amongst charters, as public institutions, should be addressed by public policy.