Charter School Management: MO Interaction with Educational Inputs and Outcomes

This study seeks to understand if the utilization of a management company has any interaction with the socioeconomic status (SES) of students served, the school’s academic performance, the percentage English Language Learners served, the percentage of highly qualified teachers per school site, the amount of student attrition/mobility, or the amount of disciplinary events. Ultimately this study seeks to determine the efficacy and utility of management organization utilization by studying inputs and outputs of Florida charter schools and disaggregating them based on utilization of Charter Management Organizations, Education Management Organizations, or their decision not to utilize a Management Organization. This study uses a post-positivist and quantitative approach utilizing a multivariate analysis of variance and separate univariate analysis of variances to analyze the data. Charter Schools using management organizations in Florida have a higher percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch, a higher percentage of English Language Learners, a lower percentage of students with disabilities, and a higher percentage of not highly qualified teachers. Differences in school grades and student mobility was found to be negligible. As charter schools and charter school accountability continues to evolve, ensuring equity of access for all students must remain a top priority. Key Words: Charter Schools, Education Management Organization, Charter Management Organizatio