Following our fourth request for proposals, Blueprint’s Charter School Research Collaborative is thrilled to award ten grants to exciting, policy-relevant research projects. These three proposal development projects, four pilot studies, and three full research projects will study topics such as state-level charter school laws, special education teachers, and the long-run effects of charter schools in California, New Jersey, and New York state. Three of these projects build on work from previously funded pilot studies and proposal development projects. In total, the Collaborative has now funded 30 research projects. The funded projects from this request for proposals include:
Academic and Non-Cognitive Effects of District-Run Charters: Evidence from Los Angeles; Christopher Campos, Sharada Dharmasankar; Full Research Project
How do district-run charter schools affect student outcomes? In this full research project, researchers from the University of Chicago and MIT will study the effects of district-run charter schools—schools that are managed by school districts, as opposed to independent charter schools that are responsible for their own governance and management—on students’ long-term and non-test score outcomes in Los Angeles.
Changes in the Quality of No-Excuses Charter Schools Over Time; Seth Zimmerman, Christopher Neilson, Eric Solomon; Proposal Development
How have the effects of charter schools formerly referred to as “No Excuses” schools changed over time? This proposal development project will lay the groundwork for a study of Connecticut charter schools that follow this model. Researchers from Yale University will examine the schools’ effects on student test scores, attendance, high school graduation, and post-secondary outcomes.
The Effects of Classical Liberal Arts Charters on Test Scores and Postsecondary Outcomes; Albert Cheng, Daniel Bowen; Pilot Study
How do charter schools that follow a classical liberal arts model affect students’ outcomes? In this pilot study, the project team will examine the impacts of Great Hearts charter schools—the largest charter school network that relies on a classical liberal arts model—on students’ test score, post-secondary, and labor market outcomes.
Evidence from New York State on the Long-Run Impacts of Charter Schools; John Singleton; Pilot Study
How do charter schools impact students’ long-term outcomes in Buffalo and Rochester, New York? Researchers from the University of Rochester will build on a previously funded proposal development project to estimate charter school attendance’s impact on student outcomes, including higher education attainment, employment outcomes post-schooling, and interactions with the criminal justice system.
Examining the Effects of Charter Schools on Student Non-Test Score & Long-term Outcomes in Camden, New Jersey; Susha Roy, Umut Özek; Full Research Project
How does charter school attendance impact non-test score, postsecondary, and labor market outcomes in Camden, New Jersey? This full research project builds on a previously funded pilot study through which RAND, a nonprofit research organization, built partnerships with OneCamden and New Jersey’s Statewide Data System (NJSDS). Leveraging these partnerships, RAND will create a student-level panel dataset to study the effects of charter school attendance on a range of understudied outcomes and explore differential effects across charter school models.
The Impact of Charter Schools in California on Non-Test Score, Behavioral and College Outcomes, and on Traditional Public Schools: a Longitudinal Student-Level Analysis; Julian Betts, Andrew Zau, Dina Polichar, Annalise Storms; Full Research Project
How do charter schools in California impact students’ long-term and non-test score outcomes? In this full research project, researchers from the University of California San Diego will build upon a previously funded pilot study to examine how California charter schools affect student outcomes such as high school graduation, post-secondary enrollment, school climate, and student behavior. They will also study charter schools’ impacts on neighboring traditional public schools.
Institutional Influence vs. Teacher Impact: Understanding Charter School Effectiveness in Michigan; Josep Maria Nadal Fernandez, Christopher White; Proposal Development
How do charter schools’ instructional practices and teacher quality relate to student outcomes? This proposal development project will explore the feasibility of studying instructional practices and institutional culture among Michigan charter schools. Researchers from Tulane University and Central Michigan University aim to examine which factors may drive charter schools’ positive effects in Michigan and how teacher quality relates to those factors.
Rural Charter Practices: A Close Look at Rural Charter School Transformation; Rebecca Unterman, Sabrina Klein; Pilot Study
What are the implications of introducing a charter school model in a rural setting? In the fall of 2025, University Charter School will begin a three-year conversion process in a traditional elementary school in rural Alabama. In a pilot study project, researchers at MDRC will use mixed methods to examine this process, assessing how the charter model translates to a rural district and how this conversion affects student outcomes.
Special Education Teachers’ Use of GenAI to Support Students in Charter Schools; Min Sun, Lief Esbenshade, Kevin Shaw, Kara Brockett; Proposal Development
How can special education teachers use generative artificial intelligence (genAI) to support their students? This proposal development project will lay the groundwork for a study of genAI tools in charter school special education classrooms. Researchers from the University of Washington will partner with KIPP Team and Family and KIPP New Jersey, part of the national KIPP network of charter schools, to examine the implementation of Colleague AI.
Understanding State-Level Charter Laws and Their Impacts on Charter School Success; Yang Song, Geoffrey Kocks; Pilot Study
How have charter school laws changed over time, and how do those laws shape school and student outcomes? In this pilot study, researchers at Colgate and MIT will examine how charter school policies, such as those that regulate authorizing mechanisms and financial accountability, have evolved across states since the 1990s and how those policies shape outcomes such as school openings and student achievement.