Charter School Research Collaborative
About
The Charter School Research Collaborative brings together practitioners, policymakers, funders, and researchers to fund research on charter schools that is rigorous, nonpartisan, actionable, and efficient.
Charter schools have become an increasingly prevalent educational option for students and families across the United States, currently enrolling 7% of all public school students, up from 4% in 2010. Amid this expansion, parents and policymakers alike want to know more about charter school performance. Researchers have conducted rigorous evaluations on the short-term effects of charter schools, but significant knowledge gaps still exist.
The Collaborative disseminates funds to charter school researchers via a competitive funding process, provides technical assistance to funded researchers, hosts events to refine the research agenda, supports new research-practice partnerships, and shares learnings among funders, researchers, and practitioners. The Collaborative’s fifth request for proposals is now open, with letters of inquiry due February 5, 2026.
Partner With Us
Our partnerships with policymakers, education leaders, researchers, and funders are fundamental to this Collaborative. We value our existing partnerships and are excited to develop new ones as the Collaborative grows.
Are you interested in participating in research but seeking a partner? Blueprint hosts quarterly virtual matchmaking sessions for charter school practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to meet and begin to develop new research-practice partnerships. Blueprint has also developed a shared resource with contact information and other details about stakeholders interested in forming research-practice partnerships; fill out this form to access the spreadsheet.
Education leaders
Blueprint welcomes inquiries from education leaders, policymakers, education nonprofits, charter management organizations, and others.
- Help shape the research agenda
- Participate in a funded research project
- Disseminate research findings in your networks
- Learn how to apply evidence to programs and policies
- Looking for a new research partner? Sign up for a matchmaking session or fill out this form to access a shared resource with information about other stakeholders interested in research-practice partnerships
Researchers
Blueprint welcomes inquiries from both established and emerging researchers interested in studying charter school effectiveness.
- Receive funding for projects aligned with the Collaborative’s research agenda
- Connect to new research partners
- Receive support for conducting lottery-based research (e.g., charter data checklist, charter lottery data intake form, and more below)
- Looking for a new research partner? Sign up for matchmaking or fill out this form to access a shared resource with information about other stakeholders interested in research-practice partnerships
Funders
Blueprint welcomes inquiries from funders interested in supporting this Collaborative.
- Sustaining donor: Donors provide direct support for research grants.
- Regional or topical donor: Donors who designate support toward a specific region or topic.
- Anchor donor: Donors represent a key stakeholder in the Collaborative and are invited to regular progress meetings.
Funded Projects
Related Reading
Thirty years of charter schools: What does lottery based research tell us?
This program is guided by an academic literature review, which synthesizes existing evidence from lottery-based studies of charter schools and discusses areas for future research.
Thirty Years of Charter Schools: What Have We Learned?
Blueprint’s policy brief, “Thirty Years of Charter Schools: What Have We Learned?” summarizes the key findings from the academic literature review.
Different Paths to College Success
Blueprint’s policy brief summarizes research by Sarah Cohodes on the postsecondary effects of Masachussetts’ charter schools in urban and nonurban settings.
Research Agenda
Conversations with more than 100 charter leaders, practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and funders led to the development of this agenda, and the collaborative community will continue to help it evolve.
Subscribe
Sign up for MIT Blueprint Labs Charter Research Collaborative updates.
