Study: 82782

Practice Guide

Review Details

Reviewed: November 2023

At least one finding shows strong evidence of effectiveness

At least one statistically significant positive finding

Meets WWC standards without reservations

For:

Practice Guide (findings for Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016))

Using:

Rating:

Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.

This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Findings

Academic achievement outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Eligible for the Adams Scholarship based on Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) English language arts (ELA) and mathematics scores	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 3,608 students	44.00	19.80	Yes	26

College Enrollment outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Enrolled in any college	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	6 Months	Full sample; 3,205 students	52.50	49.70	No	--
Show Supplemental Findings
Enrolled in a 4-year college	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	18 Months	Below median on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System for math and ELA; 1,167 students	52.70	30.40	Yes	21
Enrolled in any college	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	18 Months	Below median on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System for math and ELA; 1,167 students	66.30	52.00	No	--
Enrolled in a 4-year college	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	6 Months	Full sample; 3,205 students	50.80	37.40	Yes	13
Enrolled in a 2-year college	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	6 Months	Full sample; 3,205 students	1.60	12.30	Yes	-40

General Literacy Achievement outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) ELA assessment	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 3,685 students	0.12	-0.29	Yes	19
Show Supplemental Findings
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) ELA assessment	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Subsidized Lunch ; 2,687 students	0.07	-0.33	Yes	19

General Mathematics Achievement outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS): Math assessment	Charter school enrollment – Angrist et al. (2016) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 3,629 students	0.36	-0.23	Yes	24

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Sample Characteristics

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.

4% English language learners
Female: 54%
Male: 46%
Urban
- B
- A
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- H
- J
- K
- L
- P
- M
- N
- O
- Q
- R
- S
- V
- U
- T
- W
- X
- Z
- Y
- a
- h
- i
- b
- d
- e
- f
- c
- g
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- o
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
- u
- v
- x
- w
- y
Massachusetts

Race
Asian		3%
Black		61%
Other or unknown		36%

Ethnicity
Hispanic		25%
Not Hispanic or Latino		75%

Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch
Free or reduced price lunch (FRPL)		73%
No FRPL		27%

Study Details

Setting

This study took place in Boston Public Schools beginning when students were in grade 5, 6, or 9.

Study sample

Using random lotteries to allocate seats to students in each of six oversubscribed Boston charter schools, 3,076 students in grades 5, 6, or 9 were offered admission to a charter school and 1,635 students were not offered admission. Students could be offered admission in a first-round lottery or via a subsequent waitlist lottery. A total of 3,685 students were included in the study. To be eligible for the lottery and included in the study, students could not have a sibling in a charter school, must have applied on time, and must have lived in the Boston area. Approximately 54% of the students were female, 73% were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 18% had an individualized education plan, and 3.5% had limited English proficiency status. Sixty-one percent of the students were Black, 3% were Asian, and 36% were another race. Twenty-five percent of the students were Hispanic.

Intervention Group

Students in the intervention condition were offered enrollment in one of six Boston charter schools in grade 5, 6, or 9, depending on the school. The charter schools implemented longer school years and school days compared to other public schools in Boston. Five of the six charter schools in the study reported implementing the No Excuses pedagogy, including a focus on discipline and student behavior, and selective hiring of teachers. The charter schools also employed Teach for America corps members and alumni and provided ongoing feedback to teachers. The charter schools had been open for an average of 15 years at the beginning of the study. Some students in the intervention group did not enroll in a charter school and attended another school instead, often in the Boston Public Schools system.

Comparison Group

Most students in the comparison condition attended a school other than one of the six intervention charter schools in the Boston Public Schools system. Some of these students enrolled in one of the six charter schools even though they were not offered a seat via the lotteries.

Support for implementation

The authors do not describe supports for implementation.

Stand and deliver: Effects of Boston’s charter high schools on college preparation, entry, and choice.