Charter Schools and School Choice
Meeting the multitude of complex academic, administrative, and regulatory challenges facing public charter schools requires the right approach and the right team. What is the best way to address the academic needs of diverse learners? How do you create and make better use of performance data streams? Where is the balance between monitoring schools for public accountability and protecting autonomy to spur innovation?
Our Work
Working with charter schools, authorizers and policy makers, boards, and management companies, AIR conducts studies to identify, design, and implement systems that help organizations cultivate practices that result in high-quality schools and accountability. We place a wide range of expertise at the fingertips of the people leading charter school work. Our charter school and school improvement policy and practice veterans are versed in the most effective approaches and have first-hand experience serving as charter school teachers, administrators, governing board members, authorizers and researchers.
Comprehensive analysis, targeted expertise to close gaps, and proven data management and systems building are instrumental in improving performance across instructional, administrative, and school community functions. Technical assistance can be tailored for education agencies, policy makers, authorizers, charter management organizations, independent charter schools, and governing boards. Our capacities span the spectrum from national research analysis, to state policy to high-needs school improvement in settings from urban to rural. Support also can be focused to organize and facilitate inter-school collaboratives.
IDEA Public Schools
IDEA public schools is a large charter management organization headquartered in Texas. AIR partnered with IDEA Public Schools to develop the evaluation plan for its successful EIR proposal in 2019. AIR is conducting a large-scale evaluation of IDEA’s Mathways to STEM Success program, which consists of a mathematics curriculum redesign for grades 6-12, implementation of the AP Computer Science Principles curriculum, and creation of a STEM internship program. AIR customized its evaluation design to suit the unique characteristics of each component of the program and is conducting a rigorous summative evaluation of program effectiveness using a randomized controlled trial and multiple quasi-experimental. AIR also is providing timely and actionable formative feedback for ongoing monitoring and improvement of program implementation.
AppleTree Institute
AppleTree, a research and development institute and public charter preschool with campuses across Washington, D.C., seeks to close the achievement gap before students get to kindergarten by providing three- and four-year-olds with the social, emotional, and cognitive foundations that enable them to thrive in school. AIR researchers are evaluating the expansion of AppleTree as they open nine new charter schools in the city over five years.
Implementation of School Waiver Systems in Georgia
Through the Regional Education Laboratory Southeast, AIR researchers are studying the implementation of Georgia’s school waiver systems in districts and schools statewide, including Strategic Waiver School Systems and Charter School Systems, with a research alliance of Georgia education stakeholders focused on school flexibilities. In addition, AIR is providing training, coaching, and other technical assistance to states and local education agencies around school practices, policies, and research methodology.