Charters: Poor hiring practices lead to poor performance by Jason A. Engerman

Charter schools provide an alternative approach to education in traditional public schools (TPS). Charter school popularity has grown dramatically in recent years, and many charters claim to substantially improve student achievement. However, I contend here that first, charter schools in general are not more effective than traditional public schools.  Second, I argue that there may be a relationship between poor student achievement and the hiring practices of many charter schools, which employ inexperienced and/or uncertified educators.

Student Performance in Charter Schools

Because charter schools are publicly funded, they are required to participate in state exams.  Studies show mixed results when comparing the academic achievement levels of students in charter schools versus their TPS counterparts.  In one analysis, the Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that 17 percent of charter schools performed significantly better than the TPS in reading and math assessments. However, 37 percent performed considerably worse.  The remaining 46 percent did neither better nor worse (O’Brien and Devarics, 2010). In addition, the US Department of Education recently reprimanded Pennsylvania for the overly generous way it calculated Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for charter schools (Delisle, 2012). When Pennsylvania recalculated charter schools’ AYP using the same formula as traditional public schools, a much lower percentage of charter schools (both bricks-and-mortar charters and cyber charters) reached AYP than traditional public schools.

Kathy Matheson of the Associated Press reports that about 59 percent of charters made AYP using the previous calculations compared to the 50 percent by TPS (Matheson, 2012).  Yet only 37 percent of charters would have made AYP under the appropriate methods. This data reveals that many charters schools in PA are not only performing at a lower level than previously understood, but also gives legitimacy to critics’ claims that charters are not the way to improve American education.  Further, I contend that many charters’ lack of student achievement could be a result of poor hiring practices, resulting in lower quality teachers in charter schools.

Research on Teacher Quality and Charters’ Current Hiring Practices

Educational research shows that having high-quality teachers is a central component of a high-quality education.  What makes a high-quality teacher, however?  According to a Stanford University study, teacher preparation has a strong relationship with teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom compared to teachers who had not gone through a formal preparation program.  More specifically, the findings showed that certified teachers consistently produced stronger student achievement gains than their uncertified counterparts (Darling-Hammond et al., 2005). Certified teachers not only produce higher achieving students, but, conversely, teachers without certification showed significant negative effects on student achievement (Darling-Hammond et al., 2005). Charter schools do not require teacher certification.  Therefore, I believe it is not an accident that many charter schools have shown inadequate student achievement despite often having smaller class sizes.

In many cases, charter schools are exempt from only hiring certified educators. This exemption allows them to choose from a broader pool of potential teachers.  This has led to the hiring of inexperienced, non-certified teachers (see Table 1) (Burian-Fitzgerald et al., 2004). In addition to hiring inexperienced, uncertified teachers, charter school teachers frequently operate under “at will” contracts, preventing them from forming a union. A non-unionized teaching position does not offer job security through teacher tenure, so a certified educator may be less likely to accept such a position. Charters, therefore, attract teachers who cost less, have less classroom experience, and may lack the crucial professional skills needed to become effective teachers.  All of these factors can influence student performance.

Table 1. Qualifications of Charter School vs. TPS teachers 

(Chart adapted from Burian-Fitzgerald et al., 2004, p. 21, 26)

As a secondary educator with experience in a public school, I believe that alternative forms of education can be beneficial; however, not at the expense of quality educators. Charters are sabotaging student achievement by hiring uncertified teachers with little experience.  Certified teachers remain one of the best options for boosting student performance, as school districts and the public consider alternative choices to traditional schooling.  Charters should focus on attracting highly qualified educators to improve student performance. To do this, they must offer competitive salaries and more job security.  Only then can we see charter schools begin to improve academic achievement.

Dr. Engerman is an assistant professor within the Digital Technologies Department at East Stroudsburg University where he teaches courses in Digital Media Technologies, emphasizing sports, entertainment, executive coaching and digital media technology for underrepresented populations. He earned a Ph.D. in Learning, Design, and Technology from The Pennsylvania State University, focusing on intersection of underrepresented populations and their sociocultural uses of interactive digital media (such as video games) within native learning ecologies. Dr. Engerman is the PI for a National Science Foundation Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers Award to leverage Esports as a STEM career development tool for at risk youth.

References

Burian-Fitzgerald, Marisa, Michael Luekens, and Gregory Strizek. 2004. “Less Red Tape or More Green Teachers: Charter School Autonomy and Teacher Qualifications.” In Taking Account of Charter Schools: What’s Happened and What’s Next, edited by Katrina Bulkley and Priscilla Wohlstetter, 11-31. New York: Teachers College Press.

Darling-Hammond, Linda, Deborah J. Holtzman, Su Jin Gatlin, and Julian Vasquez Heilig. 2005. “Does Teacher Preparation Matter? Evidence about Teacher Certification, Teach for America, and Teacher Effectiveness.” Education Policy Analysis Archives, 13 (42). Retrieved from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v13n42/v13n42.pdf

Delisle, Deborah. 2012. “Decision Letter on Request to Amend Pennsylvania Accountability Plan, from Deborah Delisle, Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education, to Ronald Tomalis, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education.”  US Department of Education. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/letters/acpa11.html

Matheson, Kathy. 2012. “U.S. Officials Tell State to Use Same Standards to Grade Charter Schools.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 24. Retrieved from http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/us-officials-tell-state-to-use-same-standards-to-grade-charter-schools-663462/#ixzz2UXvme6NG

O’Brien, Eileen, and Chuck Devarics. 2010. “Charter schools: Finding Out the Facts: At a Glance.” The Center for Public Education. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/charterschools