Working Conditions In Charter Schools

TLDR

Charter schools, granted autonomy over personnel and budget, tend to offer longer hours, less job security, and lower pay than traditional public schools. This article aims to synthesize existing research on charter school teachers and compare it with case studies of forty teachers in six urban charter elementary schools. The authors conduct a literature synthesis and juxtapose it with qualitative case studies of teachers in six urban charter elementary schools. While teachers generally report enjoying their professional lives in charter schools, the authors argue that improving working conditions through greater use of autonomy is necessary to attract and retain staff and sustain schools.

Abstract

This article synthesizes past research findings on the work of charter school teachers and juxtaposes this research with case studies of forty charter school teachers in six urban charter elementary schools. Charter schools, with increased autonomy over personnel and budget, are given the freedom to make many decisions related to hiring, salary, and working conditions. In general, charter school teachers work longer hours and receive less job security than colleagues in traditional public schools. In some states, charter school teachers earn significantly less than other public school colleagues. The evidence also suggests, however, that teachers generally enjoy their professional lives in charter schools—their colleagues and the school’s education program. The authors argue that in order to continue to attract and retain teachers, charter schools may need to extend their use of autonomy to improve the working conditions of teachers and ultimately, to extend the life of the school.