Accountability and Flexibility in Public Schools: Evidence from Boston's Charters And Pilots

TLDR

Pilot schools combine charter-like independence with Boston Public School district oversight and collective bargaining protections. The study aims to estimate the impact of charter school attendance on student achievement in Boston and to evaluate Boston’s pilot schools. Using student assignment lotteries, the authors compare charter and pilot school outcomes to assess causal effects. Lottery estimates reveal large, significant gains for charter students in middle and high school, whereas pilot school students show mostly small or negative effects, and charter schools with binding lotteries yield larger gains than other charters.

Abstract

We use student assignment lotteries to estimate the effect of charter school attendance on student achievement in Boston. We also evaluate a related alternative, Boston's pilot schools. Pilot schools have some of the independence of charter schools but are in the Boston Public School district and are covered by some collective bargaining provisions. Lottery estimates show large and significant score gains for charter students in middle and high school. In contrast, lottery estimates for pilot school students are mostly small and insignificant, with some significant negative effects. Charter schools with binding assignment lotteries appear to generate larger gains than other charters.