In recent years, a substantial body of research has examined the establishment and growth of charter schools, which are considered by many to be an important in education. Despite the increasing popularity of this new organizational form, approximately twelve percent of charter schools have shut their doors since they were first authorized 1991, dramatically disrupting the educational pathways of a significant number of students. Due to the relative youth of charter schools and lack of national data, however, researchers do not yet know what causes charter schools to close.
This study examines the causes of charter school closure in the United States. The project will produce the first comprehensive national data set about charter schools and will use it to examine the patterns and determinants of charter school closure over time. More generally, the project will shed light on the question of organizational mortality, the extent to which failures may result from market accountability, organizational dynamics, or demographic factors related to distribution of key institutional resources. In addition, the study will provide an in-depth analysis of how innovation can affect the likelihood of organizational failure or success, primarily in the educational marketplace but with implications beyond.
The new information this project will provide about charter school closures will help policy makers assess the performance of charter schools and create improve and standardized guidelines that promote school stability and accountability. The findings of this study will also help advance knowledge and understanding within the study of organizations, education, and sociology. Finally, it will provide the research community with the first comprehensive, national, longitudinal database of charter schools.
