The third and final Research Note in the Maxim Institute’s series on charter schools addressing the proposal of the for-profit model, by Dr Luke Fenwick.
The first note analysed international findings on what contribution charter schools can make to the achievement of disadvantaged pupils, and the second investigated the evidence concerning the impacts charter schools may have on regular state schools. The latest Research Note interrogates whether for-profit operators should be allowed to operate schools under the Government’s proposed partnership school programme.
This paper discusses the research around for-profit charter schools, the objections and closes with some recommendations:
- The tendering, processing and disbursement of charters should be as open as possible
- Operators may be obliged to commit a specified level of capital to the enterprise
- It may be necessary to include a stipulation that requires (ongoing) due diligence performed on the prospective operator
- The guidelines for Partnership Schools and performance indicators should be available for public perusal
- To furnish accountability, furthermore, the Ombudsman Act and the Official Information Act should apply to Partnership Schools.
Read the paper here