The Effect of Charter School Management Companies on School Outcomes - A Closer Look at Michigan Charter Schools and Their Operators

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

Research examines how charter school management companies influence school outcomes, focusing on Michigan charter schools and their operators. The study contextualizes charter schools as public-choice alternatives that trade flexibility for accountability, including their ability to contract for educational services through CMO-style arrangements. It addresses how organizational ties to authorizers and management structures shape performance and enrollment, and why prior direct-comparison studies may miss operational complexity by profit versus nonprofit management differences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Problem Statement

Partnerships: authorizer and management company

Rationale for isolating CMO and ESP effects

Background and Research Gap

The Effect of Charter School Management Companies on School Outcomes: A Closer Look at Michigan Charter Schools and Their Operators Benjamin P. Jankens Central Michigan University Charter schools began as an experiment to improve public education in the United States of America (Weil, 2000). The theory was that these schools would operate outside of traditional public schools and would be free of the oversight and regulatory requirements constraining the current educational systems, in exchange for increased accountability and performance Lake, 2013). These new educational programs would be incubators of innovation and spawn new educational methods, addressing the challenges plaguing traditional public schools (Price & Jankens, 2016). The purpose of this research was to explore charter school performance in Michigan by looking closer at charter school operators – charter school management companies. By isolating factors that are unique to each charter school, this research drew additional conclusions and gained further insight into influences that impact charter school performance. The results of this study provide insight into how charter schools perform, specifically when looking at the differences in management styles. The results also illuminate the differences between charter schools by for-profit and nonprofit status. Keywords: charter schools, management companies, CMO, EMO, ESP, educational service providers, operators, performance, accountability Education Leadership Review, Volume 23, Number 1, Fall 2022 305 Public education in the United States is a diverse marketplace of school designs and approaches (Weil, 2000) . From conventional (or "traditional") public schools, to private religious and nonreligious/parochial, to charter public schools (or public school academies), these various types of schools allow for choice and competition (The Education Trust – Midwest, 2016) . As a strategy to disrupt conventional educational systems to introduce new ideas and innovations, charter schools exchanged freedom for accountability (Finn, Manno & Vanourek, 2000) . Charter schools have more flexibility than their traditional counterparts, not being tied to the legacy systems of conventional public school districts, including unionization. One key difference is in their unique ability to contract for educational services. This flexibility allows charter schools to outsource their teaching staff and operate completely privatized educational programs through tax-funded school revenues. Hotly debated, even after almost 30 years, the ability for a charter school to operate as a private entity provides tremendous flexibility and autonomy from the traditional approach of public schooling in America. The theory espoused by proponents of these quasi-public/private entities is that private organizations are more efficient and effective than government-run institutions (Buckley & Schneider, 2009) . Though profit-driven, they are also focused on outcomes – a key ingredient to establishing and maintaining strong enrollment. Their disciplined approach, use of data-driven practices, and desire to innovate are all positive attributes that for-profit management companies tout. With over 3.4 million students attending charter schools, a key question facing educators and policymakers is "how are charter schools performing?" Problem Statement Unlike conventional district schools, the charter school's organizational structure includes two additional partnerships: the authorizer and management company (Price & Jankens, 2016) . Charter schools do not operate autonomously like that of conventional district schools. Instead, they are inextricably tied to their charter-granting organization, and typically contract for educational services from a management company, or Charter Management Organization (CMO) . CMOs, which can be not-for-profit or for profit, are private organizations that service charter schools. There are many designs

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the research?

To explore charter school performance in Michigan by examining charter school operators, specifically charter school management companies, and how management styles and ownership status affect outcomes.

How do charter schools differ from conventional district schools in structure?

They include additional partnerships with an authorizer and a management company, so they are not fully autonomous and often contract educational services through CMO arrangements.

Why is additional research needed beyond existing studies?

Many studies rely on direct comparisons with conventional public schools and may not capture the unique operational complexities of charter structures, especially the effects attributable to specific CMO or educational service provider roles.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca