Research Reports

An analysis conducted by the SCSC shows students in Georgia state charter schools are outpacing their traditional school peers in academic growth. The analysis parallels the findings of a recent national study released by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University:  As A Matter of Fact, National Charter School Study III – the third in a series of studies released by CREDO assessing the difference between student learning in charter schools and traditional public schools.

Published: June 2023

Annually the SCSC uses a value-added model to assess school performance. However, the COIVD pandemic presented challenges to using normal performance metrics. Specifically, due to school closures, state standardized assessments were not administered. Traditionally, a value-added model is based on test score growth between adjacent years. The absence of 2019-2020 test scores requires that the value-added score be calculated over a two-year period (i.e. growth from 2018-2019 to 2020-2021), referred to as a “gap-year VAM”. The report summarizes the modified methodology and highlights the related growth of state charters for the 2020-2021 school year.

Published: September 2022

The SCSC commissioned Georgia State University’s Center for State and Local Finance to analyze the economic impact of Georgia’s start-up charter schools on their communities. The research team broke the research questions down into four separate reports below.

To better understand the virtual charter landscape, including the types of students who attend virtual schools and are likely to be successful in a virtual educational environment, the SCSC contracted with Public Impact and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers to conduct an in-depth scan of the performance trends of online charter schools.

Published: February 2015

To support the establishment of strong start-up charter schools in Georgia and beyond, the SCSC commissioned researchers at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College to investigate best practices commonly found among successful start-up charter schools. This report summarizes findings from a study of charter schools in three states and interviews with organizations that support new charter schools through technical assistance, training, and resources in 11 states.

Published: September 2014