A new study looks at the impact of co-location, the practice of allowing a charter school to open in the same building as a district public school when there is space available.
As Beth Hawkins writes in the 74,
Groundbreaking new research from Temple University assistant professor Sarah Cordes finds that at least in New York City, the arrival of a charter school has a positive effect on students in the traditional school already located in the building.
…
“Just the presence of an alternative does it,” Cordes told The 74 in a far-ranging interview. “It doesn’t really matter how great that alternative is — it’s just the fact that that alternative is there, it’s in the building, and people see it every day.”
A review of earlier research on the effect of charter schools on students in traditional district schools can be found here.
An earlier EdNext article looks at the impact of charter competition on policy and practice in urban school districts.
—Education Next