Identifying South Carolina Charter Schools That Are "Beating the Odds." REL 2017-236

Charter schools have become a widely used alternative to traditional public schools, both nationally and in the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast Region. They play an increasingly important role in state reform efforts. South Carolina stakeholders--including the South Carolina Department of Education, the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina, and charter school leaders throughout the state--requested assistance from REL Southeast to broaden their understanding of why some charter schools are more successful than others to inform their consideration of whether to expand this school choice option. This study identifies charter schools that are "beating the odds," or performing better than expected given the demographic characteristics of the students they serve. "Details on the Analyses and Results" is appended.