Abstract

This article uses theories of public governance to explain the performance of Wisconsin’s virtual charter school sector. Specifically, longitudinal student-level data from Wisconsin is used to determine the characteristics and performance of students transferring into and out of virtual charter schools. The results show that students with lower test scores are more likely to transfer school sectors. Regression modeling indicates that students suffer immediate-term academic losses when they transfer into virtual charter schools, and immediate-term academic gains when they return to traditional public schools. The results highlight the explanatory power of modern theories of public governance, but call into question the assumption that market-based governance reforms will produce performance gains. The results also speak to the performance of virtual charter schools generally, and to the possible impacts and lessons of the Covid-19 related shift to virtual education in the U.S.

摘要

本文使用公共治理理论来解释威斯康星州虚拟特许学校部门的表现。具体来说，威斯康星州的纵向学生水平数据用于确定转入和转出虚拟特许学校的学生的特征和表现。结果表明，考试成绩较低的学生更有可能转学。回归模型表明，学生在转入虚拟特许学校时会遭受短期学业损失，而在返回传统公立学校时会立即获得学业收益。结果突出了现代公共治理理论的解释力，但质疑以市场为基础的治理改革将产生绩效收益的假设。