Are Charters the Next Step for Private Schools?

Education |

Friedman Legacy Day St. Louis: Part 1: Are Charters The Next Step For Private Schools?

In the first part of the Show-Me Institute’s Friedman Legacy Day 2014 presentation Mike McShane of the American Enterprise Institute presented a summary of his research paper: Sector Switchers, Why Catholic Schools Convert To Charters And What Happens Next.

For decades, Catholic schools, particularly inner-city Catholic schools, have seen declines in enrollment and an increasing need for subsidies from their dioceses. Many dioceses, however, have been unable to shoulder that burden, forcing schools to close. In response to difficult financial circumstances, the archdioceses of Indianapolis, Miami, and Washington, D.C., put a new twist on the typical story, “closing” a set of their inner-city schools, but allowing them to reopen as independently managed public charter schools.

Friedman Legacy Day St. Louis: Part 2: Panel Discussion and Q&A

In the second part of the Show-Me Institute’s Friedman Legacy Day 2014 presentation James Shuls, Ph.D., moderated a panel discussion about religious schools becoming charters schools. The panel consisted of Mike McShane of the American Enterprise Institute, Corey Quinn, President, De La Salle Middle School, and Matt Hoehner, Regional Executive Director, Educational Enterprises, Inc. The panel also answered questions from the audience.

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James V. Shuls

About the Author

James V. Shuls is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri St. Louis. His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Phi Delta Kappan, Social Science Quarterly, Education Week, The Rural Educator, Educational Policy, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He earned his Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas. He holds a bachelors degree from Missouri Southern State University and a masters degree from Missouri State University, both in elementary education. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, James taught first grade and fifth grade in southwest Missouri.

About the Author

Contributing writer at the Show-Me Institute.

About the Author

Contributing writer at the Show-Me Institute.

Michael Q. McShane

About the Author

Michael Q. McShane is Senior Fellow of Education Policy at the Show-Me Institute.  A former high school teacher, he earned a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas, an M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame, and a B.A. in English from St. Louis University. McShanes analyses and commentary have been published widely in the media, including in the Huffington Post, National Affairs, USA Today, and The Washington Post. He has also been featured in education-specific outlets such as Teachers College Commentary, Education Week, Phi Delta Kappan, and Education Next. In addition to authoring numerous white papers, McShane has had academic work published in Education Finance and Policy and the Journal of School Choice. He is the editor of New and Better Schools (Rowman and Littlefield, 2015), the author of Education and Opportunity (AEI Press, 2014), and coeditor of Teacher Quality 2.0 (Harvard Education Press, 2014) and Common Core Meets Education Reform (Teachers College Press, 2013).

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