Are Charters the Next Step for Private Schools?

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.