Charter School Learning Communities: Study of 17 U.S. Schools, 1997

A research paper presents findings from a study investigating how learning communities were created and sustained in 17 charter schools in the United States. The study examined school missions, instructional programs, accountability systems, and leadership, identifying four critical building blocks and three enabling conditions. The paper was authored by Priscilla Wohlstetter and presented at the American Educational Research Association meeting in March 1997.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the relationship between school mission statements and classroom practices based on the described study framework.
• Modeling factors for school success based on the identified building blocks like accountability systems and leadership.
• Studying the impact of external conditions like school autonomy and parent support on educational outcomes.
• Text analysis of qualitative research on pedagogical and administrative strategies in alternative school models.

Strengths

• Study is based on a defined sample of 17 charter schools.
• Research framework identifies four specific building blocks and three enabling conditions for analysis.
• Paper cites 43 references, suggesting a literature-informed foundation.

Limitations

• The underlying dataset (e.g., interview transcripts, survey responses) is not provided, only the analysis paper.
• Row count and column structure for any quantitative data are unknown.
• Data is from 1997, which may limit contemporary relevance.

Provenance

Source

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, March 1997, Chicago.

Collection Method

Findings from a study that investigated 17 charter schools, likely involving qualitative case study methods.

Time Range

Study conducted circa 1997.

Geography

Charter schools in the United States.