Locational Decisions of Charter Schools: Probing the Market Metaphor

Objective . Debate about market–oriented school–choice proposals often centers on questions of whether they will help or hurt minorities and the poor. We examine the locational decisions of different types of charter schools in the District of Columbia (D.C.) to assess their distributional consequences. Methods . We employ ordered probit regression to estimate models of the degree to which census tracts are served by charters. Results . Charters are more likely to locate in areas with high proportions of African–American and Hispanic residents than in the predominantly white neighborhoods, and more likely to locate in neighborhoods with middle incomes and high home ownership than in either poor or wealthy areas of the city. This is especially true of those operated by for–profits and those chartered by the elected rather than appointed chartering body. Additionally, we observe charters taking political and practical considerations into account when deciding where to locate. Conclusions . Proponents claim that charter schools will locate where need is greatest, while critics fear they will shy away from neighborhoods housing disadvantaged and minority students. We find that both camps are oversimplifying. Locational patterns are more complex and appear to be sensitive to variations in the type of charter school as well as the institutional characteristics of the chartering agency. Although market incentives are important, so too are pragmatic factors and institutional context.     

District Segregation,Race Legislation,and Black Enrollment in Charter Schools*

Objective. This article examines how segregation at the school level within districts and charter school legislation predict black enrollment levels at local charter schools. Methods. This study uses the Schools and Staffing Survey Charter School Data 1999–2000, Common Core of Data, and a unique data set of district test scores to estimate OLS regression models of black enrollment in charter schools on district racial segregation and race provisions in charter school legislation. Results. Findings suggest that segregated school districts, those districts where whites and blacks are more unevenly distributed among schools, have a larger percentage of blacks enrolled in local charter schools than districts where schools are integrated. In addition, charter schools in states that do not have a racial clause have a smaller percent of blacks in their charter schools. Conclusion. Findings suggest that black enrollment in charter schools is a function of district segregation and state policy.     

Starting Behind: A Comparative Analysis of the Academic Standing of Students Entering Charter Schools*

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to assess if students enter charter schools at an academic disadvantage compared to students who make other types of school‐choice decisions, such as transferring between district schools, from a charter to a district school, or staying in the same school. We assess the demographic and academic characteristics of students prior to choosing to attend a charter school in comparison to students who made other types of school‐choice decisions and broaden the operational definition of a “disadvantaged” student when exploring differences between charter and district students to include academic achievement prior to entering a school. Methods. The analysis is conducted with student‐level panel data and a progressive series of ANCOVA models that were estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. This methodology allows for a comparison of the mean differences in academic achievement among students who made different types of school‐choice decisions while controlling for student‐level covariates. Results. Students who transferred from district to charter schools had the lowest levels of prior academic achievement compared to students who made other types of choice decisions. Conclusions. When Arizona charter authorizers face the deluge of renewal decisions that are approaching, the quality of education available to the next generation of charter school students is at stake. Renewal decisions will impact what choices are available going forward and, given the comparative academic disadvantage of charter school students prior to entering, those decisions should take into consideration the starting point for students entering charter schools.     

《东盟宪章》评析

《东盟宪章》的签署和通过标志着东盟区域合作进程取得了重大进展。宪章对东盟的组织机构进行了调整,加强了机构以及成员国间的协调。但是,我们对宪章的作用不能有过高的估计。宪章基本上重申的是过去已经确定的和实施的目标和做法,对于东盟所面临的机制化问题仍然未能提出有效解决途径。     

Barriers to Integration in the Mississippi Delta: Could Charter Schools Be the New Vehicle for Desegregation?

This study explored the barriers to educational integration in the rural Mississippi Delta region. In Delta County , ¹ students have generally been divided between a black public school and an all white private academy. An earlier study ( Eckes, 2005 ) revealed that white parents in Delta County chose not to send their students to the traditional public school because they perceived greater discipline problems, less challenging academics, and fewer extracurricular opportunities ("the barriers"). The black parents, however, were choosing not to send their children to the private academy because it did not, in fact, offer greater educational opportunity. Black parents contended that the three articulated barriers were actually euphemisms for racism. In this current case study, the researcher sought to learn whether a new high-performing charter school, where the three barriers were not present, would encourage racial integration in Delta County. Specifically, the new public charter school offered parents a third option in addition to the private academy and public school. Through interviews and observations, the current case study explored whether the barriers articulated by white parents in the earlier study were simply rhetoric. The current study found that white parents were still not choosing the charter school, even though no barriers were present.     

Scale of Operations and Locus of Control in Market‐ Versus Mission‐Oriented Charter Schools*

Objective. The objective of this article is to investigate two distinct strands in the charter school movement: one that emphasizes school‐based management and another that emphasizes market efficiency. We were interested in whether charter schools that were founded or co‐founded by for‐profit education management organizations (EMOs) tend to pursue economies of scale and are less likely than others to implement school‐level decision making in key areas. Methods. The analysis uses data drawn from a survey we conducted of the population of charter schools in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. Results. We find that charter schools that were founded or co‐founded by EMOs tend to be larger and are less likely to exhibit decision‐making control at the school level. Conclusions. Our analysis underscores the importance of disaggregating the charter school phenomenon into its distinct constituent parts in order to draw meaningful lessons from this evolving and significant experiment in alternative education delivery mode.     

论"九流十家"的建构历程——从《天下》篇到《汉志》

《汉志》的"九流十家"之说深刻影响着历代学者对先秦学术思想的理解,但这一观点却并非是对先秦思想的忠实还原,而是基于其时代思潮与自身学术立场所作的理论建构.先秦学者多以人论学而不称家派,至司马谈《论六家要指》始以家论学,将诸子分为六家,并欲以道家统摄诸子.《汉志》又扩展为"九流十家",将司马谈口中的"道家"降格为"杂家",并以六艺统摄诸子,以"诸子出于王官"说为其羽翼.然据《庄子·天下》篇所论,六艺与诸子并非相互统摄的关系,由此可见《汉志》"以六艺统诸子"的观点是基于其时代立场所作出的理论建构.     

关于“戏曲进入中小学”校园活动的探索

＂戏曲进入中小学＂校园活动是近年来被各界广泛讨论的热点。由于培养的对象以中小学校园学生为主,对此有人表示赞成,也有人反对。作为教育的组成部分——＂—戏曲进入中小学＂校园活动仅属于戏曲艺术普及教育里的一环,由于不是教育的主流,所以比较缺乏学理方面的系统探索,大多仅停留在表面的讨论和活动本身的陈述。有鉴于此,笔者以浙江＂婺剧进校园＂为调研对象试图从儿童的立场出发,进一步阐释儿童、儿童文化、儿童传承与戏剧艺术之间的密切关系。通过调研可知,以儿童为主体、戏曲为载体的这样一种无需通过任何考试形式的＂戏曲进入中小学＂校园活动是切实不可行的。     

闻一多"唯美主义"研究的分类和反思

中国现代文学的研究者们论及闻一多的文艺思想 ,总是出现“唯美主义”或并非“唯美主义”等众说纷纭的局面。所以如此 ,原因虽然很多 ,如闻一多本身是一个“金银盾” ,但主要是研究者为贤者讳。而只有承认闻一多曾追求过唯美主义并研究其如何从“艺术的忠臣”转变为“人民的忠臣” ,才能将该课题的研究推向深入并引入到实事求是的轨道。     

创新实践课程助力医学院校"健康导向型"生物医学工程专业人才培养

针对生物医学工程专业内容广、知识"碎片化",学生对专业缺乏系统认知的问题,建设相应的课程,是生物医学工程人才培养亟待解决的问题.团队依托南京医科大学丰富的医学资源,遵循生物医学工程"医工结合,贴近临床、注重创新"的发展思路,构建了《生物医学工程创新设计》课程.课程结合前沿热点、开放性项目提高挑战,无缝链接课程思政.开课以来,学生的学习兴趣显著提升,依托本课程孵化的项目,医工融合度高,在学科竞赛中表现优异.     

先秦时代"百家争鸣"的文化背景

探讨中国文化的源头,先秦时代的"诸子文化"是其中一个最为重要的环节,特别是当先秦的"诸子文化"被视为世界文化的一个不可或缺的文化源头之后,搞清它产生的文化背景就成为一个迫切需要解决的课题.本文在总结前人研究成果的基础上,扬弃了陈旧的一元论的思维模式,进入多元化的探讨,并且通过比较文化学的方法,提出了"贵族文化"、"官僚文化"、"征服者文化"、"被征服者文化"的新概念,为解决这一问题找到了新的视角.     

大学章程制定的价值依归

大学章程是国家法治和高等教育法治的具体表现与本质内涵。大学章程的制定是高等学校依法治教的必然要求。把握地方应用型本科院校与＂985工程＂、＂211工程＂等重点高校以及一般高职高专院校之间的差异性,同时兼顾大学章程的共性特征,是制定好高校章程的重要切入点。唯有切实把握大学章程的共性和个性特征,才能建立起具有时代特征与自我个性特点的大学章程。     

Improving Service Delivery in Education Through Collaboration: An Exploratory Study of the Role of Cross‐Sectoral Alliances in the Development and Support of Charter Schools*

Objective. This article explores cross‐sectoral alliances as mechanisms for enhancing service delivery in public education. We assess the extent to which the three economic sectors—nonprofit, for‐profit, and public—are involved in partnerships with charter schools and identify the benefits that charter schools receive from partnering with other organizations. Methods. The study utilized a qualitative approach: data collection involved interviews with charter school experts in 37 states. Results. We found that organizations from each of the three economic sectors were involved in alliances with charter schools and that these alliances offered a range of financial (e.g., facilities, salaries), political (e.g., legitimacy, credibility), and organizational (e.g., curriculum, management) benefits. Conclusions. Our findings from this exploratory study suggest that cross‐sectoral alliances have the potential to enhance the capacity of charter schools to deliver high‐quality educational services. Three hypotheses generated from the findings are also offered to guide future research on charter school alliances.     

Electives in the Schools

The incorporation, into the curriculum of the Soviet general education schools, of elective courses for deeper theoretical and practical study of certain subjects is integrally associated with the imminent transition to universal secondary education.     

Social Studies in Today's Schools

The need to create a new social studies course is mandated by cardinal changes in the country—by the desire to resurrect Russian statehood and overcome the "image of the enemy" in relations with other states; by substantial changes in the social sciences and opportunities that have opened up to explore the diversity of worldview positions, by perestroika in the sphere of education, designed to make it more humane and to shape citizens who are integrated into contemporary society and desirous of improving it; and by educators' and school students' vigorous rejection of the old content of the social disciplines. The old content deprived students of the opportunity to become properly acquainted with the multicolored picture of contemporary life in the country and the world; it failed to foster the correct orientation under rapidly changing circumstances and realization of one's own place in them.     

Competitiveness in Schools and Delinquency

Some theories to explain the relationship between school failure and delinquency are examined. It is argued that it is the condition of status deprivation through being given a low rank on the status hierarchy of the school that leads to delinquency. Policies of equality of opportunity achieve a reordering of children on the hierarchy, but leave the hierarchy itself intact. Delinquency may be part of a more general pathology which arises from competitiveness in schools.