Evaluating the Impact of Charter Schools on Student Achievement: A Longitudinal Look at the Great Lakes States

This study looks at student achievement in math and reading in charter and traditional public schools over a five-year period in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The primary finding is that student achievement in charter schools in these six states is lower than in traditional public schools. The study also finds, however, that student achievement in charter schools is improving over time

The 'Holy Trinity' of Methodological Rigor: A Skeptical View

Methodologists are the preachers of science. Armed with canons of correct procedure, they have the power to castigate and exhort. They can instruct us to have clearly defined objectives and explicit frames of reference, to base our studies on good theories…the process of science does not work from rules to practice but from attempt to attempt…one good piece of research influences research practice more than many methodology textbooks (Przeworski, 1987, p. 31). igor in research is normally conceived of as the means by which integrity and competence are confirmed (Tobin & Begley, 2004).1 That is, a way of demonstrating the legitimacy or soundness of the research process. Without rigor, it is argued, there is a danger that research may become fictional journalism and therefore worthless as contributing t