Modern Change at Charter Schools: New Evidence from the Noble Charter Network

Abstract

Recent evaluations of U.S. charter schools in metropolitan areas have highlighted their positive impacts on high school standardized testing and college enrollment, positioning charter schools at the forefront of educational economics research and policy. The Noble Charter Network, part of the Chicago Public School (CPS) system, is one such notable network. However, current literature on Noble focuses mainly on standardized test score outcomes and college enrollment, neglecting its impacts on behavior, enrollment, and college persistence—major areas of criticism for charter schools. Moreover, most studies use data from before two significant changes at Noble: a substantial shift in pedagogy and the adoption of a centralized application process, both aimed at increasing equity. The effectiveness and impacts of these changes remain unstudied and unknown. Leveraging extensive lottery and outcome data spanning over a decade, our analysis examines these changes’ effects. We find deteriorating impacts on standardized test scores, a positive impact on high school persistence, no impact on college graduation, and no egregiously strict discipline policies. We also find that the institutional changes did not have major impacts on relevant outcomes at Noble. Using big data alongside major institutional changes, we gain a comprehensive understanding of Noble’s impact, providing insights applicable to other similar charter networks.