Description: Of the 180 local school systems in Georgia, 178 districts are implementing performance contracts through the state's waiver program. Among these schools, 132 are Strategic Waiver School Systems (SWSS) and 46 are Charter Systems. The development and implementation of Georgia's SWSS and Charter Systems have required a large investment of human and financial capital from state policymakers, local school systems, and community members. The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) approached the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast with a request to help its staff:
The proposed study will examine school-level academic performance changes for students in grades 3–12 in SWSS and Charter Systems as well as instructional and programmatic innovations in those schools. The study also will explore variations in achievement and innovations by school features—number of students served, Title I status, and demographic composition including students from different racial or ethnic groups, English learners, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities.
The results of this research study are intended to:
Research Questions:
Study Design: To answer research question 1, this study will analyze changes over time in school-level student achievement using a multilevel interrupted time series design that compares reading and mathematics achievement for students in grades 3–12 before and after a district's waiver application is approved. The study also will analyze the relationship between achievement gains and graduation rate gains and the number of students served, Title 1 status, and school demographic composition variables.
To answer research question 2, this study will survey school leaders, report descriptive percentages on different types of innovations the districts have implemented, and use regression analyses to examine links between local practice changes and district features.
To answer research question 3, this study will examine the relationship between survey responses on priority innovations implemented and gains in school-level achievement. To further understand the innovations implemented at the school level, the study also will interview school administrators to collect and analyze their perceptions of local changes in practice and how those changes relate to student outcomes.
Projected Release Date: Summer 2021
Partnership or Research Alliance: Georgia District and School Flexibility Research Partnership
Related Products: Just In Time Report
Megan Austin, American Institutes for Research