Do Michigan Charter Schools Get More Bang for the Buck?

The past year’s rise of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education has brought more attention to the performance of charter schools, both nationally and in her native Michigan. Charter schools are tuition-free, state-funded schools of choice that tend to operate with fewer dollars than other public schools. How well are charter schools doing with the resources they have?

In 2017 the Mackinac Center partnered with Cato Institute analyst and University of Arkansas doctoral candidate Corey DeAngelis to analyze how well the state’s public schools perform given the dollars available to them. The study compares the cost effectiveness and return on investment provided by Michigan charter and traditional public schools in 70 different cities.

The average Michigan charter school receives $2,800 less per pupil than its traditional school district counterpart, but how does that translate into a student’s short-term test scores and estimated lifetime earnings? DeAngelis will highlight the findings of the study and their potential implications for the state’s educational choice and funding policies.

Corey A. DeAngelis is a policy analyst at the Cato Center for Educational Freedom. He is also a distinguished doctoral fellow and Ph.D. candidate in education policy at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and a policy advisor for the Heartland Institute. His research focuses on the effects of educational choice programs on student achievement and nonacademic outcomes such as criminal activity, political and economic freedom, schooling supply and fiscal impacts.

Lunch is free for attendees who RSVP. Please register online here. 

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact us at 989-698-1905 or events@mackinac.org.