Charter schools in the USA: A strategy to increase responsiveness, service quality and stretch resources

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain an evolving management strategy in state and local levels of government in the USA that contributes to better productivity through greater responsiveness, governance, increased market‐like competition and leveraging government resources.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on reviews and analysis of published reports about Charter Schools.

Findings

This paper asserts that public private partnership (PPP) charter schools can be very conducive for the development and implementation of a public entrepreneurial strategy (PES) and contribute to local government productivity because: charter schools stretch resources utilization, leverage its ability to license as a mean for mobilizing new resources, improve service quality without expanding cost, reduce future financial obligations (i.e. pensions), diffuse accountability issues that have to do with elementary and secondary education – what the government needs to do in such eventuality is revoke or discontinue the license, induce market dynamics, i.e. consumer choice, effect continuing efforts to improve quality of all schools, become more responsive to demands of some elements of the purpose, describe and explain an evolving management strategy in polity without upsetting others, increase transparency, e.g. who is involved in the process of licensing and the rationale for the decision in each case, accommodate a higher level of community participation in governance, i.e. through opportunities to contribute to the developing of the licensing process, its implementation and the evaluation of its results.

Research limitations/implications

A research limitation is that this approach is still evolving and no long‐term data or evaluations are available. An implication is that this is an evolving management strategy that is geared to address shortage of resources, quality issues in education, governance and the role of government.

Practical implications

This approach might be helpful to other state and local governments outside the USA.

Social implications

The paper describes another way to become more responsive to the educational needs of subgroups.

Originality/value

Knowing more about the context and attributes of Charter Schools in the USA may help others to assess the possible relevancy of this approach for dealing with their own issues of public education.

Citation

Halqachmi, A. (2013), "Charter schools in the USA: A strategy to increase responsiveness, service quality and stretch resources", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 62 No. 4, pp. 420-435. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410401311329643