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Student Engagement in Charter and Traditional Public Schools before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Working Paper No. 331-1225

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Title: Student Engagement in Charter and Traditional Public Schools before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Working Paper No. 331-1225
Language: English
Authors: Zeyu Xu, Dan Goldhaber, Rachel Dao, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Source: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER). 2025.
Availability: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-403-5796; Fax: 202-403-6783; e-mail: info@caldercenter.org; Web site: https://caldercenter.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 87
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: Walton Family Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Charter Schools, Traditional Schools, Public Schools, COVID-19, Pandemics, Learner Engagement, Attendance, Graduation Rate, Dropout Rate, Student Characteristics, Institutional Characteristics, Community Characteristics, School Districts, Elementary Secondary Education
Abstract: Student engagement -- attendance, drop out, and graduation rates -- with schooling has been a major concern since the COVID-19 pandemic. While drops in engagement in traditional public schools (TPS) have been widely chronicled, little is known about charter schools. With more operational flexibility, charter schools could potentially keep students more engaged in the face of major disruptions like the pandemic. Using school-level data from 38 states, we compare engagement measures in TPS and charters, finding that engagement deteriorated by similar magnitude in both school sectors on average. Controls for student demographics, school attributes, district and community characteristics or state and district fixed effects explain 40- 60% of the variation in student engagement, but they have no impact on the estimated relative changes in student engagement between charter schools and TPS. These relative changes, however, vary substantially across states.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED681030
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  Data: Student Engagement in Charter and Traditional Public Schools before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Working Paper No. 331-1225
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zeyu+Xu%22">Zeyu Xu</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dan+Goldhaber%22">Dan Goldhaber</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rachel+Dao%22">Rachel Dao</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22National+Center+for+Analysis+of+Longitudinal+Data+in+Education+Research+%28CALDER%29+at+American+Institutes+for+Research+%28AIR%29%22">National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR)</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22National+Center+for+Analysis+of+Longitudinal+Data+in+Education+Research+%28CALDER%29%22"><i>National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)</i></searchLink>. 2025.
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  Data: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-403-5796; Fax: 202-403-6783; e-mail: info@caldercenter.org; Web site: https://caldercenter.org
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  Data: 87
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  Data: Walton Family Foundation
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Charter+Schools%22">Charter Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Traditional+Schools%22">Traditional Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Schools%22">Public Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learner+Engagement%22">Learner Engagement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attendance%22">Attendance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Graduation+Rate%22">Graduation Rate</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dropout+Rate%22">Dropout Rate</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Characteristics%22">Student Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Institutional+Characteristics%22">Institutional Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+Characteristics%22">Community Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Districts%22">School Districts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Student engagement -- attendance, drop out, and graduation rates -- with schooling has been a major concern since the COVID-19 pandemic. While drops in engagement in traditional public schools (TPS) have been widely chronicled, little is known about charter schools. With more operational flexibility, charter schools could potentially keep students more engaged in the face of major disruptions like the pandemic. Using school-level data from 38 states, we compare engagement measures in TPS and charters, finding that engagement deteriorated by similar magnitude in both school sectors on average. Controls for student demographics, school attributes, district and community characteristics or state and district fixed effects explain 40- 60% of the variation in student engagement, but they have no impact on the estimated relative changes in student engagement between charter schools and TPS. These relative changes, however, vary substantially across states.
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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: ED681030
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED681030
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    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 87
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Charter Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Traditional Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: COVID-19
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pandemics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learner Engagement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attendance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Graduation Rate
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dropout Rate
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Characteristics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Institutional Characteristics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Community Characteristics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Districts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Elementary Secondary Education
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Student Engagement in Charter and Traditional Public Schools before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Working Paper No. 331-1225
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