Gary Miron

The Kalamazoo Promise and Perceived Changes in Teacher Beliefs, Expectations, and Behaviors

ABSTRACT High teacher expectations are an essential component of quality education and are known to lead to positive outcomes for students. The authors examined perceived changes in teacher beliefs, expectations, and behaviors that result from the introduction of the Kalamazoo Promise, a universal postsecondary scholarship program. These perceptions were accessed through interpretive interviews with principals, counselors, teachers, and through interviews and surveys with students in the school district. Educators and students reported marked improvements in teacher attitudes and behaviors since the announcement of the Kalamazoo Promise. The authors discuss the implications of research findings and the potential of this scholarship program as a catalyst for systemic change in the district.

Kalamazoo Promise: Can a Universal College Scholarship Reform Urban Education?

Academic optimism has unlocked and unleashed the aspirations of teachers, parents, and students in an urban district in the Midwest.

Evaluating the Locational Attributes of Education Management Organizations (EMOs).

ABSTRACT This study uses logistic and multinomial logistic regression models to analyze neighborhood factors affecting EMO(Education Management Organization)-operated schools’ locational attributes (using census tracts) in 41 states for the 2014–2015 school year. Our research combines market-based school reform, institutional theory, and resource dependency to explore one important issue regarding EMO location: What are the factors associated with the presence of varied types and sizes of EMOs in neighborhoods? To our knowledge, this is the first multistate study of neighborhood characteristics associated with the location of EMO-operated schools. The results show that the locational patterns of EMO-operated schools are sensitive to high minority areas, as expected, but also to socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhood. Our findings also suggest that larger EMOs tend to gravitate to areas where they can mobilize resources. For those concerned about spatial efficiency-equity trade-offs in EMO location policies, our results suggest a need for close monitoring of the distributive patterns of EMO expansion across neighborhoods, racial/ethnic and income groups, and the net effect of EMO location on neighborhood attributes.

Response to Evan Rhinesmith’s Review of Exploring the School Choice Universe

We thank Mr. Rhinesmith and the Journal of School Choice for calling readers’ attention to our new volume (Miron, Welner, Hinchey, & Mathis, 2013). For us, this was a labor of love—a way for us to bring together a tremendous amount of expertise about the wide variety of forms of school choice and the issues they raise. It is gratifying to see that the book has substantial value even to a less-than-friendly reader. We are, however, disappointed with the reviewer’s characterization of findings from the Washington, DC voucher program and his comments on the extensively well-cited chapter on innovation and diversification. We agree with the reviewer that our book would benefit from considering publications that became available after we submitted the book for publication, although this really wasn’t possible. If this trick were possible, we would still have continued to consider a wide array of studies and not only select pro–school-choice studies as suggested by the reviewer. The strength of our book is its very comprehensive review of evidence and related issues. Think about all the issues prompted by choice-based policies: basic philosophical and democracy issues, questions about legality and litigation, how parents make choices—who chooses, and why?, how choice schools are held accountable, how choice is funded and what incentives arise out of those funding choices, teacher quality issues, questions about innovation and diversification, effects on segregation and stratification, competitive effects of choice schools on other schools, and the effects of choice policies on measured student achievement. We asked experts in these various issues to explain what is broadly known from research. Because school choice isn’t a single thing, we identified a half-dozen different types of choice that we asked each chapter author to address. In addition to charter schools and conventional vouchers, we pointed the authors to homeschooling, to cyberschools, to magnet schools and other types of within-district choice—also called “open enrollment,” to betweendistrict choice, and to neovouchers—tuition tax credit plans that provide a public subsidy for private school tuition.