Did EdSource adjust for self-selection bias?
Some researchers believe that charter school students are more motivated than traditional public school students because they need to affirmatively select a charter. They suggest that this “self-selection” bias may explain why some studies show charter school students perform better than traditional public school students. In contrast, some point out that some families choose a charter school because the student is struggling in a public school. Whatever the case may be, unlike characteristics such as parental socioeconomic status, self-selection bias is impossible to control for on a statewide basis with the data available. Therefore, the EdSource study did not adjust for it.
