An Analysis of Organizational Mortality: The Case of Charter Schools from 1995-2002

近年来，大量研究考察了特许学校的建立和发展，许多人认为特许学校是教育中的重要组成部分。尽管这种新的组织形式越来越受欢迎，但自1991年首次获得授权以来，大约12%的特许学校已经关门，极大地扰乱了相当多学生的教育途径。然而，由于特许学校相对年轻，而且缺乏全国性的数据，研究人员还不知道是什么原因导致特许学校关闭。这项研究调查了美国特许学校关闭的原因。该项目将产生第一个关于特许学校的全面的全国性数据集，并将利用它来研究特许学校随着时间的推移关闭的模式和决定因素。更广泛地说，该项目将阐明组织死亡率的问题，即市场责任、组织动态或与关键机构资源分配有关的人口因素在多大程度上可能导致失败。此外，这项研究将深入分析创新如何影响组织失败或成功的可能性，主要是在教育市场，但影响超出范围。该项目将提供有关特许学校关闭的新信息，将帮助政策制定者评估特许学校的表现，并制定改进和标准化的指导方针，以促进学校的稳定和问责。这项研究的发现也将有助于促进组织、教育和社会学研究中的知识和理解。最后，它将向研究界提供第一个全面的、全国性的、纵向的特许学校数据库。

In recent years, a substantial body of research has examined the establishment and growth of charter schools, which are considered by many to be an important in education. Despite the increasing popularity of this new organizational form, approximately twelve percent of charter schools have shut their doors since they were first authorized 1991, dramatically disrupting the educational pathways of a significant number of students. Due to the relative youth of charter schools and lack of national data, however, researchers do not yet know what causes charter schools to close. This study examines the causes of charter school closure in the United States. The project will produce the first comprehensive national data set about charter schools and will use it to examine the patterns and determinants of charter school closure over time. More generally, the project will shed light on the question of organizational mortality, the extent to which failures may result from market accountability, organizational dynamics, or demographic factors related to distribution of key institutional resources. In addition, the study will provide an in-depth analysis of how innovation can affect the likelihood of organizational failure or success, primarily in the educational marketplace but with implications beyond.The new information this project will provide about charter school closures will help policy makers assess the performance of charter schools and create improve and standardized guidelines that promote school stability and accountability. The findings of this study will also help advance knowledge and understanding within the study of organizations, education, and sociology. Finally, it will provide the research community with the first comprehensive, national, longitudinal database of charter schools.