Published by the Brookings Institution, the report found student test scores largely unchanged before and after conversion, but identified several key characteristics where conversions more closely resemble traditional public schools than start-up charters, including the tendency to have larger student enrollments and staff more experienced teachers who are more likely to hold teaching certificates, particularly in bilingual education.

The report’s authors argue that future research of charter schools will need to differentiate between conversions and start-ups because of the “significant institutional differences between the two types of charters.”