Organizational Ecology's Contagion Growth Perspective in the Study of Standalone Charter Schools in New York City

This study aims to examine standalone charters in terms of organizational ecology's contagion growth that spread across New York City's neighborhoods from 2000 to 2007. Spatial autoregressive models and geographic information systems reveal that the density dependence that occurs from one standalone charter location to its nearby neighborhoods is associated with low commercial property values, renter-occupied housing units, African-American and Hispanic population, school-age children, and income measures. Among nonprofit types, education- and religious-related nonprofits appear to be among the most consistent significant variables. This study suggests that promising directions for future research centered on ecosystems of charter school growth are context-dependent.