NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOL STUDY/PAID FOR BY CHARTER ORGANIZATIONS: “As a collective group, students in charter schools are not faring as well as students in traditional public schools.”

from Larson Communication On behalf of CREDO at Stanford University

Stanford University released a major report today providing the most detailed look to date at how charter schools are performing across the nation compared to their traditional public school counterparts.  The report provides an in-depth examination of 16 states, including: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado (Denver), DC, Florida, Georgia, Illinois (Chicago), Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

Key findings from the report include:

• As a collective group, students in charter schools are not faring as well as students in traditional public schools.
• 17 percent of charter schools reported academic gains that were significantly better than traditional public schools, while 37 percent of charter schools showed gains that were worse than their traditional public school counterparts, with 46 percent of charter schools demonstrating no significant difference.
• For students that are low income, charter schools had a larger and more positive effect than for similar students in traditional public schools. English Language Learner students also reported significantly better gains in charter schools.
• Students do better in charter schools over time. While first year charter school students on average experienced a decline in learning, students in their second and third years in charter schools saw a significant reversal, experiencing positive achievement gains. 
• The report found that achievement results varied by states that reported individual data, with charter schools in five states significantly outperforming their traditional peers, four states showing no difference and with six states significantly underperforming their traditional peers.

●●smf’s 2¢: Caveat Emptor/follow the money/who paid for the study? -- For all of it’s ambivalence about Charter School performance  this report  A Framework for Operational Quality: A Report from the National Consensus Panel on Charter School Operational Quality  is from  The Center for Research of Educational Outcomes at Stanford University [CREDO] in partnership with the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the Colorado League of Charter Schools  - collectively the the Charter School Quality Consortium.

National Charter School Study - Press Release

National Charter School Study - Executive Summary

National Charter School Study - Full Report

National Charter School Study - Technical Appendix

 

Press Release
State Report