REPORT RANKS CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOLS 8th BEST IN U.S. - Bad news: low minority, poor, special ed, ELL participation + low math scores

by Craig Clough, LA School Report | Posted on http://bit.ly/UXHVhZ

October 1, 2014 1:52 pm  ::  In it’s first ever state-by-state rankings, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked California’s charters No. 8 on its list of best in the nation.

Using 11 measures, the study ranked 26 states that met the criteria for the study and judged their overall health based on how they are performing, innovating and growing.

California scored well on the following indicators:

• Eleven percent of the state’s public schools were charters in 2013–14.
• In 2011–12, 75 percent of the state’s public charters were located in nonsuburban areas as compared to 64 percent of traditional public schools.
• Twenty-eight communities had more than 10 percent of their public school students in charters during 2012–13.

Also among positive trends the study found were the high opening rate, the low closing rate and the high reading academic performance of students at California’s charter schools.

On the negative side, the study found a low percentage of minority students, reduced-price lunch students, special education students and English learners served by charters, as well as overall low math scores.

Click here to see the full study.