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Charter Schools Today: A Record of Success
Charter Schools Today
November 14,2003
Charter schools are succeeding —
As with any new policy, it is important that states track the progress of charter schools. Both opponents and proponents of schools of choice agree that these new schools must be held accountable, and as the following research shows, charter schools are being measured and are measuring up.
We know from individual state data, reports and evaluations that charter schools are outpacing non-charter public school student achievement, despite fewer resources and mounting obstacles. And charter schools – like traditional public schools – are also held to account under No Child Left Behind.
The record of the charter movement’s success is documented in the following report, Charter Schools Today – A Record of Success. In 24 states that offer good data, charters have made notable gains, particularly in serving a wide spectrum of students. In addition to serving “average” populations, charters are serving exceptionally well children of color, children with special needs and huge numbers of poor children. More importantly, parents of these students report high satisfaction with the education their children are finally receiving.
Most current assessment methods do not gauge the progress that students make since a student begins attending a charter school. That is beginning to change. But the early test results are promising.
Charter schools are still in their early years—but these positive results are the beginnings of successful future trends.
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A Record of Success
Charter Schools:
Changing the Face of American Education
A Record of Success
The Center for Education Reform
Contributors:
Jeanne Allen
Meghan E. Cotter
Anna Varghese Marcucio
1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 204
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 822-9000
(202) 822-5077
www.edreform.com
© Copyright 2003 by The Center for Education Reform
Introduction
Charter schools are succeeding —
As with any new policy, it is important that states track the progress of charter
schools. Both opponents and proponents of schools of choice agree that these new schools
must be held accountable, and as the following research shows, charter schools are being
measured and are measuring up.
We know from individual state data, reports and evaluations that charter schools are
outpacing non-charter public school student achievement, despite fewer resources and
mounting obstacles. And charter schools – like traditional public schools – are also held to
account under No Child Left Behind.
The record of the charter movement’s success is documented in the following report,
Charter Schools Today – A Record of Success. In 24 states that offer good data, charters have
made notable gains, particularly in serving a wide spectrum of students. In addition to
serving “average” populations, charters are serving exceptionally well children of color,
children with special needs and huge numbers of poor children. More importantly, parents
of these students report high satisfaction with the education their children are finally
receiving.
Most current assessment methods do not gauge the progress that students make since
a student begins attending a charter school. That is beginning to change. But the early test
results are promising.
Charter schools are still in their early years—but these positive results are the
beginnings of successful future trends.
Jeanne Allen
President
Charter Schools:
Changing the Face of American Education
2
A Record of Success
The Center for Education Reform 3
Arizona
Havens for underserved students produces results
Arizona is one of the most progressive states, passing strong charter
school legislation in 1995. Today, that legislation has allowed for 464 charter
schools to open, and more than 70,000 students have chosen to participate in
this educational opportunity.
Despite current myths, Arizona charter schools do not serve the “best
of the best,” but “have become havens for students with special problems,
returning former drop-outs, and others ‘referred’ to them by traditional
public schools.”
In 2001, researchers analyzed academic data for 60,000 students and
looked at their actual gains from year to year. The conclusion: The longer the
child is in a charter school, the higher he/she achieves.
Academic performance in Arizona schools is measured using the
Stanford 9 exam. Standardized test scores for Arizona charter schools show
that students met or exceeded the average statewide score. In addition,
students who have been enrolled in a charter school for three years were
found to have “a significant advantage [in math and reading] over students in
traditional public schools with the effect increasing over time.”
In 2003, statewide results from the Stanford 9 language, math and
reading tests found that 17 out of the state’s 25 highest performing elementary
and middle schools are charter schools.
For more information refer to “Does Charter School Attendance Improve Test
Scores? The Arizona Results” written by Lewis Solmon, Ph.D., David Garcia, and Kern
Paark for the Goldwater Institute in March 2001.
Charter Schools:
Changing the Face of American Education
4
California
Low-income children benefit more from charter schools
All public schools in California are measured by what is called the Academic
Performance Index (API), which is based on the aggregate test scores of each school
year to year. Utilizing the API, researchers have found that charter schools do better
with low-income students than traditional public schools. Charter schools serve more
low Socioeconomic (SES) students than non-charter schools.
There were over 430 charter schools operating as of 2002, when the following
findings were concluded. The research was limited to a sample of schools.
Charter schools also have a higher proportion of African-American students
(16 percent vs. 8 percent in district public schools). In short, API scores in
California’s low-income charter schools are improving at a faster rate than noncharter
public schools. This is especially significant given that traditionally, the gap
among low income and more affluent schools usually increases over time. Charters in
California have a high percentage of non-English learners and high mobility rates,
similar to non-charter public schools. But these factors have less bearing on student
achievement in charters than they do in traditional learning environments.
Another significant finding is the impact that smaller schools have on
achievement. Many charters start out with the mission of ensuring a smaller
environment. The research finds the small size factor influences student performance
positively. For example, for every increase of 100 students, 4.5 API points were lost in
charter schools versus a 5.8 point loss in non-public charter schools.
Other facts regarding California charter school achievement:
• Of all the charter schools operating for five years or more, 80 charters
outperformed all public schools on 2002 API scores, with an average of 708
points versus 689 for all public schools.
• Seventy percent of charter schools in 2002 improved over the previous API
scores.
A Record of Success
The Center for Education Reform 5
• Charter schools serving 75 percent or more of low socio-economic status students
increased student achievement over non-charter public schools by a 4.3 margin.
• On average, start-up charters – those that start from scratch without the benefit of an
existing public school campus or faculty - are slightly outperforming conventional
non-charter public schools.
• Charter schools tend to enroll those most under-served by the traditional public
school system. Charter schools tend to serve a great percentage of low-income
students, and a slightly greater percentage of students with academic problems than
traditional public schools. Also, on a percentage basis, twice as many African-
American
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