First National Peer-Reviewed Charter School Study Describes Results as "Sobering"

Stanford University's prestigious Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) has just released the first national peer-reviewed study of charter schools in fifteen states and DC (National Charter School Study - Press Release). Note that this study looks at test scores and does not consider charter school shortcomings related to school libraries, curricular offerings, sports, facilities, or other extracurricular activities. Hopefully, someone on Duncan's staff who can read will read this report to him. Or at least start with these findings found on page 3 of the National Charter School Study - Full Report .

The Quality Curve results are sobering:

• Of the 2403 charter schools reflected on the curve, 46 percent of charter schools have math gains that are statistically indistinguishable from the average growth among their TPS [traditional public school] comparisons.
  

• Charters whose math growth exceeded their TPS equivalent growth by a significant amount account for 17 percent of the total.
  

• The remaining group, 37 percent of charter schools, posted math gains that were significantly below what their students would have seen if they enrolled in local traditional public schools instead.