After identifying over 2,300 U.S. low-scoring schools from 2003 to see how well they improved over a five-year period, researchers noted less than one percent posted better performance indicators. Fewer than ten percent made even moderate gains. Charter schools, however, demonstrated a greater drop in the number of failing programs, but only by virtue of shutting down more campuses. Nine percent to 11 percent of neighborhood schools were shuttered; the percentage of schools demonstrating improvement was even between the two categories.
More recently, a high-profile analysis (PDF) of Pennsylvania charter schools found that online charter programs lag significantly behind campus-based education facilities. The study also found student performance improves the longer he or she is enrolled at a charter school, and for brick and mortar campuses, charter schools were statistically even with neighborhood schools.
Other national- and state-specific studies show a picture of charter schools mostly training neighborhood schools in outcomes. A report from The Center for Research and Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University conducted the nation’s first comprehensive comparison of charter and neighborhood schools, finding that for every 17 charters that perform better, 37 perform worse. The remaining schools were indistinguishable from their virtual public school twins. Fifteen states and Washington D.C., were scrutinized in the study (PDF).
The report did find charters with similar demographics to district schools performed better at the elementary and middle school level; a study in association with The National Charter School Research Project found (PDF) similar results.
For the rest of the article, go to Ohio school bill would bar charter from enrolling student if better traditional school exists
