What is a Charter School?
Charter schools are independent public schools allowed freedom to be more innovative, while being held accountable for improved student achievement.
A new study by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reports that these innovative schools are “providing excellent learning opportunities for students.”
The report’s analysis notes that students who attended charter schools for four years have “stronger achievement growth than traditional public school students and non-CMO charter students in both reading and math.”
The study also looks at charter schools vs. public schools in an array of states, including Florida, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
In every case, it seems that charter school students outrank their traditional public school peers. For example, the study reports that “on average, students in Washington, D.C. who attended public charter schools scored 15 and 16 percent of a standard deviation better in reading and math respectively.”
In New Jersey, students enrolled in urban charter schools learn significantly more in both math and reading compared to their traditional public school peers.