Charter Schools Producing Positive Results

The Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) results are in, and according to the scores, Florida charter schools are outperforming their public school counterparts.

The results come amidst much speculation regarding charter school success in the nation, with groups questioning the abilities of charter schools to provide commensurate education for students while other groups have pushed for an increase in charter schools, going as far as to propose the privatization of education.

While charter school success varies widely amongst different states and even counties, one thing is clear: Florida charter schools are proving their worth.

Breaking Down the Results

Education Week explains that results of the FCAT and end-of-year algebra exams were compared for the 2011-12 school year. More than 3 million test scores were analyzed, although demographics were not accounted for, and more than 183,000 students attended charter schools that year in Florida.

On average, charter school students scored better or “proficient” in mathematics, reading, science and algebra. The results were less significant at the elementary school level, where 51.8 percent of public school students scored proficient compared to 51.9 percent of their charter school peers. The differences become more significant at the middle school level, where 47.4 percent of public school students scored proficient compared to 52.5 percent of their charter school peers.

Florida Scores Well With Education Advocates

StudentsFirst, an advocacy group trying to overhaul public school education, recently evaluated every state in the nation. States were assigned letter grades based on factors like teacher evaluation and tenure systems. States were not analyzed for student test scores.

The New York Times reports that no state received an A, 11 were given Fs and only two states received B-minuses. Florida was one of the states that received the highest score, and StudentsFirst has historically pushed for education policies that include student test scores as part of teacher evaluation systems, as well as expand the number of charter schools available.

Similar Results in Massachusetts

Education News compares Florida’s high results to a study conducted recently on Massachusetts schools by California’s Stanford University Center for Research on Educational Outcomes (CREDO). Analyzing the results, CREDO concluded that charter school students gain, on average, 1.5 more months of reading learning and 2.5 more months of math than their public school counterparts.

Boston charter schools had the best results, in a city where 13 percent of students attend charter schools. Edward Cremata, co-author of the report, stated, “The average growth rate of Boston charter students in math and reading is the largest CREDO has seen in any city or state thus far. These results signify that these schools could serve as a model and have an opportunity to transfer knowledge to not only the rest of the state but to the national sector as well.”

This is particularly significant as Boston public schools serve a large proportion of low socioeconomic and minority students, who are often considered to be “at risk” students.

Math Achievement in KIPP Schools

Analyzing the “Knowledge is Power Program” (KIPP), a national charter school chain, Mathematica conducted s study that compared KIPP’s mathematics achievement results with regular public schools.

The Huffington Post explains that KIPP schools tend to serve more low-income students, although less English Language Learners and students with special needs, than public schools. After spending three years in a KIPP school, students exhibit an average of 11 more months of knowledge in mathematics than their public school peers. In addition to rigorous math curriculum, KIPP schools have longer school hours, are selective in choosing staff, have parents and students sign contracts, offer after school assistance and have a stricter disciplinary approach. KIPP students also spend more time on homework than their public school peers.

While the report has generated many questions and critics who feel that the results may be skewed, some education professors are eying the results and considering the applications of KIPP practices into regular public schools. Gary Miron, a professor from Michigan University and evaluator of charter schools, stated, “They're concluding that the students that persist in KIPP do better than comparison students. That makes logical sense." He further stated that a more interesting study would be to see if KIPP programs could be helpful in all “under-performing schools.”

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