Yesterday we wrote about positive results from the UCSD meta analysis of charter schools research. The results deserve applause; there is no doubt about that. Further, the results charter schools are experiencing in big cities are truly remarkable. In areas like NYC, Boston, and Chicago that have been the focus of studies, public charter schools are producing very large positive results, results that skeptics thought were unlikely.
But are any of these findings enough? A recent study of charter schools in Massachusettsshowed urban charter schools outperformed other urban traditional public schools, consistent with the findings of the meta-analysis. But a back of the napkin estimate (it wasn’t specifically reported in the study) suggests that the large positive results in urban charter schools don’t quite diminish the urban/non-urban achievement gap. Many high performing charter schools are at a turning point. They are exceeding expectations, receiving accolades, and providing good educational options to students. The next hurdle is making these great schools the best schools in the district, state, and nation to make inroads on persistent achievement gaps. And the charter school movement as a whole has work to do in order to make sure that quality is more widespread. The leaders of “no excuses” schools, like KIPP who was featured in the meta analysis, would likely agree that the findings aren’t enough. By all measures in the meta-analysis, KIPP schools are doing phenomenally well on standardized assessments, and the majority of KIPP students graduate from high school and attend college. Except KIPP isn’t satisfied, yet, because many students have faltered when it comes to college completion. KIPP is not trying to keep these facts secret. Instead, KIPP has identified the challenge and is working to make sure that KIPP schools excel on all measures of student success. The meta-analysis should certainly be embraced as it highlights the great work of many charter schools, but we should also take a lesson from great charter schools—even with great results, great charter schools buckle down and strive to ensure that they are the best schools in the nation.
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