We’ve released a new report summarizing the prominent research studies published over the past four years that compared the academic performance of students who attended public charter schools and traditional public schools. The quick takeaway: the gold standard research since 2010 shows public charter school students are outperforming their traditional school peers.
Of the 14 studies published since 2010, three national studies and 10 regional studies from across the country found positive academic performance results for students in charter schools compared to their traditional school peers. One Utah-based regional study found mixed to negative results. The research studies that were included in this report—from organizations including the Center on Reinventing Public Education, CREDO and Mathematica Policy Research—used longitudinal student-level data and robust analysis to examine the impact of public charter schools compared to district schools. The national studies looking at charter management organizations, single-site models and the KIPP model found that public charter schools have a positive impact on student achievement compared to traditional public schools. In Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Wisconsin, the regional studies also found that public charter schools have a positive impact on student achievement. For a summary of studies prior to 2010, see the NAPCS report, Measuring Charter Performance: A Review of Public Charter School Achievement Studies. Also, check out a visual display of public charter school performance effects over time.
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