WASHINGTON, D.C. A new report released today by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reveals the results of four public charter schools that participated in an international exam to measure their academic success against both students in the U.S. and those in developed countries. All four schools outperformed U.S. averages and demonstrated their students are prepared to compete with students across the world in reading, math, and science.
On Top of the World: Public Charter Schools and International Benchmarking, 2013-2014, funded by the Kern Family Foundation, looks at the performance of students at public charter schools on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developments (OECD) Test for Schools.
The test is designed to not only help schools measure where they stack up globally, but also provides school-level insights on academic practices found in the highest-achieving education systems that administer the internationally reputable Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a test that measures 15-year old competency in math, reading, and science.
It’s no surprise to see public charter schools are performing on par with their global peers, said National Alliance President and CEO Nina Rees. Public charter schools have advanced some of our nation’s most innovative public school models and are consistently providing students with a high-quality education.
The data found public charter schools that scored above their US peers were similar in structure and practice to the top-performing educational systems in the world. Public charter schools that performed well have adopted practices such as strong professional development, student empowerment, curricular equity, and integration of technology.
The schools featured in the report include:
Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette, Colo.: A liberal arts and college preparatory K-12 school in Boulder Valley School District, Peak to Peak scored significantly higher in reading, science, and math than traditional public school students in the US and was on par in science with the top-performing Shanghai students who took PISA in 2009. One reason for Peak to Peaks success is its robust professional development program that not only allows teachers at the school to learn from one another, but frequently convenes teachers from around the country to share best practices.
Not Your Ordinary School (NYOS) in Austin, Texas: The PreK-12 public charter school serves 890 students and scored above the U.S. PISA average. Part of NYOS success is its culture of student empowerment and involvement, a characteristic in common with other globally successful schools.
Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis, Mass.: Sturgis, which adopted the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in 2004, performed above the average of Finland, another top-performing school system on the PISA. Much of Sturgis success can be attributed to their IB for all program where 100 percent of the students participate in the advanced coursework required of IB students.
University Laboratory School (ULS) in Honolulu, Hawaii: ULS performed significantly above the U.S. average on the PISA in math and science. ULS is known for its outstanding integration of technology in the classroom, using tools such as Googles Apps for Education, Google Glass, and Google Hangout to help meet the diverse needs of their students.
It’s no longer enough for our students to simply meet local standards, added Rees. If we want our students to remain competitive in today’s global job market, we must measure our academic achievement on an international level. We are proud of these public charter schools that are showing us the way to achieve at the highest level and we hope more schools will learn from their success.
Click here to read On Top of the World: Public Charter Schools and International Benchmarking, 2013-2014.
About Public Charter Schools
Public charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, all but one independent research study has found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit our website at www.publiccharters.org.
