How Do Charter Schools Perform Compared to Traditional Public Schools?

The answer: generally, better. In fact, Florida just released their 2012 report on Florida charter school performance. You can take a look here. Below are some of the items that stood out to me.

• The large disparity in upper elementary/middle school performance. Once of the questions we were asked in our charter application was "Why K-8?". Frankly, in my experience, if students are going to struggle academically, it often begins in late elementary/early middle school. Researchers have speculated different reasons for this: the more difficult material, obviously. Also, the transition from elementary to middle school is often tumultuous and can sometimes exploit gaps that may already exist. A K-8 school offers a seamless transition, allowing students to focus on academics first and foremost. As you can see, the math disparity is even greater.  
   

• Achievement gaps. Schools are graded on multiple factors, one of which being the achievement gaps among different ethnic groups, with the goal being to lessen and/or close achievement gaps that often exist between majority and minority groups. Charter schools were far more successful at closing these achievement gaps, partly due, in my opinion, to smaller class sizes and the increased control of curriculum of the teachers who teach in charter schools.

• Learning gains. One of the largest components of a school's grades is showing that the students in their schools are actually learning- often termed "learning gains". Charter schools meets or exceed public schools in learning gains in both the "all students" category and the "lowest quartile" category (meaning the lowest 25% students). This shows an ability to help struggling students and increase performance on state assessments.

While there are many factors that determine whether a charter school is successful or not, Florida charter schools, overall, have a reputation of excellence!

Astra inclinant, sed non obligant
(The stars incline us, they do not bind us),
Kelly