Does a Rising Tide of Charter Schools Really Help Lift All Boats?

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A new report from the Thomas J. Fordham Institute addresses an oft-debated question related to charter school impact:  Does a higher share of charter schools in a given community correlate to higher academic achievement overall (both for students inside and outside of those charter school walls)?[1]

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In this report, researchers used the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA), which allowed them to compare English language arts (ELA) and math scores from thousands of school districts and dozens of different tests  to delve into the answer to this question. [2] Using the SEDA provided a unique opportunity to better understand the potential net gain (or loss) in achievement for both district and charter students.

Following are key findings from the report. (To read the full report, click here.)

FINDING 1: In urban areas, higher charter market share is associated with significant achievement gains for the overall population of black and Hispanic students.

  • In major urban areas, higher charter market share among black and Hispanic students is associated with significant achievement gains in both ELA and math.

  • In the largest urban districts, higher market share of charters serving black students, or “black charter market share”is associated with significant achievement gains for the overall population of black students.

  • In the largest urban districts, higher market share of charters serving Hispanic students, or “Hispanic charter market share” is associated with significant achievement gains for the overall population of Hispanic students.

 

FINDING 2: In suburban and rural areas, higher charter market share is associated with significant achievement gains for Hispanic students, and black students in rural districts also see gains.

  • In large suburban districts, higher "Hispanic charter market share" is associated with significant ELA gains for Hispanic students.

  • In rural districts, higher “black charter market share” is associated with significant gains in ELA achievement for black students.

 

FINDING 3: There is no evidence that higher charter market share is associated with achievement gains for white students.

  • In large urban districts, there is no significant relationship between higher market share of charters serving white students, or  "white charter market share" and white students’ ELA and math achievement.

  • In rural districts, there is no significant relationship between "white charter market share" and white students’ ELA and math achievement.

 

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The author’s key takeaways from this research included:

1.         Addressing the “Charter Advantage”
District-level research shows that the charter advantage is not attributable to “cherry-picking” the best students. If this were the case, according to the research, higher test scores in charters would be canceled out by lower test scores in district schools, driven by the transfer of higher-achieving students from district to charter schools – creating a zero-sum result.  Instead, the data shows an overall positive, additive result for black and Hispanic students.

2.         Debunking Negative Charter Impact on Public Schools
The author found from his research there is no evidence that charters have a negative effect on the academic achievement of traditional public schools.

3.         Charters Could Be a Key Lever in Helping Reduce Racial Achievement Gaps
Based on the report’s findings, the author concludes that expanding charter market share in black and Hispanic communities could significantly reduce racial achievement gaps.

 

In summary, this report supports existing research that suggests black and Hispanic students achieve higher academic gains in charter schools, and that competition from charter schools does not have a negative effect on traditional public schools.

As Fort Worth sees an increase in charter school operators establishing campuses locally, we are encouraged and optimistic that this influx will not only help boost the academic achievement of the at-risk populations many of these charters aim to serve – but will also have a positive impact on our entire local education population.


[1] Griffith, David. Rising Tide: Charter School Market Share and Student Achievement. Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Institute (September 26, 2019). https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/research/rising-tide-charter-market-share.

[2] Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA)

 

Sara Redington