Average charter schools perform about the same as nearby traditional public schools, with large variation in effects¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 2 review r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Overall research suggests the average charter school performs about the same as nearby traditional public schools, but effects vary greatly across charter schools. → Philip M. Gleason 2016

q2 i? Research suggests the average charter school performs about the same as nearby traditional public schools, with great variation in effects across charter schools. → Philip M. Gleason 2017

Evidence¶

Philip M. Gleason 2016¶

Philip M. Gleason. (2016). What's the Secret Ingredient? Searching for Policies and Practices that Make Charter Schools Successful. Working Paper 47. Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/whats-the-secret-ingredient-searching-for-policies-and-practices-that-make-charter-schools doi:10.1080/15582159.2017.1395620

q2 · i? · review · r?

The paper's background synthesis states that "the average charter school performs about the same as nearby traditional public schools," while noting "great variation in the effects of charter schools." No effect size is printed.

"Overall, research suggests that the average charter school performs about the same as nearby traditional public schools, but there is great variation in the effects of charter schools."

Philip M. Gleason 2017¶

Philip M. Gleason. (2017). What's the Secret Ingredient? Searching for Policies and Practices That Make Charter Schools Successful. Journal of School Choice. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/ja-whats-the-secret-ingredient-searching-for-policies-and-practices-that-make-charter-schools

q2 · i? · review · r?

The summary reports that the average charter school "performs about the same as nearby traditional public schools" while effects vary greatly, motivating the search for what distinguishes successful charters. No effect sizes are printed.

"Research suggests that the average charter school performs about the same as nearby traditional public schools, but there is great variation in the effects of charter schools."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Charter middle school students who attend a charter high school are 8 to 10 percentage points more likely to attend college than those who transition to a traditional public high school — related
• Charter schools show favorable high school graduation and college-entry results suggesting possible long-term benefits — related
• Little evidence that Philadelphia charter schools help or harm achievement of students in nearby district schools — related
• Charter school entrants have similar or lower achievement than incumbents in all studied cities, suggesting no cream skimming — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Charter school quality varies greatly, and virtual charters perform significantly worse, while charters often increase segregation and underrepresent students with disabilities — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Charter school outcomes are mixed as a group, with 17% of charters producing greater academic gains and 37% performing worse than traditional public schools serving similar students — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• South Carolina charter students show similar reading growth but weaker math growth than traditional public school peers, with a math disadvantage of 53 fewer days of learning per year — related
• About 30 percent of South Carolina charter schools outperform traditional alternatives in reading and 15 percent in math, while 22 percent and 33 percent underperform — related
• Philadelphia charter school students' achievement gains are approximately equal to gains of students attending district-operated public schools — a narrower finding that bears on this claim