A PREDICTABLE SURPRISE

California Charter Schools Rated as Equal to Public Ones in Study (GREG WINTER, July 1, 2003, NY Times)

California's charter schools typically perform as well as their traditional counterparts, despite facing persistent financial obstacles and relying on far more uncertified teachers, according to a state-sponsored study released yesterday.

Because charter schools enroll a higher percentage of poor and academically troubled students than traditional public schools, their students tend not to do as well on standardized tests, the study found. [...]

That the scores should be so similar could be considered surprising. Charter schools are much less likely to receive money in at least eight major categories of educational spending, the study found, including federal poverty programs, special education dollars, staff training and efforts to reduce class size.

And only about 76 percent of teachers in charter schools are fully credentialed, compared with 88 percent in traditional ones.

In a study earlier this year, researchers from the University of California and Stanford University raised the issue of whether the relative inexperience of charter school teachers put their students at a disadvantage. The RAND study did not appear to bear out that concern.

Who that is not blinded by statist ideology would be surprised that these schools do so well? Posted by Orrin Judd at July 3, 2003 7:31 AM