Townhall covered how California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told teachers unions in his 2018 gubernatorial campaign that “vouchers and for-profit charter schools have no place in this state.” Despite being adamantly opposed to charter schools, and school choice altogether, Newsom sent his children to a private school that reopened after lockdowns sooner than most public schools in the state.
A study released by the nonpartisan Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that students at charter schools are outperforming students in public schools in standardized tests on math and reading.
According to Fox News, the center has compared standardized state test scores from the two types of schools since 2009. The first four studies showed that public schools outperformed the charter schools. Four years later, the schools were tied. Now, charter schools are outperforming public schools.
"Students who are enrolled in charter schools get more learning in a year's time in both reading and mathematics than they would have gotten had they gone to their local district schools," Dr. Macke Raymond, an author of the report, told the outlet. "To have so many thousands of schools each getting a little bit better to create this trend line was really quite a revelation."
Reportedly, the test scores suggest that charter schools outperform public school students by 16 added days of learning in reading and 6 added days of learning in math.
"That is a huge move that translates to more than two extra weeks of school," Raymond explained. "Imagine having your child go to school two extra weeks every year, year in, year out. That accumulates."
In the study, network charter schools did better, with their students gaining 27 extra days of reading and 23 in math.
“Gains are especially strong for low income, black and Hispanic students who 'advance more than their TPS(traditional public school) peers by large margins,’” Fox noted, adding that more than 1,000 schools have eliminated learning disparities and moved past their state’s average performance. And, charter schools enroll more students of color than their neighboring public schools.
Last year, a federal report showed that students suffered irreparable learning loss in the past two years due to pandemic lockdowns that kept children out of school. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, math and reading scores among 9-year-olds fell across all race and income levels in the past two years, though they were significantly worse among low-ranking students. Those in the 90th percentile showed a 3 percent drop in math scores, while students in the 10th percentile fell 12 points, which Leah covered. Average 9-year-old scores declined the most on record for math (seven points) and in reading since 1990 (five points).
This year’s report shows that 13-year-olds’ math and reading scores are the lowest in decades, according to The New York Times.
“More than ever before, educators and policymakers need reliable examples of strong student learning that they can emulate to make up for past shortfalls," Raymond said in a press release. "The results of this study, along with the longer story of improvement by charter schools, provide critical insights that can accelerate student learning in more communities.”
