Student Performance in Charter Schools

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that,

Students in charter schools, often seen as an alternative to failing neighborhood schools, are scoring significantly below public school pupils in basic reading and math skills, a new study shows.

Charter school students were anywhere from a half year to a full year behind their public school peers, researchers at the Brookings Institution concluded after reviewing 1999-2000 reading and math achievement test scores of 376 charter schools in 10 states.

The study, the first independent snapshot of charter school performance across the nation, found that 59 percent of students at traditional public schools scored better than charter school students during the period studied.

The findings don't necessarily reflect poorly on charter schools, which often attract students who are looking for a way to improve their skills, the authors caution...