Students in subgroups of the population such as minorities or those in poverty outperform their public school counterparts, according to a study from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University.
The study, which considered data from 16 states including Indiana, found that students with multiple minority designations gain the most from charter schools. For example, black students in poverty gained the equivalent of 29 more days in reading and 36 more days in math than students in traditional public schools nationwide.
“For those student groups the learning benefits of being in a charter is even larger than for the other subgroups,” says Director of CREDO at Stanford University Margaret Raymond. “So we see that for the students that are most in need of strong education options, the charter school enrollment seems to be a benefit for them.”
Overall, the report shows all students in Indiana charter schools gained 36 days in reading and 14 days in math.
Jean Hitchcock is the executive director of Signature School, a charter school in Evansville. She says charter schools can provide students more individualized attention than public schools.
“In terms of dealing with students who are at-risk we are very hands-on. Sometimes you have to take them by the scruff of the neck and pull them along with you,” she says.
Raymond also says Indiana’s charters are doing better than those in other states.
“We think the Indiana story continues to be a very strong example of good charter school policies being supportive of high-quality learning opportunities for Indiana students,” she says.