Education Research Report: Among low-income schools, traditional public schools show higher achievement scores than charters

Education Research Report: Among low-income schools, traditional public schools show higher achievement scores than charters:

Among low-income schools, traditional public schools show higher achievement scores than charters

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) recently released Report Cards for a majority of public and charter schools in the state. Public schools comprise 95% (1,772 schools) of the total data set, charter schools comprise 5% (101) of the total. 

The Report Cards represent a compilation of three years of data intended to provide a standard of measure for school, student, and teacher performance. Forward Institute is conducting an extensive study on the effects of Wisconsin 2011 Act 32 on high poverty vs. low poverty school students, to be completed in January 2013.

Forward Institute used the recent Report Cards to examine the correlations between poverty and educational outcome in Wisconsin charter and public schools. The Report Cards are an appropriate data source as they us