The Charter School Vs. Public School Debate Continues : NPR

The Charter School Vs. Public School Debate Continues : NPR:

The Charter School Vs. Public School Debate Continues

by CLAUDIO SANCHEZ

July 16, 2013 5:02 PM

The latest study says kids learn better in charter schools than in public schools. But even charter school supporters question the study and its methods of research.

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Charter schools turn 21 this year. In that time, these privately run, publicly funded schools have spread to 41 states and enrolled more than 2 million students.

But one key question lingers: Do kids in charter schools learn more than kids in traditional public schools?

There have been lots of skirmishes over charter school data over the years. But few have created as big a ruckus as the26-state study of charter schools released recently by Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO.

Like previous studies, the one from CREDO concluded that kids in most charter schools are doing worse or no better than students in traditional public schools. About a third, though, are doing better. And that's a big jump from four years ago. The gains among blacks, Latinos and kids whose first language is not English have