INDIANA CHARTER SCHOOLS PERFORM SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN THEIR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL PEERS
A CREDO at Stanford University Report on a study of Indiana charter school students shows more growth for charter school students compared to their traditional public schools peers.
Stanford, CA – A new report released today by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University found that reading and math gains for charter school students in Indiana were significantly better compared to their traditional public school peers. The Indiana report, examined charters from 2004-2008 and expands upon the national CREDO at Stanford report, entitled,“Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States,†that was released in June of 2009.
Building on the methodology used for the national report, CREDO at Stanford found that overall, charter school performance in Indiana and Indianapolis outpaced the traditional public schools in learning gains. Looking at the distribution of school performance, 98% of the charter schools had similar or superior academic growth than the traditional public schools in reading and 100% of charter schools had similar or superior academic growth in math compared to traditional public schools. Charter schools of all ages in Indiana on average grow at better rates than traditional public schools and charter school students grow at higher rates compared to their traditional public school peers in their first two years of enrollment in charter schools.
“At a time where there is acute attention to quality in the charter sector, the charter schools in Indiana are proving to be a high quality option for students and parents,â€said Dr. Margaret Raymond, Director of CREDO at Stanford University.
Black students in charter schools reported significantly better learning gains than Black students in traditional public schools. In fact, Black students in charter schools in Indiana grow at similar rates to the average white student in a traditional public school in math. Charter school students in poverty also reported significantly better learning gains than their peers at traditional public schools in math as did charter school students that were retained a grade.
To download a copy of the state report visit:Â http://credo.stanford.edu.
About CREDO at Stanford University
CREDO at Stanford University was established to improve empirical evidence about education reform and student performance at the primary and secondary levels. CREDO at Stanford University supports education organizations and policymakers in using reliable research and program evaluation to assess the performance of education initiatives. CREDO’s valuable insight helps educators and policymakers strengthen their focus on the results from innovative programs, curricula, policies or accountability practices. http://credo.stanford.edu