Black Students Showing Strong Gains, Charter Schools Research

WASHINGTON, Aug 04, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Alliance Issue Brief Finds Achievement Levels Rising in Charters

Results from four studies show Black students in public charter schools making important gains and outperforming their counterparts in traditional schools on standard academic tests. The studies are summarized in a new issue brief "The Color of Success: Black Student Achievement in Public Charter Schools," released by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

The issue brief is located at http://www.publiccharters.org/files/publications/NAPCS_ShadesofSuccessIB.pdf
"Taken together, these reports provide encouraging news about public charter schools' effectiveness in helping raise the academic achievement of Black students who too frequently have been poorly served by traditional public schools," said Nelson Smith, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools." Closing the achievement gap is a long process, but charter schools are clearly helping lead the way toward that goal."

The issue brief highlights the following four studies:
-- A national comparison of student achievement on 4th grade reading and math state tests conducted by Stanford University Professor Caroline Hoxby found that, on average, public charter schools serving a high percentage of Black students have more students earning proficient scores than traditional public schools serving a similar student population
-- A Florida Department of Education study shows public charter schools closing the achievement gap between Black and White students at a faster rate than traditional public schools in key subjects and grade levels.
-- Black students in Massachusetts charter schools are overtaking peers in non-charters on state reading and math tests, according to a study by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
-- A 2008 survey of Chicago charter schools reveals that Black students who attend a charter high school have an average composite ACT score half a point higher than Black students in a traditional district school. This increases their chances of graduating from high school by seven percentage points, and increases the likelihood that student will in enroll in college by 11 percentage points.
Additionally, some of the highest performing charters in the nation primarily serve Black students, including KIPP West Atlanta Young Scholars Academy, The Chicago International Charter School, Boston Preparatory Charter Public School, Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, The Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem, Memphis Academy for Health Sciences, Milwaukee College Preparatory School, each of which is profiled in the issue brief.

The authors of issue brief, Gerard Robinson, President of the Black Alliance for Educational Options and Edwin Chan, Director of Strategic Initiatives at KIPP WAYS Academy, offer several recommendations for sustaining the results shown in these studies, including:
-- Founders and operators of public charter schools serving Black students should create a foundation of high expectations at their school that is focused around a mission-driven curriculum and quality teaching.
-- Founders and operators should engage their surrounding communities for opportunities to partner with long-established and highly credible community organizations.
-- Public charter high schools should examine the possibility of expanding to serve additional grades, such as middle school grades.
-- Policymakers, foundations, and others should invest in creating the next generation of founders and operators of public charter schools serving Black students, particularly from those communities where public charter schools are having the greatest impact.

Public Charter Schools Growing
More than 4,300 public charter schools teach 1.2 million public school students in 40 states and Washington D.C. The movement continues to grow as 350 new public charter schools opened in fall 2007, enrolling 115,000 public school students.
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ( www.publiccharters.org) is the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. The Alliance works to increase the number of high performing charter schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. The Alliance provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement.
SOURCE National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

marketwatch.com and publiccharters.org