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Charter schools: Two studies, two conclusions

By Nick Anderson
Washington Post Staff Writer

As President Obama pushes for more charter schools, the education world craves a report card on an experiment nearly two decades old. How are these independent public schools doing? The safest and perhaps most accurate reply -- it depends -- leaves many unsatisfied.

This year, two major studies offer contradictory conclusions on a movement that now counts more than 5,000 charter schools nationwide, including dozens in the District and Maryland and a handful in Virginia.

Margaret Raymond, director of Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes, reported in June that most charter schools deliver academic results that are worse or no better than student accomplishments in regular public schools. She relied on test data from 15 states (not including Maryland or Virginia) and the District.

Caroline M. Hoxby, a Stanford economist, reported in September that charter school students are making much more progress than peers who sought entry to those schools by lottery but were turned down. She drew on test data from New York City.

The studies have drawn fire from various quarters. They highlight the challenge of rating schools with huge differences in resources, methods and students. Research over the years has shown pluses and minuses for the charter movement, which began in Minnesota in 1991.

"The people who said this was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread were wrong," said Robert Maranto, a University of Arkansas professor of education reform, who counts himself in that group. "The people who said it would be a calamity were equally wrong."

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federally funded series of tests known as the nation's report card, offers one gauge. The latest results show that fourth-graders in charter schools scored 231 in mathematics on a 500-point scale in 2009, up from 228 in 2003. Fourth-graders in regular public schools scored 239 this year, up from 234 in 2003.

Here's the comparison for eighth-graders in math: Charter school scores rose to 275 this year from 268 in 2005; regular public school scores in that time rose to 282 from 278. Reading scores for 2009 are not yet available.

Such scores are useful, researchers say, but not definitive because of variations among students in charter and regular schools. Those who come from more affluent families tend to score higher on standardized tests.

Raymond, seeking a way around that problem, devised a study to compare charter school students with those she termed "virtual twins" -- peers in regular schools of similar background. Among her findings:

• Thirty-seven percent of charter schools had smaller gains in math than regular public schools, while 17 percent of charter schools had superior gains. Forty-six percent had no significant difference.

• Charter schools show some positive effects in elementary and middle schools and negative effects in high schools and schools with mixed grade levels. Charter schools tend to do better the longer students are enrolled. They beat the norm in some states and lag in others. (D.C. charter schools, she found, had no significant difference compared with regular schools.)

"There are schools that can hit it out of the park," Raymond said. "Then the question is, why do we have this wide range of quality?"

Critics call Raymond's study flawed, citing curious findings. How is it, some wonder, that Raymond found negative charter effects for Hispanic and black students but positive effects for English language learners and students in poverty?

Hoxby said Raymond's method failed to account adequately for what researchers call selection bias. Parents must choose for their children to attend charter schools, Hoxby said, and regular public schools are essentially a default. To address that issue, Hoxby limited her study to test scores of students who sought to enter New York charter schools by lottery. Those "lotteried in" formed one group; those "lotteried out" were the control.

Hoxby reported that charter students had significantly larger gains than the control group. Her translation of those results: Students who attend a New York charter school from kindergarten through grade 8 would close 86 percent of the achievement gap between affluent Scarsdale and high-poverty Harlem in math and 66 percent of the gap in reading. Those lotteried out, she reported, would fail to close the "Scarsdale-Harlem" gap by much. Hoxby also reported that a student who stayed in a charter high school for three years would score higher on certain state tests.

Some experts say Hoxby made questionable extrapolations from her data, leading to overstated findings on the cumulative benefit of charter schools.

Much is at stake in the research debate because the Obama administration is pushing states to ease restrictions on charter schools through the $4 billion Race to the Top grant competition. Obama calls high-quality charter schools agents of innovation. Skeptics say the president overrates their benefits.

So which study got it right? Answers remain elusive.

Kevin Welner, director of the Education and Public Interest Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, noted this month that the two studies used different methods to examine different schools. "They are not directly comparable, nor are we able to say which is 'better,' " Welner said. "Neither report is definitive or without notable weaknesses."

If you needed "proof" of the aforementioned blatant disregard of FACTS - and the health and wealth of the charter school movement - try dancing!

BTW...YES, (for Cairo) I would attack ballet just as vehemently as violins! (Hmmm...Wonder if the ballet teacher gets the $1,000 a day plus mileage that Miss Paula was demanding?)

Another BTW...If the article below is too long for your Monday morning reading, let me emphasize one statement that summarizes the "real world" of charter schools:

Natomas Charter School students must apply for admission, and those interested in the performing arts academy must audition. Students who fall beneath a 2.0 grade-point average are put on academic probation and given a year to improve before they are asked to leave the school.

From the Sacramento Bee...

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Three students at the Natomas Charter School
Performing Arts Academy practice ballet techniques
earlier this month in a class taught by Anne David,
a one-time dancer for the Sacramento Ballet. From
left are Katie Feeney, Catherine Asmus and Chaney
Briggs.
BRYAN PATRICK bpatrick@sacbee.com

A priority of Obama's education plan, charter schools gain traction

dlambert@sacbee.com

Charter schools have come into vogue as an attractive alternative for parents and kids looking for innovative learning environments and higher test scores.

They've also become a priority in President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul the nation's education system.

And California legislators have pushed through laws that simplify charter funding and lift a cap on how many can operate in the state.

A new report by the California Charter Schools Association shows that more charters have opened this school year than in any year since 1992, when legislation first made them possible. The addition of 88 charter schools this year brings the total to 809 schools in California. Collectively, they enroll 341,000 students – about 5 percent of the state's student population.

"I think we are seeing a fundamental shift in the way our education system is being structured," said Jed Wallace, president of the California Charter Schools Association.

Will the shift toward more charters be the answer for a cash-strapped state where only 45 percent of its students passed standardized math tests last year and five out of 10 weren't considered proficient on English tests?

It's hard to tell from test scores. On the Academic Performance Index, California's primary yardstick for student achievement, charter schools and district-run schools score similarly, on average.

Sacramento County students at traditional district schools scored a little lower on standardized STAR tests this year than the area's charter school students.

Charters are part of the public school system and receive public money based on how many students they enroll. They don't have to comply with all the rules and regulations of traditional public schools but must meet student performance goals. Some, like the Performing and Fine Arts Academy at Natomas Charter School, offer a specialized curriculum. Others bill themselves as more- efficient alternatives to public schools.

"Charter schools could have a place in education if what they were were laboratories for trying new things," said Marty Hittleman, president of the California Federation of Teachers. "The problem is they aren't regulated and (aren't) held to any standards."

Teachers union leaders also say charter operators have an unfair advantage because they can be selective about who they enroll and avoid working with students who are difficult to teach or need more resources.

Despite the debate, the charter school movement is gaining traction.

In August, the Los Angeles Unified School District approved a dramatic reform effort that puts the operation of some of the district's lowest-performing schools up for grabs.

The school district has received 219 letters of interest from large charter companies, nonprofits and the United Teachers of Los Angeles union.

"We hope that spirit will spread across the state," Wallace said.

36 in Sacramento County

Sacramento County has 36 charter schools – the fourth-highest number in the state.

Among them is Sacramento Charter High School, a stately campus in Oak Park that was facing state takeover under the Sacramento City Unified School District because of low student achievement. In 2003, the district granted a charter to Mayor Kevin Johnson's nonprofit St. HOPE to run the school.

"The school wasn't serving students well," said St. HOPE's superintendent, Ed Manansala.

St. HOPE set high expectations and increased accountability for students and faculty, Manansala said. The school also set up a system to identify and help struggling students.

St. HOPE lengthened the school day by an hour, and college preparation became a priority.

"There is no room for 'I don't want to do my homework,' " said junior Ashley Leach, as she helped guide a recent tour of the campus.

Since the school reopened as a charter, its four-year dropout rate has decreased from 9.4 percent to 3.7 percent, and its API score has increased from 568 to 731. The state target is an API of 800.

Among schools with similar demographics – 91 percent of Sacramento Charter High's 952 students are minorities and 69 percent receive free or reduced-priced lunches – the charter school ranks in the top 10 percent.

But St. HOPE Public Schools, which also operates the K-8 PS7 school, has had high turnover in its leadership and was $729,742 in debt to Sacramento City Unified School District at this time last year.

District spokeswoman Maria Lopez said last week that St. HOPE is making timely payments.

Not all charters make it. In the past decade, 10 Sacramento County charters have closed, most within a few years of opening. Critics say closures and problems that precede them happen because charters are often run by people with little experience.

Pending state legislation may assuage some of those concerns. Last month, Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D- Antioch, introduced a bill that would make charter schools more accountable by connecting student academic performance to renewal of school charters.

In the past few months, the governor has signed a flurry of bills regarding charters, including a law that allows charters to hold title to their own facilities and legislation that simplifies their funding formulas. Another bill that would lift the state's cap on charter schools is still making its way through the Assembly.

State politicians are following the lead of Obama, who has vowed to replace some of the country's lowest-performing schools with charter schools. And he's made it clear that states need to make it easier to open and operate a charter school if they want any part of the $4.3 billion in federal Race to the Top funds.

"The administration and the department believe charter schools are an important tool in the education toolbox," said Justin Hamilton, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education. "We're looking for them to play a significant role."

The government is doing that by pumping more money into charters. Federal grants for charters grew from $6 million in 1995 to $217 million in 2005, with Obama promising $400 million more for charters. These funds supplement state and local funding, and private donations.

Public schools anxious

The focus on charter schools and the movement of students to those schools is causing increasing angst among public school officials battling reduced budgets and declining daily attendance.

Many local charters, which must be allowed to use vacant school district facilities, are setting up on campuses shuttered by districts.

In the Natomas Unified School District, the success of Natomas Charter means 807 fewer students in district-run schools. The district of 12,000 students took additional hits this year when Natomas Pathways Preparatory School, another charter, added a middle school, culling 400 more students from the district's ranks. The preparatory school's high school already had taken 512 students, and Westlake Charter school has taken another 321.

Public schools now have to compete for students. School district open-enrollment fairs these days often feature slick brochures for public schools and elaborate performances and presentations.

Some reports say the competition is improving grades in regular public as well as public charter schools, but sometimes it cultivates hostility.

"There are districts in the area, where we advise folks you would have a rough ride there," said Eric Premack, director of the nonprofit Charter Schools Development Center in Sacramento.

He cited Davis Unified as an example of a district where declining enrollment, budget cuts and the leadership make the district an unwelcoming place for charters. Natomas Unified and San Juan Unified districts are more supportive, despite their declining enrollments, he said.

Natomas Charter School started in 1993 with 80 students and has since been named a California Distinguished School and a state charter school of the year. The school's Performing and Fine Arts Academy program was one of five in the country to receive a National School of Distinction award from the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network in Washington, D.C., in 2004.

Natomas Charter School students must apply for admission, and those interested in the performing arts academy must audition. Students who fall beneath a 2.0 grade-point average are put on academic probation and given a year to improve before they are asked to leave the school.

Last year, only 3 percent of Natomas Charter students were English learners, and 23 percent were low-income.

Ballet instructor Anne David ticked off a list of required moves – pliι, arabesque arms, pirouette – to her advanced ballet students on a recent Monday afternoon as they moved gracefully along metal bars.

David has performed with the Sacramento Ballet and still performs professionally, but five days a week she is a full-time instructor at Natomas Charter School Performing Arts Academy. She's an example of one reason kids and parents like charters. They offer students something they aren't necessarily getting at other schools, she said.