(Guest Post by Matthew Ladner)
So I was curious as to how charter schools in Chicago compare academically to the district. I ran the NAEP numbers from the Trial Urban District Assessment for free and reduced lunch eligible general education students. This is about as close to an apples to apples comparison as you can get in the NAEP data-much smaller range in variation in family income, general education students.
Here are the results:
This is the part where edu-reactionaries will start to stare at their feet to mutter stories about how these differences must be all about the differences in motivation between parents. The random assignment studies have consistently demonstrated however that charter school students perform better on charter schools for inner city kids. The whole “motivated parents” question is irrelevant until such time that charter schools don’t have a waiting list in any case, unless of course you are willing to sacrifice the interests of children over those of adults.
The Economist recently reviewed the evidence on charter schools and concluded:
In rich countries, this generation of adults is not doing well by its children. They will have to pay off huge public-sector debts. They will be expected to foot colossal bills for their parents’ pension and health costs. They will compete for jobs with people from emerging countries, many of whom have better education systems despite their lower incomes. The least this generation can do for its children is to try its best to improve its state schools. Giving them more independence can do that at no extra cost. Let there be more of it.
Jay P. Greene's Blog 
I’ve worked in charters and loved having more freedom to teach. The idea that charters are soo horrid comes from the union teachers afraid of losing their jobs. A free market WILL dictate a better education system. http://demandeducation.wordpress.com/
[…] often with each side citing their own data to prove their point. But today, education policy expert Jay P. Greene researched something about charter schools that should raise everyone's eyebrows. Instead of looking at […]
So, the dawning of a new day for unions or a Pyrrhic victory marking their slide towards oblivion?
[…] Sun-Times, September 9, 2012. Professor Jay P. Greene’s blog post title says it all: “Chicago Charter Students aren’t just in school today, they are learning more than their dis…, Jay P. Greene’s Blog, September 13, 2012. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the […]
In MN union leaders came to soften their opposition to charter schools and even set up their own charter school authorizer. Illinois Citizens for Better Schools challenged CTU to start their own charter school. http://illinoiscitizensforbetterschools.blogspot.com/2012/12/icbs-challenge-to-karen-lewis-start.html
naturally like your web site but you have to check the spelling
on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling
issues and I to find it very bothersome to inform the truth however
I’ll definitely come back again.
P Andrew Fleming
Chicago Charter Students arent just in school today, they are learning more than their district peers | Jay P. Greene’s Blog