Credo Debunks Union-Charter School Myths

Latest nationwide study spanning several years showed charter schools earning HUGE learning gains over union schools. Will Pro-CHOICE movement of a different kind be stopped by political machines & Union hack mantras that die hard?

As the WSJ editorial board recently noted: “School choice is gaining momentum nationwide & charter schools are a large part of the movement. A new Stanford study shows that these independently run public schools are blowing away their traditional school competition in student performance. Sandford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (Credo) report is the third in a series (2009, 2013, 2023) tracking charter-school outcomes over 15 years. The study is one of the largest ever conducted, covering over 2 million charter students in 29 states, NY City & Washington DC, and a control group in traditional public schools. CREDO’S JUDGMENT IS UNEQUIVOCAL: Most charter schools ‘produce superior student gains despite enrolling a more challenging student population.’”

To be fair, “Credo’s first study in 2009 found that charters did NOT yield better student outcomes – and has long been cited by charter opponents. Teachers’ unions often claim charters & choice programs betray public education because they cherry-pick children & fail to serves those iin greatest need. Credo’s [latest overwhelming] results should also end that discussion.” Indeed, the latest study shows that “black & Hispanic students had some of the largest gains & that they ‘advance more than their TPS peers by large margins in math & reading.’ Ditto for children in poverty.” As the editors also conclude: “Unions should also read the section on what Credo calls ‘gap-busting schools,’ which show black & Hispanic students succeeding as well as white peers. Credo says this shows that ‘learning gaps between student groups are NOT structural or inevitable.”

Davd Soul