Study: Michigan charter school students out-learning their peers at traditional districts
Michigan charter school students are out-learning their traditional district peers on an annual basis by two to three months, according to a Stanford University study released Thursday.
High school substitute teacher Andrea Merry teachers social studies at Central Academy in Ann Arbor Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. Central Academy recently was recognized for exceeding student test-score expectations by Bridge Magazine. A new Stanford study released Thursday also reflects well on Michigan charter schools.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com file photo
But when compared with the state’s traditional districts, the charter schools fare better.
According to the new CREDO study, 35 percent of the state’s charter schools have more positive learning gains than their school district counterparts in reading, while 2 percent of charter schools have lower learning gains.
In math, 42 percent of Michigan charters perform better than their traditional districts and 6 percent perform worse.
CREDO says it is an independent research organization that’s mission is to improve the body of empirical evidence being used to inform and drive education decision-making, according to its website. CREDO has analyzed the effectiveness of charter schools in Indiana and New Jersey as well.
This study comes on the heels of a Bridge Magazine analysis that shows high-poverty school districts and charter academies are exceeding test-score expectations, questioning whether the best teaching in the state is in fact taking place at Michigan’s poorest schools.
The Bridge report looked at schools’ test scores, while accounting for the socioeconomic status of children who walk through the doors.
The CREDO study shows 70 percent of students enrolled in the state’s charter schools are low-income, compared to 43 percent at traditional public schools and 55 percent at feeder school districts. Feeders are those traditional districts that have charter schools located within their attendance boundaries, according to the study’s parameters.
Michigan’s charter schools also have a greater percentage of black and Hispanic students than their feeders and other traditional districts, the CREDO study says.
Fifty-seven percent of students enrolled in the state’s charter schools are black, compared to 17 percent at traditional districts and 25 percent at feeder school districts. The difference in Hispanic student populations is minimal: 6 percent compared to 5 percent at traditional districts.
Nearly half (49 percent) of Michigan’s charter school students are located in the greater-Detroit region. Washtenaw County is included in this region.
The CREDO report found the typical student at a Michigan charter school gains more learning in a year than his or her traditional school district peer, amounting to about an additional two months of growth in reading and math.
The results for the typical student in a Detroit charter school (27 percent of the state’s charter students) were even more pronounced. Students gained on average nearly three months of achievement for each year they attended a Detroit charter school, according to Thursday’s media release.
“These findings show that Michigan has set policies and practices for charter schools and their authorizers to produce consistent high quality across the state. The findings are especially welcome for students in communities that face significant education challenges,” CREDO director Margaret Raymond said in a statement.
- Download the complete Center for Research on Education Outcomes charter school study here.
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
1959Viking
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 3:03 p.m.
In almost every endeavour if you gather together people competing at a higher level, you get more growth. It works in sports, training with stronger and faster athletes pushes you to be stronger and faster. It works in music, playing with better musicians makes you a better musician. Is it any surprise that putting students in a more competitive environment makes students better. I feel that the same results would be achieved in a public "magnet" school because of the same principle. It's not just the charter school model. We need to get past the one size fits all education model.
DonBee
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 2:38 p.m.
Danielle Arndt - I am guessing you did not read the study, but rather the PR materials that were put out by CREDO. The article misses so many key points about the study it is not funny. A follow up article on the study and what the sample is, the sampling methods and the overall results should be considered. So many comments here are based on your story and not the actual study that the board is almost all based off wrong assumptions. I am again disappointed in the way AA.COM throws around red meat and does not actually tell the story.
Danielle Arndt
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 5:43 p.m.
DonBee, I did review the study and would happy to speak with you about the article or the study itself whenever you'd like. My contact information is at the bottom of every article I write. Give me a call sometime. I'd love to chat with you.
Judy
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 6:17 p.m.
My point is again as stated over and over with many post is "Parents!" Many times parents must be willing to fight for there kids both at a Charter or Public school or should I say be involved. Being my daughter a special needs student was at a Charter School and a Public School I had to be involved, I had to know our rights and make sure the school was doing what they need to do for her. If I had not been involved she would not of done as well as she did. As far as I am concern people who blame the school/teachers Charter or Public need to look at themselves - these parents need to get involved in what is going one at the school.
DonBee
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 2:36 p.m.
Judy - Read the study - all - YES ALL - of the students included in the Michigan part of the study tried to get into a charter - the study tracks the difference in gains between those who won the lottery and those that lost. Again I am not done going thru the materials - so there is much more there.
Nate
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 1:44 p.m.
Shouldn't we all be glad these kids are doing as we'll as they are? Why the inherent need on the part of some of you to denigrate and discredit what charter schools are accomplishing? As a parent of a charter school child (East Arbor) I can tell you that they succeed partly because they demand a lot from their administrators and teachers. Yes, involved parents make a huge difference. All schools should seek to involve parents more. Let's celebrate what is going right and seek to replicate it in all schools, government/union run, privately run public schools (charters), and fully private schools.
DonBee
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 2:32 p.m.
mr. Pollard - Having gotten thru much of the study and background materials - I am not done yet... ALL of the students included in the study are from families that tried to get the children into a charter - the study tracks students who won the lottery vs students who lost the lottery. What does that do to your parent theory?
Rob Pollard
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 5:54 p.m.
Don, who said it was "all" on the parents? Not me. Teachers definitely can make a differenec But I do "certainly" want to imply parents are the biggest reason for a student's success. Do a ERIC or Google search on "impact of parents on education" and study after study (I provided a few links at end) show parents involvement/education has a HUGE impact, bigger than teachers. To quote from one: "These results provide strong support for the unique predictive role of parental education on adult outcomes 40 years later." (Notice the word 'unique') So what about charters makes their teachers better? The fact they have less experience (unlikely)? Less restrictive work rules (quite possibly)? Making them easier to fire (quite possibly)? Paying them less (doesn't seem likely)? Higher turnover (doubtful)? It's all over the place. Show me a study that says charter school teachers are better than public school ones, than we can talk about that. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2853053/ http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Final_Parent_Involvement_Fact_Sheet_14732_7.pdf http://www.ur.umich.edu/0809/Aug17_09/20.php
DonBee
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 5:11 p.m.
Yes Mr. Pollard - It is all on the parents of the children - they are the major reason for the success or failure of students. Teachers have (based on your and other comments here about parents) very little impact on student learning. Is that really what you want to imply? Really? That the quality and motivation of the teachers have little or no impact on students? That it all comes down to parents? If that is true we should not have a step table, raises for teachers or even high salaries for teachers and should instead direct most of the education money to parents - as payment for keeping their children motivated - say pay them $250 per "A" and $150 for a "B" and $50 for a "C" and reduce payments by $500 for a "D" and take the children into a foster home for failing? Teachers and the education system they are in have a huge impact on learning. To say it is all down to the motivation of parents does a HUGE disservice to the hard work teachers do.
aamom
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 4:11 p.m.
Well put Rob!
Rob Pollard
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 3:34 p.m.
I'm glad your kids are doing well, just like I'm glad for parents whose kids are doing well in a traditional public school (there are tons of those) or private school (lots of those too). But we need to design a public school system that works best OVERALL, as the entire public is paying for it - even people who don't have kids. It does the public no good if all charter schools are doing is siphoning off some of the motivated parents/kids into publicly funded new/refurbished buildings so that kids who would likely do better than their peers anyways are separated from other kids. There is no net gain (and this study, due to its lack of randomization, doesn't show any net gain). You say "all schools should seek to involve parents more" - well, that's a finite group of people. SOMEONE is going to have to educate the large group whose parents could give a rip about their kids' education (which is easily one the biggest factor in a child's academic success), along with the increasingly large special needs group. If all Michigan is doing is leaving the majority of these more challenging kids into traditional public schools, we as a state haven't really benefited overall.
sh1
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 3:39 a.m.
What criteria was used for measurement? Are you saying charter school kids LEARN better, or score better on standardized tests?
Basic Bob
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 5:20 p.m.
Is this a multiple choice question?
Glenn Smith
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 3:11 a.m.
So I am better off sending my kid the a charter school in Detroit than his TPC in Bloomfield Hills? That's what the author is kind of implying. That is not what the study says. Assuming this study is accurate (a big assumption) it says that my poor or minority child would be slightly better off in the bad local charter school than than the slightly worse traditional public school he would otherwise attend in his poor neighborhood. This study does not say, in any way, that charter schools are better than regular public schools.
maallen
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 5:23 p.m.
Glenn, It's amazing how you make these leaps, jumps, assumptions, whatever you want to call them in reading the report and/or article. I think you need to read the article again, a big assumption that you did in the first place.
dswan
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 2:35 p.m.
The author explicitly states: "According to the new CREDO study, 35 percent of the state's charter schools have more positive learning gains than their school district counterparts in reading, while 2 percent of charter schools have lower learning gains. In math, 42 percent of Michigan charters perform better than their traditional districts and 6 percent perform worse." The author does not imply a student would be better off in a Detroit charter than a wealthy suburban school.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 2:21 a.m.
and so, to summarize, let me say this: I wholeheartedly disagree with the answer, therefor the study is flawed. Signed MEA
MyOpinion
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 1:49 a.m.
This article does not touch on selectivity at all. I am not surprised the charter schools do better compared to traditional schools. Charters can/do get rid of special needs students. Completely whacked out parents do not learn of or go to the effort to apply to a charter school. So, the public schools have more special needs students and students from dysfunctional families. This is more apparent in poor neighborhoods than in suburban areas. And, after a few years the fresh, energetic teachers in the charters will get tired of working at below average salaries while the CEO of the charter takes home an out-sized salary. And, after awhile the legislature will get tired of pouring money down the rat-hole of charters. Isn't the newest state-wide charter already asking for more money? Did they low ball their contract?
Judy
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 5:13 p.m.
I agree Dave my daughter when to Honey Creek Community School about 15 years ago and she was a special needs student. It was the best thing I every did for her, she when on to WCC and do great. She was a waiting list and like most list some people get tired of waiting and drop of the list. Honey Creed Community School back than (not sure currently) was more hand on learning, this was the way my daught learned to best so she did very well.
DonBee
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 5:04 p.m.
MyOpinion - Contact the State Attorney General if you have proof of your claim. They will be happy to take the charter to court. No traditional or charter school can turn away special needs students.
Dave Koziol
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 4:36 a.m.
Where do you come up with the idea that charger can get rid of special needs students? Honey Creek Community School has a higher percentage of students with IEPs than Ann Arbor Public School.
dswan
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 12:56 a.m.
It seems one of the myths about charters has fallen. Many times we've heard: "Charter Schools perform worse than traditional schools," followed by a study that compares the MEAP scores of all Charter schools in Michigan to all traditional schools - without addressing the simple fact that the majority of charters are located in low income areas by design. Now a study shows that when compared with schools in the same district; students at charters get 2 MORE MONTHS of growth. The response from the traditonalists: "Charter schools cherry pick," "Only wealthy households with a stay-at-home parent can transport their kids to school." No hard data to back it up - all anecdotal. It sure would be great if school districts and teacher unions would look at what successful charters are doing and consider deploying those methods. As more studies come out, as we move toward measuring growth, more unfounded assertions will fall.
dswan
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 2:48 p.m.
Would you also agree then that those who for years claimed charters performed worse than traditional schools based on MEAP proficiency percentages without any consideration of demographics were also "reading too much into the study?" The vast majority of traditional school districts in Michigan don't have charters; and therefore are not included in this study. For those communities that have both - traditional and charter (and in Ann Arbor's case, traditional alternatives), parents ought to consider all the options. In the coming years, the state plans to move from measuring proficiency to measuring growth and the data will clearly show what's working.
Glenn Smith
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 3:33 a.m.
Your kid would be better off in the vast majority of traditional public schools in Michigan, rather than a charter school. That's a fact. You kid might be better off in a charter school if the school he otherwise would attend is the lowest of the low. You are reading too much into this study.
A2anon
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 11:55 p.m.
Doesn't anyone have any kind of background in statistics, or science? This type of "study" is completely meaningless because the subjects (kids) are not RANDOMIZED. In order to gather any data that is even remotely accurate about the quality of teaching, one would have to randomly select students into each school. Period. Then there would be the whole debate as to whether the standardized tests used for data collection are meaningful measures of acutal learning. I do not understand why any organization or study group would make these sorts of sweeping statments based on un-randomized samples, unless they are either not educated in scientific research, or they have a very large agenda that has nothing to due with truth-finding.
maallen
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 5:18 p.m.
DonBee, The lottery at the Public Charter Schools are truly lotteries. They put names in a "hat", "bucket" or whatever and draw names. If you look at the application, paper that you fill out to have your child be placed in the lottery, they don't ask for information about your child's grades, or money parents are making, or anything of that sort to "cherry pick" students.
DonBee
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 2:31 p.m.
A2anon - To some extent the study is randomized - the study look at and follows students who won the lottery in Michigan vs those who did not. If (big if) the lottery was truly a lottery then the students are randomized.
Nancy Shiffler
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 10:07 p.m.
Randomized, controlled studies are the gold standard, and you should do them if you can. However, they are pretty difficult to carry out in public education studies. Most parents are unlikely to accept a project in which their child is randomly assigned between charters and traditional public schools. Other standard controls are also difficult to maintain; for example, students move in and out during the school year, sometimes between the charters and the traditional public schools. So, in educational research sometimes the best you can do is describe your samples, including their similarities and differences, identify the methods you used to add as much statistical control as possible, and note the limitations of your results. Any one study will probably not be definitive; you need several studies in a variety of settings to build up a body of evidence. It's a slower process and not ideal, but it fits the reality of doing research in educational settings One other aside -- you can't necessarily assume that parents of students in traditional public schools haven't actively chosen this setting for their children.
Judy
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 5:31 p.m.
Reply to: Jake C and A2anon: My point is again as stated over and over with many post is "Parents!" Many times parents must be willing to fight for there kids both at a Charter or Public school or should I say be involved. Being my daughter a special needs student was at a Charter School and a Public School I had to be involved, I had to know our rights and make sure the school was doing what they need to do for her. If I had not been involved she would not of done as well as she did. As far as I am concern people who blame the school/teachers Charter or Public need to look at themselves - these parents need to get involved in what is going one at the school.
Janis
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 2:18 p.m.
Not so in my grand children's cases, A2anon. My grandson had services withheld at his public school (his mother was told at his IEP that he would "outgrow his learning difficulties") so she moved him to a charter where he got all the services he needed. Now his brothers are in the school (one with Asperger's and another with Asperger's and ADHD), get all the resources they need and are thriving. There was no issue ever that they would do better in the public school system so they shouldn't be admitted to the charter.
A2anon
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 2:48 a.m.
Not so, Jake C. Randomization would eliminate all the inherent biases that all these other posters are talking about. Involved parents look for alternatives and drive their kids there, and that's NOT a small issue. Charters DO discourage special needs kids and even kids with difficult behaviors, I've seen it: "we just think your son would be so much better served in the public school, with all their 'resources.' " The conclusion that charters are doing something better, instead of just having easier kids, is faulty at it's core.
Jake C
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 12:41 a.m.
I'm no big fan of Charter Schools, but to say data like this is "meaningless" because it's not a randomized sample isn't accurate. It's like saying you can't make any comparison between Michigan and Texas (or American and. Chinese) public schools because it's a self-selected sample based on geography, and not a truly randomized distribution, not to mention different government policies, etc. The data is still meaningful, you just can't draw the same conclusions you might as if you conducted a truly randomized & controlled environment.
AnnArborDon
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:54 p.m.
One factor that the study does not mention is that this is a self-selecting sample. Parents of children who are in charter schools are almost guaranteed to be more involved in the education of their children than the average involvement of parents who are in public schools. This factor alone could account for the difference in the learning outcome. I am not saying that it is the only factor, or even the main factor, but it should be accounted for as a factor, rather than just assuming that charter schools are better.
DonBee
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 2:29 p.m.
AnnArborDon - You did not read the study.... ALL of the students included in the study are from families that tried to get the children into a charter - the study tracks students who won the lottery vs students who lost the lottery.
johnnya2
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 11:18 p.m.
I would say this is the MAJOR factor if not the only one. The biggest predictor of a student moving on to college is the value their parent places on education.
leaguebus
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:50 p.m.
I would assume the parents that choose Charter Schools are more concerned about their child's education, hence those children would do better in any setting than non engaged parent's children.
DonBee
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 2:29 p.m.
leaguebus - ALL of the students included in the study are from families that tried to get the children into a charter - the study tracks students who won the lottery vs students who lost the lottery.
lynel
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 11:37 p.m.
absolutely!
Mike
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:48 p.m.
I can't believe you guys wrote this and are picking on the teachers again! They work hard and are very underpaid, don't get enough vacation, with horrible benefits..............just watch the responses you'll see that I'm right as usual................
Not from around here
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 12:01 a.m.
In my umpteen odd years on this earth, People who say that those who disagree with them prove there right seldom are...
Dirtgrain
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:43 p.m.
Does the study offer information about percentages of special education students at the schools being compared? I've heard that charter schools can't come close to public schools in meeting the needs of certain types of special education students, so parents with such students keep them in public schools. This could be a significant factor in any comparison.
Wondering
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 1:40 a.m.
Macabre Sunset- Most special education students are in the regular education classes. They receive special education services but their teacher is a regular education teacher. The scores are included with all scores. Unless you are thinking of self-contained classrooms, you are incorrect. Very few of the special education students are in self-contained classrooms.
lynel
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 11:36 p.m.
Danielle, Perhaps this information would have been important to include in the article.
Danielle Arndt
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 10:12 p.m.
Dirtgrain, the study does contain a comparison of special education students. Nine percent of students enrolled at Michigan charter schools receive special education services, compared to 11 percent at traditional public schools and 12 percent at feeder schools. Also interesting to note, the study says: "The demographic comparisons in the CREDO national charter school report released in 2009 indicated that across the charter sector, schools serve fewer Special Education students than the traditional public schools both in number of students and as a proportion of their enrollment. In some cases, this is a deliberate and coordinated response with local districts, based on a balance of meeting the needs of the students and a consideration of cost-effective strategies for doing so. … The difference in proportions of enrolled Special Education students is smaller in Michigan than in many other states. Anecdotal evidence suggests that TPS and charters may differ in their criteria for designating students as needing to be assessed for special education services; this topic has been flagged for future study on student enrollments."
Dirtgrain
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 10:02 p.m.
Since when?
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:55 p.m.
Only special ed student scores aren't factored in with the mainstream when making comparisons. Try again.
maallen
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:30 p.m.
Really? 70% of the students are from low income families? I guess that blows the haters of Public Charter schools argument's out of the water. They have always said these public charter schools were for people who had money and could drive their kids to school, while the low income families went to traditional public schools because the school provides a bus.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:58 p.m.
No matter how you set up the school system, it is biased against bad parents. Good parents look for alternatives because they care about their children's future. The politically correct out here think that the advantage good parenting offers children somehow amounts to some sort of discrimination. So they look for any reason they can find to eliminate ways good parents can help their children. In this case, the long-standing war on charter schools.
Dirtgrain
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:53 p.m.
Blown out of the water? Explain.
Topher
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:28 p.m.
"The CREDO report found the typical student at a Michigan charter school gains more learning in a year than his or her traditional school district peer, amounting to about an additional two months of growth in reading and math." I'd question the validity, in both charter and public schools, in the idea that standardized tests as the best way to show learning. They are one, very flawed, way to measure learning that puts an emphasis on multiple choice. Instead of using the word learning I wish they'd state that it's about scoring on multiple choice tests.
DonBee
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 4:59 p.m.
Topher - What would you suggest as an alternative OBJECTIVE measure?
DonBee
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:24 p.m.
There is a lot to this study, it is a follow to prior CREDO studies. I am going to take the next couple of days to read and understand the study in detail. I suggest you need to spend significant time in the study and supporting materials to understand the article here.
DonBee
Wed, Jan 16, 2013 : 2:27 p.m.
I have not finished my review of the materials but: 1) The students included are from the same district 2) The students included were all in the lottery for the charter schools - both the TPS and the charter school children, so their parents were involved enough to submit them for the lottery 3) The data is over several years - not a one shot 4) The economic circumstances of the children is also paired in the study. SO: A) Parents for all the students in the study were involved and cared enough to try and get the children into the charters B) The children are matched on as many dimensions as privacy law would allow C) The sample size is large enough to be significant D) Most of the differences that posters here say matter (involved vs not involved parents) are handled in the study. You really need to read the study - there is a lot there - I am not done yet.
Linda Peck
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:14 p.m.
I like this news. I support the charter schools initiative, not in place of public schools necessarily, but to support parents and youngsters who wish to have more choices in the type of schooling available in our communities.
Ghost of Tom Joad
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:13 p.m.
Charter schools have an inherent advantage when comparing them to public schools. If public schools could cherry pick their student body they'd perform better on average, too.
Judy
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 5:14 p.m.
I totally agree with aamom, My daughter when to Honey Creek about 15 years ago.
DonBee
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 4:59 p.m.
Charter schools can have waiting lists, like any other school in the state with a "choice" option. Charter schools that have more applications than spaces have to run a blink lottery and draw names from all the applicants. So if picking names out of a hat is "cherry picking" then I guess they cherry pick, because most have more applicants than seats right now.
RUKiddingMe
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 2:25 p.m.
aamom, that was said better than I've ever seen it said. It's so sad that in these heated discussions about schools, performance, etc. everyone ignores facts.
Dave Koziol
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 4:31 a.m.
Do you have any facts to support that assertion? Honey Creek Community School has a higher percentage of students with IEP than Ann Arbor Public Schools. That would seem to run counter to your assertion. Charter schools are required to hold lotteries to select students when more apply then they have room for.
aamom
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 3:14 a.m.
I think cherry picking was probably a bad choice of words. I am guessing part of what Tom meant is that Charter schools tend to have students whose parents were motivated to seek better for them and were willing to sacrifice for it (driving them instead of bus, etc). These kinds of parents tend to have children who also are motivated to learn and behave well enough. When they leave for a charter, the school they leave loses a good student and (most likely) a concerned and involved parent. The original public school is left to educate the kids whose parents couldn't be bothered and usually those kids are the ones who cause most of the problems. That's just the reality of it.
kevin
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 1:43 a.m.
The fact that charters can have a "waiting list" suggests cherry picking to me. Can a traditional school have a "waiting list" and simply turn families away? Of course not. If we want to have an honest discussion between traditional vs. charter, shouldn't the rules be the same for everyone?
Not from around here
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 11:58 p.m.
Oh, don't bother ol' Tom, he's just doin' his job, say what the MEA want's him to say. Don't let fax confuse this argument.
Little Patience
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:28 p.m.
agree with @maallen. My youngest started at a charter school in November (we jumped at the chance of getting of moving from our "regular" district. We were on a waiting list like everyone else. There are kids that aren't necessarily as up to speed as others, some with developmental challenges, etc. Doing the switch at just about 9 weeks into the school year, and my child was behind already. We couldn't be happier with the change and will be glad when our oldest child is able to make the move as well (just waiting for a spot to open up).
maallen
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:22 p.m.
Ghost of Tom, Please show your proof that Public Charter Schools cherry pick their students? By law, Charter Schools must accept everyone. If there are more students than their are seats available, then the Public Charter School must hold a lottery. So please show us where they cherry pick.
northside
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 8:57 p.m.
The report's press release (their caps, not mine) is titled: "NEW STANFORD REPORT FINDS SERIOUS QUALITY CHALLENGE IN NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOL SECTOR." The lead paragraph: " ... there is a wide variance in the quality of the nation's several thousand charter schools with, in the aggregate, students in charter schools not faring as well as students in traditional public schools." How did annarbor.com manage to come up with an article saying the study shows charter schools perform better?!?
Now Found
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 9:07 p.m.
Thank you, AAMOM, for saying it best. Students who attend charter schools are often brought to school every day by parents, their parents have to do a great deal of extra work to get them into the school, and parents who can't be bothered with all of that send their children to the traditional public school. I should know because I have taught in both private, public, and charter schools. It is NOT a level playing field.
northside
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 12:15 a.m.
Thanks for taking it easy on me, Danielle. :-) Humbled and embarrassed would describe my mood after realizing the error. I considered pleading mercy and asking for the comment to be removed, but I posted it, so should own up to it.
Danielle Arndt
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:57 p.m.
No hard feelings, Northside! Glad you found the right report!
DonBee
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:22 p.m.
northside - I suggest you read the study and the supporting materials. I am working my way thru it right now. The paper title and the data so far are in conflict as I work my way thru the material. CREDO has had their methods questioned before, even by Stanford staff members.
northside
Mon, Jan 14, 2013 : 9:01 p.m.
My bad: The article covers this year's Michigan report. My comments related to the last national one CREDO did. I know this is out of character for a newspaper site commenter to say this: sorry Danielle.