L.A. Public Charter Schools Outperform Traditional District Schools

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-charter10-2008jun10,0,6146548.story

Public charter schools in Los Angeles generally perform better academically than nearby district public schools, and public charters improve over time, according to a new study released on June 10 by the California Charter Schools Association. The study found that public charter schools did especially well in educating African American students and that they showed some of the strongest success in middle schools. "It's pretty significant that seven out of 10 charters actually outperform their most similarly matched district public school," said CCSA CEO Caprice Young, citing one finding in the report. Young said the study was intended to answer the question parents are most likely to ask: How does their local charter school stack up against the nearest comparable regular schools? Young hopes the study will firmly legitimize public charter schools in the eyes of parents. "We are hoping that this study helps recognize charter schools as a viable and important school option," she said. Ramon Cortines, L.A. Unified's newly appointed senior deputy superintendent, said the report pointed to how traditional district schools could learn from public charters. "I think that what it says is that they have some best practices, and those should be replicated in the district in all schools," he said. "I would say the same about islands of excellence in the Unified district. . . . We need to each learn from each other."

Source: LA Times (free registration required)
Date: 06/10/2008
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