Twelve studies find that overall gains in charter schools are larger than other public schools; four find charter schools’ gains higher in certain significant categories of schools; six find comparable gains; and, four find that charter schools’ overall gains lagged behind traditional schools.
Source: Charter School Achievement: What We Know, July 2005 Update
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Download: 
http://www.ncspe.org/publications_files/OP105.pdf
This study examines which uses of charter school autonomy are more academically productive than others. The researchers find that schools with higher degrees of perceived accountability produce stronger score growth. Similarly, charter schools with higher degrees of teacher mission commitment and leadership stability produce stronger growth rates in reading and math. Schools with higher degrees of classroom autonomy appear to have lower growth rates, perhaps reflecting recent research on the importance of shared professional culture in teaching and learning. Finally, parent volunteerism appears to be negatively associated with score growth, though the researchers question whether this is simply a proxy for poor governance. The study recommends that charter school developers couple autonomy with strong professional norms and a sense of mission.
Date: 2005
Source: National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education
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