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.edexcellence.net/doc/Carpenter%20ProjectV2.pdf
This study examines a sample of 1,182 charter schools (87 percent of charters operating in 2001-02) and categorizes them into five categories based on their curricular approaches: 1) general: includes "conversion" schools (29 percent of schools in sample); 2) progressive: schools that focus on individual student development approaches (29 percent); 3) traditional: schools emphasizing a "back-to-basics" approach; 4) vocational: schools that equip students to transition from school to work (12 percent); and, 5) alternative delivery: schools that provide most instruction outside a traditional bricks-and-mortar building, e.g., virtual schools (6 percent). The author finds three-quarters of charters do not target a specific student population for enrollment, while 26 percent serve students with specific needs or attributes. The report provides demographic information and takes an initial look at performance by type.
Date: 2006
Source: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
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