Macke Raymond
CREDO
April 2010
A new report released by CREDO finds that, after 13.8 days in their new schools, charter students don’t outperform matched-traditional-school children in choral music or physical education. Author Macke Raymond says her discouraging findings could be explained by high-quality alternative certification programs in performance voice and ball-throwing instruction. But Carolyn Hoxby, a nine-PhD-Stanford mnemonicist, responded on her blog that, “CREDO’s study proves nothing. The charter-school singers and ball-throwers could have had more nimble voice boxes and flexible shoulders. Raymond’s methodology doesn’t control for such characteristics.” Hoxby expects to release her own study of choral music and physical education performance in New York charter schools later this month, which is said to find louder voices and more accurate aim in matched-charter-school students after just seven minutes at their new schools. Dismayed by the femme fatale smackdown, President Obama invited the two to have a beer with him in the Rose Garden. “I’m hoping a cold one on the grass will settle this once and for all,” remarked Obama. We laud his optimism. Read the CREDO study here.