Charles S. Clark
CQ Researcher
December 20, 2002
Are charter schools a promising innovation or damaging distraction? This is the big question that Congressional Quarterly reporter/researcher Charles Clark seeks to disentangle in this recent CQ report. Emotions can run high when discussing charter schools, and for this reason data and quality research are crucial in disentangling the actual impact these schools are having. With ten years of charter experience under our belts and nearly 680,000 pre-K-12 students attending these schools in 39 states and Washington DC, data are starting to emerge. Clark's report shares some of what is known and some that's familiar: charters serve minorities, disadvantaged children and those who speak English as a second language; they operate with less per pupil funding than traditional public schools; parents like them; and many use innovative instructional strategies. It is not clear, however, whether charter schools are more effective academically than traditional public schools. As Clark notes, "conclusions are complicated because there are no uniform tests or year-to-year data." With the implementation of No Child Left Behind and its focus on measurable academic gains, we should start seeing more and better data that can be used to compare student achievement in traditional public and charter schools over time. Over the next decade, charter schools will increasingly be judged by their performance rather than their potential. With luck, that'll be true for traditional public schools, too. To access this report, go to http://www.cqpress.com (requires subscription) or call 1-800-638-1710 to order.