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This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers

Thursday, June 14, 2007

OK Class; Let's Learn From Charter Schools


    Some established New Mexico charter schools received good report cards recently.
    Good enough that newer charters and regular public schools should sit up and take notice.
    Students in charters that opened up in 2001 or earlier outperformed regular public school students in reading, math and science, according to a University of New Mexico study.
    Melissa Binder, an associate professor in economics, surveyed 2005-2006 school year test data for 51 charter schools in a study commissioned by the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools.
    Going by the test scores, established charters are closing the achievement gap faster than other public schools. Compared to conventional schools, the established charter schools have:
   

Higher reading proficiency for low-income students in all grade levels, except in seventh grade.
   

Higher math proficiency for low-income students in all grades but third.
   

Higher rates of math and reading proficiency for Hispanics in fourth through eighth grades.
    The "practices and experience of the older charters," Binder wrote, could benefit newer charter and regular schools.
    The UNM report compares test scores without delving into the differences between charters and conventional schools. Charters may well benefit from being smaller organizations and the flexibility that entails from having a tight focus on a specific mission.
    Another factor is that charter schools self-select for parents who are committed enough to their children's education to research, choose and deal with the logistics of an alternative to the school on the corner. An engaged parent is the best predictor of student success.
    Is it the charter classroom or the parents at home driving the higher achievement? Binder's test score survey should be followed up with a study that correlates test scores with those factors, giving school districts a better idea of what aspects of the new competition they should emulate the most.