Learn more about charter school growth, performance, and policy:
2009-2010 State ELA & Math Test Score Data
Read a detailed analysis of the 2009-2010 NY State Exams. A grade-by-grade performance breakdown that compares individual charter schools to their neighborhood district schools is also available.
New Charter School Law: Implications for New Applicants
The new State charter school law mandates an RFP process under which teams can apply for a charter to DOE, SED, and SUNY. While this changes the application timelines and process, according to an initial review by the New York City Charter School Center (and initial consultations with the authorizers), the new law should not require substantial revisions to existing applications.
Click here to read the Charter Center's analysis and FAQ on the new charter school law.
2010 Lottery Data Release (Preliminary Estimates)
Sprinting to the Finish: Why New York Lost Round 1 of Race to the Top and How it Can Win $700 Million in Round 2
When Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that New York had failed to win $700 million of federal funding in the first round of the “Race to the Top” (RTTT) competition, it was bad news for New York’s schools and state budget. New York finished in 15th place with a score of 408.6, or 35.6 points below the nearest winner. Double-digit losses came under four criteria and were driven by a combination of tepid union support and a failure to raise the cap on charter schools.
With Round 1 over, every losing state is absorbing the same lesson: total commitment wins hundreds of millions; half-measures and caveats win nothing. It isn’t political. It isn’t mysterious. New Yorkers are watching our leaders, elected and union. They know how to win the money. The only question is, will they?
Click here to read the report.
NYC Independent Budget Office Report: Charter Schools Vs. Traditional Public Schools
The New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO) released a report comparing district school per-pupil funding with charter school per-pupil funding. The report found that charter schools that do not have access to Department of Education classroom space receive $3,017 less per pupil than district schools. The report also found that charter schools that share space with district schools in DOE buildings still receive $305 less per pupil.
This report was requested by a charter school opponent and is written with an anti-charter slant. But the numbers don't lie, and the report confirms what the charter schools community has long known: charter schools students get less funding than district students, a disparity that is patently unfair. When you add it up, the gap between district schools and charters isn't even close, particularly for charters that do not share public space. Averaged across all charter schools, the gap (using IBO numbers) is roughly $2,000.
IBO Report 2010
Click here to read the press release statement from James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center.
Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) Reports: Charter School Perfmance in New York City (2010) and Charter School Performance in 16 States (2009)
by Margaret Raymond
In 2009, CREDO released a national study, Charter School Performance in 16 States, that examined a pool of 20,640 students from 49 public charter schools, and assigned them “virtual twins”: district school students with identical characteristics. The report then compared state test scores in mathematics and reading to analyze charter school performance.
Click here to read the report.
As a follow up to her national report, Dr. Raymond conducted a study exclusively on New York City's public charter schools, Charter School Performance in New York City, released in January 2010. New York City was not included in her national report. This study uses the same methodological approach and finds similar positive results as the Hoxby study. Based on a school-by-school comparison, the report finds that 51% of New York City charter schools show a statistically larger growth in math than students in traditional public schools and 29% of charter schools show a statistically signficant growth in reading than their traditional public school counterparts.
Click here to read the report.
The NYC Department of Education further extrapolated her data to show significant variation in charter quality, which is strongly associated with the authorizing agency of each charter.
The Effects of New York City’s Charter Schools on Student Achievement (2009)
by Caroline Hoxby, Sonali Murarka, & Jenny Kang
This is the latest report from the New York City Charter Schools Evaluation Project, comparing the academic performance of charter school students with that of their peers who attempted to enroll in charter schools but were not selected in a random lottery. Click here to read the report.
Read the Charter Center’s press release about this report.
Click here for Dr. Hoxby's powerpoint presentation on her work.
Class Ceiling: Raising the Cap on New York Charter Schools (2009)
The Charter Center’s issue brief about the charter school cap explains New York’s cap law and reasons to change it—today.
