Bookmarking. I want to read the Stanford study. The claim that more than 1,000 charter schools have closed the achievement gaps for minority and low-income kids is new to me. Exciting if true. Game, set and match.
I am in favor of full school choice, with parents empowered via vouchers and regular public schools, public charters, private schools and homeschooling families competing on a level playing field.
One of the analytical issues in comparing charters (and homeschooling and private schools) vs. regular public schools is sorting out the effects of self selection and ensuring that we’re comparing apples to apples. And communities are different. I live in DC. We have a handful of public schools that have turned to corner and that have strong middle and upper-middle class buying. (Gentrification has a lot to do with this.) DCPS as a whole, however, is still pretty grim. Middle and upper-middle class parents, if they don’t head to the ‘burbs, tend to choose charters or go private. Citywide, enrollment in charters and regular DCPS is roughly equal. DCPS is the default option/dumping ground for the dysfunctional and incompetent parents, but the neighborhood makes a huge difference. Identifying an appropriate control group for comparing schools’ performance gets tricky fast.
I HATE autocorrect. Buying = buy-in. I am perfectly capable of making my own typos. I don’t need a program’s help.
I believe the excellent results from inner cites can be quite illuminating - that’s the difference maker.