Tennessee is among 11 states in which charter school performance has outpaced traditional public school growth in both mathematics and reading, according to a newly published study by the independent Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University.
The study, titled National Charter School Study 2013, evaluated charter school performance in 26 states and New York City. Tennessee’s charter school students, in comparison to their traditional public school counterparts, were found to gain the equivalent of an additional 86 days of learning in reading and 72 days in mathematics, results among the highest of all schools studied. Tennessee is tied with Rhode Island among states studied for the highest growth in reading.
“The Tennessee Charter Schools Association believes that growth is the most significant measure of how well a school is serving its student population, so we are truly pleased to see that Tennessee’s charter schools are making such a strong impact on student gains,” said Tennessee Charter Schools Association Executive Director Matt Throckmorton. “This study reaffirms the fact that strong accountability for charter schools at the district and state level in Tennessee leads to positive results for our students.”
In a press release regarding the study’s publication, Dr. Margaret Raymond, director of CREDO at Stanford University, is quoted as stating:
“The results reveal that the charter school sector is getting better on average and that charter schools are benefiting low-income, disadvantaged, and special education students.”
This fall, Tennessee is projected to have an estimated 70 charter schools serving more than 16,500 students. The majority of the Tennessee’s charter schools serve students in the state’s largest urban areas, Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga.