Boston charter schools outperform traditional schools — and pseudo-charter “pilot” school runs by the School Department:
The study, being released today at a Boston Foundation forum, examined state standardized test scores for students of similar backgrounds at the three kinds of schools over a four-year period. In the most stark example, charters — independent public schools dedicated to innovative teaching — excelled significantly in middle school math. However, pilots, which have similar goals but are run by the School Department, performed at slightly lower rates than traditional schools, according to the study.The findings could present a setback for Governor Deval Patrick’s education overhaul, which seeks to emulate pilot schools around the state while resisting calls for more charter schools.
The divergent performance among charter and pilot school students surprised state and local education leaders because the schools share a similar history and philosophy.
Charter schools were created as part of the 1993 Education Reform Act, as a way to develop new teaching strategies that could eventually be transferred to public schools. The approximately 60 schools operate under looser state regulations than traditional schools, have mostly nonunion teachers, and are run by independent boards that report directly to the state. They have been particularly popular in urban school districts among parents and students frustrated with traditional schools.
Let’s go down that list again:
- New teaching strategies
- Looser regulations
- Non-union teachers
- Independent boards
Apparently, transferring the new teaching strategies isn’t enough. Hmm…