Report Secretary's Statement Successful Charter Schools

U.S. Department of Education press secretary Susan Aspey today issued the following statement:

It is unfortunate that the New York Times has published several seriously inaccurate articles on charter schools. These articles contain faulty analysis that do nothing to inform the public about these schools, which are often the last resort for parents desperate to ensure their child is not left behind. The head of the National Center for Educational Statistics—which gathered the data and is working on a detailed report on charter schools—has formally stated his concerns to the Times.

In one particularly egregious example, the article states: "Because charter schools are concentrated in cities, often in poor neighborhoods, the researchers also compared urban charters to traditional schools in cities. They looked at low-income children in both settings, and broke down the results by race and ethnicity as well. In virtually all instances, the charter students did worse than their counterparts in regular public schools."

However, an examination of the AFT report (which serves as the source for the articles) finds that it actually says: "Compared to their peers in regular public schools, black and Hispanic charter school students scored lower both in math and reading in grade 4, but the differences were not statistically significant. The achievement gaps between white and black students and between white and Hispanic students were about the same in charter schools as in regular public schools." (Page iii of the AFT report)

Public charter schools generally serve the most educationally disadvantaged children of their community. These schools represent another educational option for parents and are often created by local leaders to serve their community's particular needs. And public charter schools are held to the same accountability standards as traditional public schools under the No Child Left Behind Act, the nation's bipartisan landmark education reform law. The Times failed to mention this fact.

The selective citation of the facts and the faulty interpretation of the data cited do a grave disservice to the students and parents who have chosen charter schools as the best option for their children.

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