Interesting observations of charter schools in Washington

Comments on “Rising test scores show what D.C. charter schools can achieve“, an editorial published in the Washington Post on August 10. 

Part of the explanation appears to be the government’s insistence on success. Charter schools that fail to improve test scores (approximately one-third of all charter schools established to date) have been shut down. This (strongly) encourages charter schools to find ways to increase learning among their students, including experimenting with new forms of organization, management and pedagogy. Approximately 40% of students in Washington’s public school system attend charter schools rather than traditional public schools. This editorial from the Washington Post points out that test scores among charter school students have risen substantially over the past five years, from 40% proficiency in math and 43% in reading, to 49.9% in math and 54.7% in reading. Last year, 60% of charter schools posted higher scores than the year before.

The success of charter schools serving poor students is particularly noteworthy. Some of the best-performing charter schools serve the poorest students in the public system. A KIPP charter school located in the city’s poorest neighborhood outperformed the main public high school in the city’s wealthiest neighborhood.