Statewide, African-American Students Also Academically Outperform
New Orleans, LA – A report released today by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) found that public charter schools in Louisiana are outperforming their non-charter school peers on student achievement. The report also found that African-American students, as well as students in poverty, performed significantly better in Louisiana charter schools compared to their non-charter school counterparts. Specifically, the report found that students in these categories reported significantly better gains in reading and math than their non-charter school counterparts.
The CREDO report’s findings were significant due to the fact that the vast majority of students that attend Louisiana public schools are African American. With fifty-eight percent of the New Orleans public school population attending charter schools, New Orleans leads the nation in the percentage of public school students attending charter schools.
“Due to our state’s embrace of the charter school movement, Louisiana is one of a handful of states that is closing the achievement gap between African-American students and their white counterparts,” said Caroline Roemer Shirley, Executive Director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools. “Now that charter schools have proven their effectiveness at improving learning for African-American students, we need to continue to share how they’re achieving these academic successes with all public schools so the entire system improves.”
Also significant is the percentage of special education students found in public charter schools in Louisiana. The overall proportion of charter school students who are Special Education is 16 %, which is equal to the 16% found in non-charter schools.
The report also found that statewide, charter schools overall are improving student achievement at a faster rate than non-charter schools and that students in their second, third, and fourth year in a charter schools saw significantly more positive achievement gains than their non-charter school counterparts.
“When a charter school opens its doors, it tends to attract students that were underserved in the traditional public school system,” said Roemer Shirley. “This report proves what we know, which is that the longer these underserved students have the opportunity to learn in a charter school, the better they academically perform.”
About Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools
The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) is a 501c3 non profit organization whose mission is to increase student achievement by supporting, promoting, and advocating for the quality charter school movement.