School choice success: Study shows robust charter school programs bridge performance gaps for low-income kids
New analysis sheds light on how charter schools are making strides in leveling the academic playing field for students in low-income areas, suggesting a brighter future for these children in areas that don’t shy away from school choice.
The Progressive Policy Institute’s (PPI’s) report titled “Searching for the Tipping Point: Scaling Up Public School Choice Spurs Citywide Gains,” authored by educational equity advocate Tressa Pankovits, suggested cities with robust public charter school options for low-income families are seeing beneficial outcomes for all students.
Charter schools, according to the Georgia Department of Education, are publicly funded schools that operate “under the terms of a charter, or contract, with an authorizer, such as the state and local boards of education,” but receive flexibility in certain areas “in exchange for a higher degree of accountability for raising student achievement.”
“Our report belies the oft-heard but unfounded criticism that charters somehow drain legacy schools of the ‘best’ students and resources, to the detriment of those left behind,” Pankovits’ analysis states. “Evidently, the growth of enrollment in charter schools creates a positive competitive dynamic with the traditional district schools, which have to up their game to attract parents and students.”
In all ten cities where charter schools “reached a ‘critical mass’ [more than 33%] in terms of student enrollment,” performance improved citywide and was significant enough to start closing the performance gap with the wider state averages by 25-40%.
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School choice programs inherently benefit children who come from low-income families, Corey DeAngelis told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“Evidently, the growth of enrollment in charter schools creates a positive competitive dynamic with the traditional district schools, which have to up their game to attract parents and students. This is a complicated phenomenon that invites further research and study. But this report should bolster our growing confidence that we can fix underperforming schools and provide excellent learning environments to all children in low-income communities,” the report read.
Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Culture Project and a self-described school choice evangelist, weighed in on the findings, calling school choice “a rising tide that lifts all boats.”
“Public schools up their game in response to competition when families can vote with their feet. School choice doesn’t hurt public schools: it makes them better,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Public school leaders will have to think twice about labeling parents as domestic terrorists – or cutting off their mics – when families can take their children’s education dollars elsewhere. Education freedom is a win-win solution: parents get more of a say and public schools improve. Having school choice almost counterintuitively reduces the likelihood that parents need to exercise that choice because it can solve problems in public schools.”
DeAngelis pointed out to Fox News Digital that wealthier families often have the means to choose their preferred educational options, either by settling in upscale areas with top-notch schools or by opting for private education, so lower income families whose children are “stuck in the worst government-run schools” will “disproportionately” benefit from school choice policies.
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Cities with higher percentages of charter school enrollment saw narrowing achievement gaps, according to a PPI analysis. (Credit:kali9 / iStock)
“Funding students directly expands educational opportunities. School choice is an equalizer,” he added.
PPI’s report offered Camden, New Jersey, and Indianapolis, Indiana, as two examples of school choice’s positive effects.
In Camden, where 68% of students were enrolled in a charter school by 2023, the achievement gap between students from low-income families and their peers statewide narrowed by 42% over a 12-year span.
In that same timeframe, the report stated that students enrolled in traditional district schools closed 35% of that gap.
In Indianapolis, where 58% attend charter schools, the achievement gap closed by 23%.
The report also states that students of color benefit most from school choice policies, with nonwhite students making up approximately 70% of student enrollment.
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On that note, the report stated, “If Republicans are going all-in for school privatization, Democrats nationally appear to have outsourced their K-12 policy to teachers’ unions fighting rearguard actions to defend a status quo urgently in need of reform and modernization.
“Many of the working Americans we surveyed don’t believe their voices count when it comes to how their schools are run and their children are taught. When asked what groups public schools serve most today, six in 10 say ‘political activists’ and ‘teachers unions’ compared to four in 10 who say ‘students’ and ‘parents.; There’s a tragic irony here: The parties’ abandonment of public school reform and modernization comes amid stunning new evidence that public school choice is reducing inequality by lifting the performance of low-income and minority students.”
On a similar note, DeAngelis pointed to Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is gaining ground among minority voters after capitalizing on the issue, and to Virginia, where Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin made parental rights integral to his campaign.
“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis owed his narrow 2018 gubernatorial victory to ‘School Choice Moms’ according to exit polling showing higher than expected support from Black moms after his Democratic opponent came out against school choice. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe on the issue of parental rights in education. Now, the latest polling from Atlas Intel shows Donald Trump beating Kamala Harris on education nationally. That result represents a seismic shift towards Republicans on education, as Democrats have enjoyed a double-digit advantage on the issue for decades,” he told Fox News Digital.
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