Making Waves or Treading Water? An Analysis of Charter Schools in New York State

Abstract

This article compares charter schools and other public schools in New York State. School Report Card (SRC) data measuring student, teacher, and school characteristics from the state’s 16 urban school districts with charter schools were examined. Descriptive and multivariate analysis was used. The findings suggest that there are more similarities in student outcomes between charter schools and other public schools than differences. Although charter schools had higher sixth- and eighth-grade math scores, outcomes were comparable along other measures. Systemic issues, such as poverty, suspensions, and poor attendance had relatively stronger effects on student performance regardless of school type.