Making a Difference? : Charter Schools, Evaluation and Student Performance / Stella Cheung, Mary Ellen Murphy and Joe Nathan.

An evaluation of the effectiveness of charter schools is offered in this report. The report attempts to answer three critical questions: (1) "How are charter schools assessing student achievement?"; (2) "What are charter schools doing to meet accountability requirements?"; and (3) "Are charter schools improving student achievement?" To answer these questions, it draws on data gathered from 31 charter schools in 8 states. It found that charters use a variety of measures to assess student achievement, such as standardized tests, student portfolios, and teacher evaluations. In addition to student achievement, accountability plans include areas such as student behavior and attitudes, staff development, parental involvement and satisfaction, school climate, fiscal management, and program activities. Charter schools and their sponsors share responsibility for a reliable, valid assessment, and in most cases, this responsibility has been carefully fulfilled. Information on the case studies under examination, evaluation methods, accountability plans, and evidence of success are all covered in the text. The report concludes that charter schools can improve the achievement of both inner city and rural students. (RJM)

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