Stanford University's Center for Research on Economic Outcomes (CREDO) issued a report Saturday that found charter school students in Los Angeles learn more in a year than their peers in traditional district schools. According to the study, charter school students receive the equivalent of about 50 more days of learning in reading and 79 days of math than students in traditional public schools.
“We are very pleased with the results of the study released by CREDO at Stanford University,” John Deasy, superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District, said in a statement. “Today’s study is another indicator of the amazing results our students, educators, and parents are accomplishing in LA. The students in both District and charter schools in LA are achieving at the highest levels in the history of the city. "
The report also showed impressive results for Hispanic charter school students, especially students living in poverty.
“The gains for Hispanic students in poverty at charters amount to 58 additional days of learning in reading and 115 more days in math compared to their district school counterparts,” said Dev Davis, Research Manager and co-author of CREDO report.
The results of the L.A. study are in marked contrast to the rest of the country. According to the report, "48 percent of (LA) charter schools have significantly larger learning gains in reading, while 44 percent do so in math. Nationally, 25 percent of charter schools have significantly larger learning gains in reading, while 29 percent do so in math"
L.A. has more charter schools than anywhere in the country. According to L.A. Unified, 248 charter schools operate in the district, serving more than 136,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
