Gates High Schools Get Mixed Review in Study

A new evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s campaign to improve U.S. high schools offers a decidedly mixed picture of the early returns the foundation is getting from the roughly $1 billion it has invested in the initiative so far.

The in-depth study, commissioned by the foundation and scheduled for release this week, identifies several shortcomings in the high schools that have been started or redesigned with the philanthropy’s support, especially in instruction and student performance in mathematics. It also cites signs of progress in reading and language arts, and concludes that many Gates-funded small schools, particularly those built from scratch, offer a positive learning climate for students.

“In summary, the first returns are promising for English/language arts but worrisome for mathematics,” the researchers...