NAEP Analysis Questions Private Schools’ Edge

Students in regular public schools equaled or outperformed private and charter school students on a national mathematics exam when factors such as socioeconomic status, race, and school location were taken into account, a study released last week has found.

The two University of Illinois researchers who wrote the report say that their findings challenge perceptions that private schools produce better outcomes than public schools and raise new questions in the ongoing debate about school reform and privatizing education.

“There’s this assumption that private or independent schools by nature will have a positive effect on achievement,” said Christopher Lubienski, an education professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a co-author of the study. “But if you are a child in a classroom, the governance structure...