School Choice & Charters Report Roundup

School Improvement

By Sarah D. Sparks — January 11, 2011 1 min read
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The lowest-performing public K-8 schools often linger in that state for years, and persistently failing charter schools fare no better than regular public schools, a study finds.

Of 2,025 chronically low-performing elementary and middle schools identified in 10 states in 2003-04, the report says, only 1 percent had improved enough five years later to exceed their states’ average academic performance. Fewer than 10 percent even had broken out of the lowest 25 percent of schools in their states.

The findings were released last month by the Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Basis Policy Research, of Raleigh, N.C.

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A version of this article appeared in the January 12, 2011 edition of Education Week as School Improvement

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