The average charter school student in Michigan is showing more academic growth than demographically similar students in regular public schools, according to a report released last week.
The study from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University examines the amount of improvement that students in 273 charter elementary and middle schools showed on state exams over a six-year period and compared that growth with students in regular public schools at those grade levels.
The report says charter students, on average, gain an additional two months of learning in reading and math.
It also shows a majority of charters in the state are low-achieving. In reading, for instance, the report identifies 80 percent of the charter in the study sample as low-achieving.