This is a balanced summary, including good links that help identify the pros and cons of the various forms of research on charters. The net of it seems to be that, while there are inspired high-performance charters that outperform some traditional public schools, most don’t. As Michael Marder shows, most public schools outperform most charters, according to the most-used comparisons. So, while there is no data to support a general policy that promotes substituting charters for traditional public schools, New Hampshire charters have demonstrated their value in focused roles such as helping kids at risk of failure in school. Here’s the SmartMoney piece:

1. We’re no better than public schools.

Not that public schools are perfect, as many parents know. See our earlier story, 10 Things Your School District Won t Tell You

A host of other studies on charter school outcomes have come up with sometimes contradictory results. As with traditional public schools, there are great charters and some that aren t so great. There s a lot of variation within charter schools, points out Katrina Bulkley, an associate professor of education at Montclair State University who studies issues related to school governance. In fairness to organizations that are running high-performing schools, many of them are very frustrated with the range of quality, because they feel that it taints charter schools as a whole, Bulkley says.

find the rest at: 10 Things Charter Schools Won’t Tell You - SmartMoney.com.