New Report Card Out for Charter Schools

This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.

A new report card came out for charter schools, courtesy of Mathematica Policy Research. The study was considered to be the most comprehensive, longitudinal study on charter school networks to date, and it offered valuable information on whether these public schools were serving the purpose originally intended for them. While data was somewhat mixed throughout the study, there were a few key facts that could be taken from the research to explain why some charter schools are more effective than others.

More recent research continues to examine the same question. The Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University published its third National Charter School Study in 2023, examining the academic progress of charter school students compared with students in traditional public schools. The study found positive average effects for charter students in both reading and mathematics, although results continued to vary among schools and student groups.

The CMO and the Study

The Mathematica study revolves around data collected on charter school management organizations, or CMOs. These organizations serve as networks that operate multiple charter schools. At the time of the study, there were around 130 CMOs across the country that were responsible for meeting the needs of approximately 250,000 students. While this number did not encompass all of the charter schools in operation, the number of schools overseen by CMOs had been growing. According to Mathematica, by 2012

As the academic year progresses, overcrowding remains an ongoing issue in some Detroit Public Schools. Recently, an elementary school in the district was cited by the fire marshal for an overcrowded classroom. Parents and teachers, as well as the teachers’ union for the district, are complaining that district officials are simply not listening to their concerns, and classroom sizes are not changing fast enough to facilitate a safe, positive learning environment.

This report from WXYZ states that "parents are complaining about shocking overcrowding in Detroit schools that has kids sitting on milk crates."

Violations Found at Nolan Elementary

The Detroit News reported on a parent of a kindergarten student at Nolan Elementary, Kristol Philpot, who said her son was in a classroom with 55 other students. When her concerns went unheeded by the school’s principal, Philpot contacted fire officials about the problem.

“There are completely way too many children in there,” Philpot told the News. “It’s a completely unsafe environment there, and they can’t learn. There are 56 children, and it’s steadily growing.”

Philpot said she called the fire department because the principal wouldn’t answer her questions about when a new teacher would be brought in to divide the class.

“With the class that size, if there is a hazardous smoke or fire, it’s unsafe for the children. There are too many in there for them to get out in time,” Philpot explained.

New York has been boasting about their increase in high school graduation rates in recent years, using that data as a benchmark for successful secondary schools. However, recent statistics showing the college readiness of those high school graduates do not paint such a rosy picture about the state of New York's public education. With few students heading to college campuses after high school and even fewer prepared for the rigors of higher education, it appears New York schools may still have an uphill battle in getting students ready for college.

This video reports on the proposed desegregation of certain city schools.

Report Cards are Out

Progress reports have been issued by the Department of Education for New York schools for the past five years, indicating completion rates by students after four years of high school. This year, about half the schools received the same grade as last year, according to a report at the New York Times. One-third received a lower grade, and just 15 percent improved their grade over the past year. These grades do not reflect the college-readiness standards that were implemented this year, but those scores will be factored into the overall grades of schools next year.

“There’s a huge change in life chances for kids who are successful in post-secondary education,” Shael Polakow-Suransky, the chief academic officer for New York City, told the Times. “We really have

The school bus has been a popular mode of transportation for students of all ages for generations - so much so that a week every year has been set aside to focus on the safety of these big yellow vehicles. School Bus Safety Week kicked off this month across the country, and many school districts got into action with school assemblies, events, and reminders to students, drivers, and motorists to keep students safe while they are on the road. We’ll take a look at a few of the school bus events taking place nationwide and a few facts about school buses that you may not know.

The History of School Bus Safety Week

The first School Bus Safety Week was established in 1963 for the state of California, according to the West County Transportation Agency website. The creator of that event, Dick Fischer, took his cause national by 1970, distributing a flyer of information to state directors of transportation across the country. The movement slowly gained momentum until hundreds of school districts from coast to coast began celebrating this week by emphasizing school bus safety for drivers, students, parents, and other motorists sharing the road with these bright buses. Today, the movement is coordinated by the National Transportation Association and the National Association for Pupil Transportation, and it is held the third week in October each year.

A national poster contest is held each year to allow students nationwide to submit designs for the annual promotional poster

Recent standardized test scores released by the Nebraska Department of Education show some serious performance discrepancies between minority students throughout the state and their white counterparts. According to the scores, disparities reign in core subjects like reading and math, and the dismal figures are consistent throughout much of the state. However, despite the discouraging data collected from the most recent bout of statewide testing, there are also a few bright spots among the education clouds as well.

About the Tests

According to Omaha.com, the most recent test results come from a compilation of individual test scores and demographic data from all 249 of the state’s public school districts. Math scores came from a new state test, which is part of a series of assessments being introduced in Nebraska. These assessments, unlike previous statewide testing, will be more in line with the federal standards in the No Child Left Behind Act. The test was taken for the first time last year, and school officials anticipated some lower scores across the board, as both students and teachers acclimated to the new method of testing.

A new reading test was developed as well, also to conform to the No Child Left Behind standards. According to the Beatrice Daily Sun, the new tests were developed by the state legislature, after the Nebraska Department of Education failed to prove that current assessments were accurate measures of student achievement under federal standards. While some drop in scores was expected, the surprise was