Report–WA Charter Schools Outperforming Public in Many Areas

According to a newly-released report, Charter schools in WA state are noticeably outperforming public schools when it comes to a number of key education elements.

  Charter schools are outperforming, with higher scores

First of all a charter school is not necessarily a private school. According to US News:

"Rather than being part of a public school district, which dictates curriculum and standards in all schools, charters operate autonomously through individual agreements, or charters, with state or local governments that set rules and student performance standards."

WA state was rather late when it came to approving charter schools, they've only been around for 8 years, and there are 18 of them in WA. According to the report from the Washington State Board of Education's Charter Schools Report, students across a spectrum of ethnic backgrounds, and especially minorities, consistently outperformed their public school peers on ELA and math evaluation tests.

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According to The Center Square, evidence indicates these schools are doing a better job of educating minorities and those from economically poorer backgrounds than the public schools.

According to Liv Finne, who heads up the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center, the legislature has appropriated funding for up to 40 charter schools over the next five years. However, opponents in the legislative body have attempted to 'choke' off funding to slow the growth, which is why there are only 18 so far.

Supporters of Charter schools say they encounter opposition from teachers unions, including the WEA, and some other public education officials.