Standard & Poor's
November 30, 2001
In an innovative partnership aimed at improving the transparency of Michigan's charter schools, the financial consulting firm Standard and Poor's (S&P) has produced comprehensive analytical reports for each of the 57 charter schools authorized by Central Michigan University (CMU). As of 2000-2001, those schools enrolled over 22,000 students in 36 cities and towns, making CMU the state's largest charter authorizer and the nation's largest university authorizer. The reports, drawing on data for 3 recent school years, analyze each school's academic and financial performance and compare it with key benchmarks, including the CMU average, district and state averages, and the school's own record. They also measure each school's progress towards the goals stated in its charter, a benchmark that CMU will consider when the time comes to renew the schools' charters. Such report can yield several benefits. They help schools spotlight problems and provide outside justification for tough curricular and personnel decisions. They give schools access to comparable data against which to benchmark their financial and academic performance. They also help parents and others to understand what's actually going on in an individual school, enabling them to make sound decisions about which school may fit a child's needs. Such data can obviously assist policymakers and educators to understand what may or may not work in schools. Finally, these reports can help philanthropists make wiser decisions about where to spend their limited grant dollars. To view the S&P reports, visit http://www.ses.standardandpoors.com. (Click Michigan in the "Select State" field on the home page and then click on "CMU-Sponsored Charter School Reports" under "Administrator's Toolkit.")
