Foreword by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Amber M. Winkler

This study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute finds that low-performing public schools—both charter and traditional district schools—are stubbornly resistant to significant change. After identifying more than 2,000 low-performing charter and district schools across ten states, analyst David Stuit tracked them from 2003-04 through 2008-09 to determine how many were turned around, shut down, or remained low-performing. Results were generally dismal. Seventy-two percent of the original low-performing charters remained in operation—and remained low-performing—five years later. So did 80 percent of district schools. Read on to learn more—including results from the ten states.

Press Release

Policy Priority:
High Expectations
Topics:
Accountability & Testing
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David Stuit is a co-founder and managing partner at Basis Policy Research, an independent research firm that conducts applied research, data analytics, and program evaluation for PK-20 education organizations across the United States. In his role as managing partner, David is responsible for championing Basis’s vision to improve the life outcomes of American children by providing policymakers with better…

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