Study: Newark, NJ, Charter Schools Boost Student Achievement

Impressive scores among Newark’s charter students demonstrate the effectiveness of a charter sector operating at a large scale

NEW YORK, NY – Charter schools have long been a politically divisive issue, with critics casting them as a threat to teachers’ unions and traditional public education, while supporters point out their value for low-income families seeking educational alternatives. A new Manhattan Institute report by senior fellow Marcus Winters offers a case study of the issue, evaluating the value of charter schools in Newark, New Jersey, where Cory Booker helped expand the charter school sector during his tenure as mayor. Overall, Winters finds that attending a charter school in Newark leads to large improvements in math and reading scores, especially at those run by national organizations (KIPP and Uncommon).

Winters’ analysis uses data from the first two years of Newark’s common enrollment system and adds to a limited body of research evaluating charter school effectiveness in cities where the concentration of charters is relatively high. (Charter schools enroll only about 6% of public school students nationwide, whereas Newark’s charters enroll about one third of the city’s public school students). While previous research indicates that students who attend urban charter schools tend to benefit, Winters’ study suggests that this effectiveness continues as the sector grows within a locality.

Major findings include:

• Enrollment in Newark charter schools that participate in the common enrollment system leads to a large improvement in math and reading scores.
• Charters operated by one of two national Charter Management Organizations (CMO) that run schools within the city—KIPP and Uncommon—produce the largest benefits for their students.

Click here to read the full report.