Tennessee Students Learned More In Math & Reading At Charter Schools, Report Says

Image Credit: RawPixel / Public Domain

The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –

Students at Tennessee had the equivalent of 34 more days of learning in reading per year in public charter schools than at their regular public school, according to a study from Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes.

In math, the students had the equivalent of 39 days more of learning, according to the study.

Those results outpaced the national average of the average of the equivalent of 16 more days of learning in reading and nine more in math.

The study is an attempt to look at how far students advanced from year to year in each subject matter.

“This growth represents accelerated learning gains for tens of thousands of students across the country,” the study said. “Each student and each school is a proof point that shows it is possible to change the trajectory of learning for students at scale, as well as dramatically accelerate growth for students who have traditionally been underserved by traditional school systems.”

The results also show that 37% of Tennessee public charter school students fared better in terms of reading learning growth in their charter school, 47% fared the same and 16% fared worse in the charter school.

In math, 34% fared better, 40% fared the same and 26% fared worse at a charter school.

Overall in the U.S., 36% fared better in both reading and math at charter schools while 47% fared the same in reading and 39% fared the same in math. That leaves 17% who fared worse in reading and 25% who fared worse in math.

“The 2022 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress removed any ambiguity about student learning after the COVID-19 pandemic,” the study said. “As a country, student academic performance has regressed by two decades in math and fallen steeply in reading, with the most severe performance declines found among minority, poverty and special needs populations that were already struggling before the pandemic.

“As school and district leaders, policymakers, teachers, families and philanthropists build and implement plans to address pandemic-accelerated declines in student learning, they need an analysis of school and system achievement presented here to guide and support their efforts.”

About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.