WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Education Department may have stirred up a controversy with a study indicating charter schools lag behind traditional public schools.
Using 2003 test scores, the study said fourth graders in public schools did significantly better in reading and math than comparable children in charter schools, reports The New York Times.
The study said the public school fourth graders scored an average of 4.2 points better in reading and 4.7 points better in math than charter school students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test. Students in charter schools affiliated with local school districts did better than those in schools largely independent from local systems.
The Times reported that even before the findings were announced, supporters of charter schools questioned the study's methodology.
The study also comes at a time of intense debate over school choice.
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said in a statement, "Charter schools are empowering low-income parents with new educational options."
But the American Federation of Teachers said the study is evidence against unchecked expansion of the charter school experiment.
