Charter Schools in Georgia Doubling

While the griping about the School Finder web site rages on—you know how parents will avoid schools in poor areas say the site’s critics—the idea that parents in less affluent areas may want to find better performing schools for their kids never occurs to them.  Empowering low-income parents to choose better schools pays off for students:

From the Georgia Public Policy Foundation:

The number of charter schools in Georgia nearly doubled last year and may double again in the next two years, according to the Georgia Department of Education.  Last year, 33,000 students were enrolled, up 26% from the year before and 56% from two years ago.  Athens Banner-Herald columnist Walter Jones notes, “Although charter schools statewide have more poor and minority students than traditional schools, their graduation rates and scores on standardized reading, language and social studies tests also were higher in the 2007-08 academic years.  Figures from the 2008-09 school year aren’t available yet, but the three year trend shows steady improvement as charter schools have caught up and passed traditional schools.”

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