Charter School Models for NJ: Learning From Michigan

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Michael Van Beek from Michigan’s Mackinac Center for Public Policy looks at a recent study from Stanford University’s Center on Education Outcomes (CREDO), which analyzes charter school outcomes in Michigan. Writes Van Beek, “[o]nly 6% of charters are underperforming in math and only 2% in reading. Further, 82% of charters produced growth in average reading test scores and 72% did so in math.”

What’s different about Michigan’s model for charter schools?

Michigan allows a variety of public entities to authorize charter schools, the most common being universities and community colleges. This frees charter schools from needing school-district approval to operate, which is like requiring new businesses to ask existing competitors for permission to open. By allowing more charters than most states, Michigan has developed a functional charter-school market, so much so that lawmakers recently took the bold step of removing the charter-school cap altogether.

Van Beek also notes that some media have distorted this most recent CREDO study by claiming that the research doesn't include all charter schools in Michigan; "in fact, the study included 86% of all charter-school students in the state and remains the most comprehensive and rigorous study of Michigan charter schools.”

Outcomes were similarly positive in Detroit, where 47% of the adult population is functionally illiterate: “Of the 100 or so charters in Detroit, 47% did significantly better than conventional schools in reading and 49% did significantly better in math. Only one charter school in Detroit did worse in reading compared with the city's district-run schools.”

No doubt it’s helpful that Michigan’s charter schools aren’t subject to traditional tenure laws, like  the policy of retaining teachers during lay-offs based solely on seniority.

This piece is relevant to New Jersey, specifically the current debate about our charter school law reform. I wrote recently in NJ Spotlight about the (leaked) draft of new charter school legislation proposed by Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan. Assemblyman Diegnan would subject all aspiring charter schools to a community referendum, a model that doesn’t exist in any other state in the country. As Michigan shows us (and research confirms), a system of multiple authorizers provides students, particularly those in poor urban communities, with a shot at equitable educational opportunities.