Thomas B. Fordham Institute Associate Director of Research David Griffith told members of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education that research shows public charter schools are producing results even beyond their school doors.¶
Griffith joined other charter researchers and leaders on a panel before the congressional subcommittee Wednesday morning to discuss the impact studies have found charters are having nationwide and correct misconceptions.¶
“Collectively, these studies paint a clear picture. High-quality charter schools can produce meaningful systemwide benefits for students,” said Griffith. “Critics of charter schools often claim that they harm traditional school districts, yet research by the Fordham Institute and others suggest that districts' revenues per pupil often increase as the charter market share rises due to so-called ‘hold harmless’ policies.”¶
Charter schools are free public schools operated by an organization under a ‘charter’ with a school district or a state. In Tennessee, charters must be operated by a non-profit organization, and the concept is designed to provide the schools with increased flexibility in exchange for increased accountability.¶
Griffith says he’s been a part of more than a dozen charter studies in the past decade, and that research has additionally found evidence that charters improve the performance of the local school district they operate in. He says the Fordham Institute in particular looked at how charter enrollment impacted all students and found that competition from charters was a benefit as more children attended them.
