Charter Schools Make the Grade

Bob Maranto has an editorial in the Philadelphia Daily News on the reporting on charter school scandals. He notes that charter schools are more accountable – in that they depend on parents choosing them, and that they can be shut down.

But more importantly, charter schools in Philadelphia are – get this – educating their students:

Philadelphia charter schools have a 94 percent graduation rate compared with barely 50 percent for traditional public schools, despite the charters’ spending 31 percent less per pupil. Academically, the charters reach 90 percent of their academic Adequate Yearly Progress goals under No Child Left Behind, compared with 84 percent for traditional schools.