Urban charter schools bode success for low-income, non-Whites, college enrollment: Report

A new study released on Thursday by the University of Michigan showed that urban charter schools bode well for low-income, non-White students and college enrollment due to certain practices by these institutions. 

"We can think of the individual charters and charter management organizations with big impacts on student trajectories as existence proofs: These are school models that can change young people's lives," said Sarah Cohodes, associate professor of public policy at U-M's Ford School of Public Policy.

Cohodes and her colleague Susha Roy of the RAND Corporation analyzed 40 previous charter school studies that took place in large cities like Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

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They found a trend in urban charter schools "dramatically" improving students’ performance in math and reading compared to traditional public schools.

"Studies find that lower-scoring students experience the largest gains from charter attendance relative to their peers," Cohodes said. 

The analysis of the studies showed further that certain practices in charter schools yielded positive results in student performance on standardized test scores and college enrollment.

The researchers wrote that practices conducted by these urban charter schools emphasized "stricter discipline, extended learning time, high achievement expectations, tutoring, strong school culture, teacher quality, and data-driven instruction and school leadership."

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The analysis of the 40 studies that reviewed the effectiveness of urban charter schools showed a trend in improving college attendance with lower-income, non-White and special education students being the most pronounced among other demographics.

"Effects tended to be more pronounced among disadvantaged populations," the study reported.

The Michigan study comes after another recent study by the National Alliance For Public Charter Schools [NAPCS] showing that Black and Hispanic families have been flocking to charter schools.

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Debbie Veney of the NAPCS told Fox News Digital that charter schools have more flexibility and control over what happens at the school compared to public schools that operate under a more centralized structure. 

She added that a charter school is free to do "site-based hiring and firing."