Charter School Performance in New Jersey Proves Nothing

There are two reasons why the study is flawed.

1. The study does not meet the scientific criteria of a randomized double-blind.  Children want to and know they are going to a Charter School.  
1. Placebo effect constitutes 30% of observed improvement.  The study recorded a 3 month improvement, which falls within the range of a placebo.
2. The What Work Clearinghouse from the Institute of Educational Science admits that it doesn't prove much of anything and that Charter schools perform no better than regular public schools while serving a more diverse population of students. 
1. Although students at some charter schools showed significantly higher or significantly lower achievement gains compared to students in non-charter schools, most charter schools had student gains that were not different from the gains of students in non-charter schools.
1. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/quickreview.aspx?sid=220