Giving Compass' Take:

• Nora Kenney writes how dozens of studies on public charter schools have reached a consistent conclusion: Their presence benefits disadvantaged students who attend them as well as the students who don’t.

• How can schools provide equal opportunities for students? How can funders help low-income and marginalized families support their children? 

• Read more about family background and socioeconomic status affects student success. 

NEW YORK, NY – Among Democrats, 58% of black voters and 52% of Hispanic voters support charter schools—but their presidential candidates fail to reflect this view. Now that Cory Booker has dropped out of the race, no Democratic presidential candidate supports charter schools, with the possible exception of Michael Bloomberg. According to the latest issue brief in the Manhattan Institute’s Issues 2020 series, this newfound antipathy flies in the face of the evidence of charter schools’ success in improving educational outcomes for lower-income and minority students.

According to senior fellow Max Eden, dozens of studies demonstrate why policies to expand the charter sector have historically been a rare spot of bipartisan agreement. Public charter schools tend to benefit disadvantaged students who attend them—as well as their neighbors who don’t. Studies show substantial gains in academic achievement, especially for lower-income and minority students, amounting to weeks, or even months, of additional classroom learning each year. As compared with similar peers in traditional public schools, charter students also have better outcomes on a variety of important social indicators, from higher college attendance and persistence to lower rates of teen pregnancy and incarceration.

Read the full article about charter schools benefiting disadvantaged students by Nora Kenney at Manhattan Institute.