Giving Compass' Take:

• The National Center for Education Statistics released a report identifying five key findings centered on charter school growth and student performance. 

• How does this report potentially impact how donors support charter networks? What implications do these findings have for entire school districts? 

• Learn more about the charter school movement through its history and the role of state governance. 

A new federal report released Wednesday offers crucial statistics about one of the most fiercely debated topics in education: school choice.

The report, from the National Center for Education Statistics, offered hard numbers on choice. It studied changes in enrollment in traditional public schools, charters and private schools, as well as homeschooling trends, including information on achievement and parental choice and satisfaction, over the past two decades.

Here are five key findings:

  1. The type of schools students are attending is changing
  2. There is no measurable achievement difference between district and charter schools
  3.  Charter schools are more diverse
  4. Students are reporting fewer safety concerns 
  5. Parental satisfaction is higher in choice schools 

Read the full article about growth in charter schools by Carolyn Phenicie at The 74.