Giving Compass' Take:

• Brandon Lewis explains how the funding gap between public schools and charter schools means the historically underserved populations they serve get less. 

• The author argues that in spite of the gap, charter schools are serving their students well. Should closing the charter school funding gap be a high priority? 

• Learn about America's racial school funding gap.

Twenty-seven years into the national charter school experiment, funding of charter schools and traditional public schools remains wildly unequal. In fact, charter school students receive 27 percent less in per-pupil funding than their traditional public school counterparts, leaving a total funding gap of nearly $13 billion.

In a new publication I co-authored, The State of the Charter Sector, we dug into demographics and enrollment data and found that charter schools are blacker, browner and poorer than traditional public schools. Despite serving only 6 percent of students nationally, charter schools disproportionately serve more black, Latino and low-income students than traditional public schools. The most recent data show that charters serve 12 percent more black students, 6 percent more Hispanic students and 3 percent more low-income students than traditional public schools.

Not only do charter schools serve higher percentages of historically underserved student groups, they also have positive effects on their academic performance. Data analysis shows that black and Latino students who attend urban charter schools experience up to 36 more days of learning than their traditional public school peers.

Read the full article about the charter school funding gap by Brandon Lewis at The 74.