Study: Michigan charter students best traditional peers

(The Center Square) – Michigan’s charter school association is citing a national study that showed it was one of 10 states or regions in the country that performed better than its peer students in traditional public schools.

The Michigan Association of Public School Academies cited the 2023 CREDO study that stated Michigan had learning gains in reading and math that were statistically larger than traditional public schools. The study used data from 2014 to 2019 as measured by state achievement tests.

The other state/regions included Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Upstate New York, Rhode Island and Tennessee. There were 31 states that participated in the 2023 CREDO study which was released in June. CREDO also did national studies in 2009 and 2013.

“These findings are significant,” said Dan Quisenberry, president of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, in a media release. “The Michigan Department of Education and the state superintendent have a goal of making Michigan a top-10 state when it comes to public education. We’re already there when it comes to charter school performance and I’m sure the state takes great pride in that.”

There are 286 charter schools in Michigan that serve about 150,000 students. There are 537 traditional school districts in Michigan and the state has a total of 1.4 million public school students. Charter schools in Michigan are public schools.