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TUESDAY'S EDITORIAL

The issue ~ Measuring public schools vs. alternatives

Our opinion ~ Study results must be weighed

because real-life comparisons are few

Quality education remains ultimate public objective

The battles loom in Columbia. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has interest in public dollars being used by individuals to pay for education away from public schools. In theory, the money spent by taxpayers per pupil at a designated school would be discretionary and could follow the student to a different institution, even a private one.

Critics contend a voucher system will damage public education; removing students from classes does not reduce the cost of teaching the class, but the per-pupil dollars are gone from the school.

In South Carolina, there remains also an interest in another educational alternative. Charter schools also make use of per-pupil public dollars, but they must be founded and operated within state guidelines.

Concerns about charter schools range from rekindling segregation to lack of educational oversight.

Proponents of vouchers and charter schools contend both are viable alternatives to a public education system that is not effectively serving all.

Whether that is perception or reality depends often on the student and the public school. Getting a comparison based on scientific measures can be difficult and infrequent.

That's why we find significance in results of a study about the performances of fourth-graders in charter schools and public schools.

Based on the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics, the findings do not show any consistent pattern of differences, when comparing students in similar ethnic groups, between charter schools and public schools.

Darvin Winick, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, the independent board that authorized the study, said the results were being presented as actually measured, and to the extent possible, parallel the reporting format for states and the nation on the 2003 National Assessment. "The pilot study was a trial, however, and the need for caution in using the results is apparent," Winick said.

"Developing a sample of students that fairly represent the charter school population presents a real challenge," Winick said. "Parents select charter schools for their children for reasons that may make the charter school population different from other public schools. Most charter schools are relatively new and charters are not evenly distributed across the country. Few students have been in a charter setting for much of their education."

The report, prepared by the National Center for Educational Statistics, notes that in 2005, NAEP will assess three subjects, reading, mathematics, and science, in fourth and eighth grades at the state and national level and will assess more students than ever before.

Charles E. Smith, National Assessment Governing Board executive director, emphasized the charter school pilot was useful in identifying issues that need to be addressed as charter school data are folded into future national and state NAEP assessments. Smith cited the unique characteristics of charter schools that are not captured through the use of regular NAEP surveys. "There are wide variations in how charter schools are structured in individual states, the degree of oversight exerted by external agencies, the mission of the school, and the length of time chartered," Smith said.

The pilot study included 150 charter schools and sampled 3,296 students in reading and 3,238 in mathematics.

Time will become a factor in weighing the success of charter schools as they grow more prevalent and have educated a succession of students. In the meantime, studies such as that of fourth-graders will be important in determining how to most effectively spend public dollars for education.

Amid all the debates, the bottom line remains quality education.