William J. Gumbert has studied the performance of charter schools in the state, compared to public schools. He has consistently found that charter schools are lower-performing than public schools by every measure. And yet the Republicans who control the state insist on opening more low-performing charters and diverting money from the public schools attended by the vast majority of students. Texas first authorized charter schools in 1995 and has spent more than $30 billion to operate them. Gumbert says that the charters first promised to improve student test scores; having failed that goal, they now exist to turn public schools over to private corporations. I urge you to open the PDF file that is attached. It is mind-boggling!
He wrote the following message to me:
While a 12-minute read, I have condensed the primary findings into the 30-second summary below that demonstrates charters in Texas are performing BELOW the average Texas public school.
Due to unique challenges and circumstances, At-Risk students have the widest achievement gap as 44% fewer At-Risk students meet grade-level standards. In this regard, charters enroll a lower percentage of At-Risk students than the average Texas public school and charters enroll 18% fewer At-Risk students than the primary school districts targeted for enrollment.
A review of the academic performance of student populations reveals that charters have FEWER Non-At Risk, At-Risk (Non-ELL), Special Education, and All students meeting grade-level standards than the average Texas public school. In particular, charters have 10% FEWER Non-At Risk students meeting grade-level standards than the average Texas public school.
27 of the 56 charters with over 1,000 students have FEWER Non-At Risk students and FEWER At-Risk students meeting grade-level standards than the average Texas public school.
“A” rated charters obviously represent the highest-performing charters. Not surprisingly, such charters have a Non-At Risk student population that is higher than the state average at 62%. That said, at “A” rated charters, 4% FEWER Non-At Risk students meet grade-level standards than the average Texas public scho
To paraphrase legendary coach John Wooden: “Below average means you are closer to the bottom than the top.” As always, should any questions arise, additional information is preferred, or I can be of any assistance, please let me know. I hope this is helpful!
Read the pdf here.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The Texas AFT has compiled a lot of the same information about “charter school myths” and put them on a one page user friendly summary. They report that 3.6 billion tax payer dollars are spent on charter schools each year. Taxpayers should be asking themselves why are they paying again for redundant schools that perform worse than public schools. Residential taxpayers are complaining more about property taxes, particularly those that live in some of the big cities where property taxes often increase by two or three thousand dollars a year. They should be asking why public dollars are squandered on private schools that do not perform as well as the public schools. Why is inefficiency being imposed on residents in order to create a redundant, separate and unequal parallel system that sends billions of public dollars to out of state vendors?https://www.texasaft.org/resources/privatization/
Property owners should not just ask why they are paying for charters to fail; they should be suing for their money back. How would it be if property taxes were used to fund the liquor store at the strip mall? There would be lawsuits. Well, the charter is a private business too, putting into the community inferior education, like putting into the community booze and cigarettes, as does the liquor store next door to the charter school in the strip mall.
wouldn’t it be great to see a huge collective lawsuit based on this very premise
A class action lawsuit is justified and has been recommended by attorneys at law.
But Mr. Gumbert, have you not heard that the “needs” of
students are best served by the “professional educators”
of public schools, compared to the wanna-be AFT or the
whatevers of choice schools?
While the turn away of high needs students is best for
the choice school budgets, it seems to be best for the
high needs students as well. Expecting the students to
come in front of dollars is folly.
When was the last time students placed first, compared
to compensation? The “upper crust” won’t get off their
dust, they reduce staff, cut programs, and feign “for
the children” on their way to the bank.
Choice schools play the same game…
I posted thi,s and portions of the pdf, at OEN https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Texas-The-Poor-Performanc-in-General_News-Charter-School-Failure_Charter-Schools_Diane-Ravitch_Education-210812-653.html#comment793614
This is the ed reform echo chamber in action- the “work” that they do:
“The group also cited “the growing number of failing public school systems and the far left political agendas being pushed in numerous school districts around the nation” as reasons it wants to “promote awareness and enhance support for parental school choice as an education option for parents and families struggling to find the best schools for their children.”
Read the whole article. It is 100% public school bashing and 100% promotion and marketing of private school vouchers.
They simply return no value to public schools or students who attend public schools. It’s absolutely eerie how they DISAPPEAR public school students. They’re never mentioned. It’s just the hated “government schools” and teachers unions.
They’ve disappeared your kids, folks. Public school students have vanished. They no longer exist in “the movement”.
Any public school taking policy advice from ed reformers is nuts. You’re following dicatates from people who oppose the existance of your schools and don’t even acknowlege your students EXIST, let alone provide any benefit to them.
Democrats in the ed reform movement are supporting this garbage? This wholly politically motivated attack on public schools and public school students? Wow. Why even bother to call yourselves Democrats? You’re all Jeb Bush and Betsy DeVos. The language and policy is identical.
Here’s the link to the new ed reform echo chamber political campaign they just launched:
https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-primary-source-pompeo-devos-to-headline-club-for-growth-pro-school-choice-forum-aug-31/37263755#
Remember when they told us it was about “improving public schools”?
Boy were we suckers to believe THAT, huh? They haven’t lifted a finger on behalf of any public school or public school student in years.
“We’re coming to New Hampshire to learn from folks there about what matters most. Education Freedom Accounts help families get a better education and ensures more tax dollars follow the student as opposed to the bureaucrats,” McIntosh said. “We look forward to learning more about how this program helps students later this month.”
That’s what’s up next for the ed reform echo chamber- universal vouchers.
And every single one of them will lock step support it. There won’t be a single dissenter.
They’re very vocal about criticizing public schools but they all fall silent when it comes to criticism or analysis of their own echo chamber.
I now think that most if not all Republicans are clearly a threat to this country and its constitution. That threat makes them domestic enemies.
In the next sentence, I’d like to say IF instated of WHEN but I do not think IF is an option anymore.
Does anyone remember the ethnic cleansing in the Balkins?
I think something similar is going to happen here and Republicans, those mindless MAGA zombie minions, Traitor Trump controls with his lies will start it, to politically cleanse the United States.
When will the Civil War from the 19th century burst into flames again and spread across this country staining our country with blood?
“Trump”? What’s that? Never heard of it.