Let the Numbers Have Their Say: Evidence on Massachusetts' Charter Schools

In Massachusetts, the charter school debate has centered on four concerns:

• that the achievement of the high-scoring charter schools is due to selective admission and retention policies and not the education that the charter schools provide,
• that charter schools are underserving English language learners and special education students,
• that charter schools are disciplining students at higher rates in order to drive troublesome students back to traditional schools, and
• that charter schools are undermining traditional public schools financially.

This report summarizes the evidence pertaining to these four concerns.