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Using data from the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress, this analysis compared mathematics achievement in public, charter, and major types of private schools to examine whether disparities in achievement are due to differences in school performance or student demographics in various sectors. Hierarchical linear models were used to control for student- and school-level demographic characteristics. The analysis indicated that the relatively high raw scores of private schools were more than accounted for by student demographics. In fact, after demographic differences had been controlled, the private school advantage disappeared and even reversed in most cases. These findings raise questions about the basis of reform models that seek remedies in parental choice, autonomy, competition, and other attributes associated with the private school sector.
KEYWORDS: charter schools, hierarchical linear modeling, mathematics achievement, NAEP, NCLB, private schools, public choice theory, public schools, school choice, vouchers
A government report on mathematics results from the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) highlighted the following finding: "Public-school students scored lower on average than non-public-school students at both grades 4 and 8."1 This finding is nothing new: Private school students in the United States have typically scored higher than public school students on standardized tests, confirming the perception popular among the public and policymakers that private schools are typically more effective than public schools.
However, the real question for researchers and policymakers is whether differences in test scores among various types of schools-public schools, charter schools, or Catholic and other private schools-are primarily due to differences in the student populations served by these different sectors. This is a significant question because efforts to increase academic achievement often refer to the private sector for models that can be replicated in the public sector. Research on school sector effects has shown that private schools score higher even after adjustment for the fact that these schools tend to serve students with fewer "risk" factors. And yet, a few more recent studies have indicated instances in which, after statistical controls have been used to account for differences in student populations, achievement in public schools has been equal to or, in some cases, higher than achievement in private schools (as described subsequently).
This debate reignited recently around the issue of charter schools-publicly funded but independently...