N.J. charters outperforming traditional public schools, study finds

The first in-depth examination of charter schools in New Jersey finds they outperform their public school counterparts.

The study was conducted by Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes. Center director Macke Raymond says the New Jersey results are astonishing.

"When we do these studies typically, around the country, we find very mixed results," she said. "In New Jersey, we were absolutely staggered to find that the typical charter school student has substantially greater learning gains in both learning in reading and math."

Raymond says students in Newark charters had the best results of any charter school study they've done in five years.

She says the focus on teacher quality, advanced student learning, and strong oversight of charters help make them successful.

New Jersey Education Commissioner Chris Cerf says the findings reflect an increase in accountability standards, a rigorous charter authorization process, and the closure of underperforming schools.