The study found that students who attended the charter school's middle school saw enough of a gain in achievement that they would be able to close the Black-White achievement gap in mathematics by ninth grade; and students enrolled in the charter school's elementary school saw enough of a gain in achievement that they would be able to close the Black-White achievement gap in both mathematics and English by the third grade. This study examined whether having poor children attend high-quality schools would be enough to increase achievement levels among the population of poor minority students. The study looked at the outcomes of children who attended the Promise Academy charter schools in the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ). The HCZ is a social experiment that combines community programs with charter schools to improve the learning environment for poor minority students. Data for the study were obtained by measuring the achievement outcomes for students attending the charter schools compared to those attending regular public schools. Students are selected to attend the charter schools based on whether or not they lived within the HCZ and through a lottery system. The findings from the evaluation indicate that high quality schools in poor minority neighborhoods can significantly increase the achievement levels for students in those neighborhoods, thereby reducing the Black-White achievement gap. References, tables, and figures
Are High-Quality Schools Enough to Increase Achievement Among the Poor? Evidence from the Harlem Children's Zone
NCJ Number
237262
Date Published
November 2010
Length
56 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether having poor children attend high-quality schools would be enough to increase achievement levels among the population of poor minority students.
Abstract