Partners In Closing the Achievement Gap

Over the past eight years, states have dramatically expanded their support for publicly-funded pre-k programs, and the number of children enrolled in these programs has grown significantly. States are investing in pre-k because research shows that high-quality pre-kindergarten programs can have a positive long-term impact on children’s life outcomes, help narrow the achievement gap between poor and affluent youngsters, and that the benefits of these invest­ments to children and the taxpaying public outweigh their costs. In other words, high-quality pre-k is a key weapon in the arsenal of public policies that we can use to combat pov­erty and inequality and strengthen the skills of our workforce for the modern economy.

A similar argument could be made for charter schools. Charter schools are independent public schools that are publicly funded and accountable to the public for results. More than 4,250 charter schools serve more than 1.2 million students in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Although aggregate charter school per­formance nationally is mixed, some of our nation’s most effective schools in educating disadvantaged youngsters are charters, and charters in several states are outperforming their district-operated public school counterparts.

The charter school and universal pre-k movement have the poten­tial to be important partners in improving education for America’s children. But despite their similarities and shared goals, these move­ments generally operate on separate tracks, with little cooperation or exchange of ideas between the two sectors. That’s unfortunate, because both sectors face similar challenges such as building capac­ity and ensuring high quality across diverse providers, and could help one another develop solutions. For instance, charter schools offer a potential source of new pre-k capacity. And, by the same token, policies to incorporate charter schools into state pre-k programs could support growth and quality in the charter movement. Because achievement gaps are in place long before children start kindergar­ten, charter schools seeking to narrow achievement gaps must be able to begin working with children in pre-k.

This issue brief analyzes ways to bridge the gap that currently exists between charter schools and early childhood education. Specific recommendations include:

• Eliminate state policies barring charter schools from offering Pre-K
• Allow public charter schools to access per-pupil funds to educate 3- and 4-year-olds
• Build charter authorizer capacity and expertise in early education
• Allow charter schools to access state and federal Pre-K funds
• Ensure adequate Pre-K funding to ensure quality
• Include Pre-K charters in the Federal Charter Schools program
• Eliminate caps on the number of charter schools which may serve children

For the full text of the policy briefing memo, please see the PDF.