Report Claims Charters do better than ISDs
In Areas Involving Student Discipline Matters
The report states, among other things, that Texas public charters disciplined fewer students (7.2 percent of their students) in 2018-19 than traditional ISDs (10.5 percent) — and Texas charters also assigned 50 percent fewer in-school suspensions than traditional public schools. The report also notes that Texas public charters assigned in-school suspensions to 6 percent fewer special-ed students than traditional ISDs.
The report says that one explanation for the lower rate of suspensions may be the use by many charters of a technique known as “restorative practices.”
The Dallas Morning News editorial board, while taking note of the good news in the report, cautioned that, for various reasons, making “apples to apples” comparisons between charters and ISDs is difficult.