Dive Brief:

• The Thomas B. Fordham Institute dove into date surrounding the closure of charter and traditional public schools, asserting that closing poor-performing schools ultimately benefits students. 
• While moving from school to school has been found to negatively impact student achievement, the Fordham Institute says that notion does not apply to students forced to switch things up due to school closures. 
• The study focused on students at 78 charter schools and 120 district-run schools closed between 2006 and 2012 in Ohio. According to the study, after three years in a new district, the students who had attended the closed charter schools were doing better in math and had no gains or losses in reading, while the students who attended the closed traditional public schools were doing better in math and reading.

Dive Insight:

"Most students have a pretty soft landing. They end up in higher quality schools, and they make some strong academic gains," Aaron Churchill, Fordham research director, told Cinncinati.com. 

While the report looked at traditional and public school closures, the area of charter schools is particularly interesting — especially in Ohio, where the study was conducted (lest we forget the state was home to White Hat Management). Earlier this month, Ohio's legislature passed a charter provision bill aimed at stopping failing charters from reopening under different names, a big problem in the state. While it has about 400 charter schools, as many as 28 wereclosed last year, prompting an investigation by the state's Department of Education into three specific charter school sponsors. 

While the Fordham Institute sponsors charter schools, including some in Ohio, it has been vocal about the need for charter accountability. 

Recommended Reading

Cinncinnati.com : Report: Students benefit from school closures