It’s been two weeks since the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released Comparing Private Schools and Public Schools Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling," a study that showed public school students doing as well or better than private school students when student background characteristics are accounted for.  The report received more attention than some would have expected for a Friday release, but so far we've heard only half the story. 

At the same time ED collected public-private data, it also collected data for charter schools and public noncharter schools.  So, here are a few Q’s and A’s to mull over in the weeks (or months?) before the charter-noncharter comparison is released.

Will ED produce a charter school sequel to its blockbuster public-private study?  Yes.

When will the report come out?  Not on a Friday.  Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said she will control the release of future ED reports so they don’t come out on a Friday.  (She also said she didn’t control the release of the public-private report so that it would come out on a Friday.)

But when will it come out?  That’s the $64,000 question.  Best guess:  Before the end of the summer.  But ED pushed back the release date on these two reports a number of times, so there’s no way of knowing for sure.

Will the sequel’s title be catchier than the original?  Probably not.  Maybe something along the lines of "Comparing Charter Schools and Noncharter Schools Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling." 

Will it create a buzz?  Yes, probably as much as the public-private comparison.  The public-private comparison got an extra boost, though, because reporters linked its results to a voucher proposal on Capitol Hill.  (If ED officials really want the latest report to create a buzz, they'll title "Pirates of the Caribbean Charter Schools.") 

Will reporters find it easy to tell this story?  Yes.  If they go back to this month’s reporting, they can substitute "charter" for “private,” tweak a few details, and tell the story again.  Also, the report will cover the much-plowed ground of the Charter School Dust-Up of 2004.

Which scores are most important to focus on?  Math.  Many parents read with their children, but few do math with their children.  Because of that and other conditions in the home, many education researchers say math scores are more reliable than reading scores if you are trying to evaluate the school’s effect on learning. 

Will the study put public schools in a good light?  Yes, if it echoes earlier research on NAEP scores which found students in public noncharter schools outperforming charter school students on 4th grade math tests.  At the very least, expect public school students to do as well as charter school students with similar backgrounds.