Another Study Finds that Success Academy Has Strong Positive Impact on Student Learning
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, AUGUST 29, 2017** Contact: Nicole Sizemore (718) 612-1429 [email protected]Another Study Finds that Success Academy Has Strong Positive Impact on Student Learning
New York, NY — A study released today by the nonpartisan research organization MDRC confirms what thousands of Success Academy families experience every day: an enormous positive impact on student learning. As part of the paper, MDRC compared the academic performance of children who enrolled at Success Academy as kindergartners or first graders in 2010 with that of their peers who were entered into the network’s admissions lottery but did not receive a seat. The analysis controls for demographic differences such as ethnicity, income, age and gender. When these Success Academy students took state exams as third and fourth graders, they were between one and 1.5 academic years ahead of their district school counterparts in math. The researchers found “promising” effects for Success students in English, with some estimates placing them as much as several months ahead of district school peers, but these findings did not reach the same level of statistical significance. "MDRC studied Success results from students who entered our schools in 2010, seven years ago. Our results are even better now,” said Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy. The MDRC paper is the most recent addition to a growing body of academic literature that documents the immense impact of Success Academy schools on the academic growth of students. Earlier this summer, researchers from CREDO at Stanford University analyzed Success Academy students’ academic growth over three years as part of a study covering charter management organizations across the United States. The CREDO study found that Success Academy students made 228 more days' worth of math gains than district school students with comparable demographics, as well as 120 more days' worth of gains in reading. According to CREDO, New York City’s charter networks were extremely effective. On average, they helped students — overwhelmingly low-income children of color — achieve 80 extra days of learning in math and 29 extra days in reading. ABOUT SUCCESS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOLS Founded in 2006, Success Academy Charter Schools are free public K-12 schools open to all children in the state through a random lottery. With 46 schools across Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, Success Academy enrolls 15,500 students, primarily low-income children of color in disadvantaged neighborhoods: 77% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch, 95% are children of color, 16% are children with disabilities, and 8.5% are English language learners. Ranked in the top 1% in math and the top 1.5% in English on 2017 state proficiency tests, Success Academy schools received more than 17,000 applications for about 3,000 open seats this year. For more information about Success Academy, go to Successacademies.org and virtualtour.successacademies.org. On Twitter at: @SuccessCharters #InsideSuccessShare
