Georgia has had charter schools since 1995. Washington state, on the other hand, has rejected charter schools three times since 1996 and has no charters. Despite having charter schools for 17 years, students in Georgia are not performing as well as their counterparts in Washington in a number of areas, a review of national statistics shows.
2012 SAT (critical reading and math)
Georgia, 977
Washington, 1049
2012 ACT
Georgia, 20.7
Washington, 22.9
2008-2009 four-year public high school graduation rates*
Georgia, 67.8 percent
Washington, 73.7 percent
2008 college-going rates*
Georgia, 69.6 percent
Washington, 50.7 percent
Percentage of students at or above proficient in 4th grade reading (2009)**
Georgia, 29 percent
Washington, 33 percent
Percentage of students at or above proficient in 8th grade math (2009)**
Georgia, 27 percent
Washington, 39 percent
Sources: College Board, ACT, *National Center for Education Statistics, **National Assessment of Educational Progress
SEATTLE — On a recent fall day here, Melissa Westbrook and Shannon Campion settled into high chairs behind a small table in the basement studio at cavernous Seattle City Hall.
They had come to debate charter schools, and while television cameras rolled, each woman attempted to pummel the other with what she saw as the wrong-headedness of her opponent’s position. “You want to spend public dollars on things that work,” Westbrook said. “Charters are unproven.”
Charter schools are a hot topic in Washington, where a ballot initiative could establish them there for the first time. In Georgia, an amendment could lead to more charter schools. Both states are being watched closely by charter school advocates across the country,
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