Can an Intense Educational Experience Improve Performance on Objective Tests? Results from One Charter School - Abstract

Oct 15, 2026

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This prospective, longitudinal study evaluates whether an intense educational program improves performance on objective achievement tests for underserved students. Students were selected for willingness to participate and parental support, without prior academic records driving admission. Mean scores across six Woodcock-Johnson Tests components increased at a rate exceeding one year of improvement per year in the program. Over three years, performance moved from below grade level to more than two years above grade level, supported by standardized testing and additional statewide assessment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and research question

Charter school program context

Methods

Academic setting and student selection

Teachers

Curriculum

Can an Intense Educational Experience Improve Performance on Objective Tests? Results from One Charter School by Karol K. Musher, Daniel M. Musher, Edward A. Graviss, and Ruth M. Strudler Abstract This prospective, longitudinal study showed that an intense educational program significantly improved academic performance in underserved students who were selected solely for their desire to participate in the program and their parents’ willingness to support them. Mean performance in six representative components of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement–Revised improved at a rate that substantially exceeded one year for each year in the program. During three years of attendance, performance levels increased from below to more than two years above grade level. There seems to be little disagreement that education for children in America’slow-income neighborhoods—the so-called at-risk or underserved children—is a major, national problem (Jencks and Phillips 1998; Moses and Cobb 2001; Thernstromand Thernstrom 2003) . Debate rages over the most efficient approaches to solving this problem. An important issue is the extent to which providing better quality education in more intense academic programs, or the effective schools theory as defined by Bingham (1993), suffices. One reason for the continuing debate is the lack of available data. The lack of such data reflects the difficulty of carrying out prospective, controlled studies that compare educational programs. In the absence of such studies, this investigation presents data on the academic progress of students from an underserved urban environment who elected to participate in an intense educational program. Within some municipal public school systems, a special charter may be created to form publicly supported schools that provide an educational experience different from the officially mandated one. There is a variety of purpose and quality among charter 352 Research Reports schools. This study focused on one school that accepted students from underserved areas based solely on their commitment to an intense educational program (via a signed educational contract) and the willingness of their parents to support them in the program (Choi 2003). One important assumption in this study, which was supported by performance atthe time of admission to the program, was that these self-selected students were of average academic capacity, though they may have come from families with a greater than average commitment to high educational standards. This study examined whether prospective, longitudinal academic testing can demonstrate the effectiveness of an academically intense charter program. It was hypothesized that administering standardized academic achievement tests atthe time of admission and again at the end of each academic year could be used to demonstrate an enhanced rate of academic advancement. A second hypothesis was that the demonstration of substantial academic gains would support the potential benefits of an effective school program (Bingham 1993) since no other recognized variable was contemplated. The serendipitous, first-time administration of a newly designed, statewide test of knowledge and skills provided independent corroboration of these prospectively obtained results. Methods Academic setting, student selection. The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) was established in 1994 to provide enriched education to underserved upper elementary and middle school students from inner-city environments. The program solicited enrollment in areas of Houston that were characterized by a low-income, largely Hispanic population. Students’ prior academic records were not considered. The two teachers who founded KIPP set up a table in front of a major supermarket in a largely Hispanic area of Houston to attract parents of children who were about to enter fifth grade to enroll their children in the program. Acceptance was based solely on the following conditions: •

FAQs

What did the study test about the charter school program?

The study examined whether prospective, longitudinal academic testing could demonstrate the effectiveness of an academically intense charter program, using standardized achievement tests at admission and at each academic year’s end.

How were students selected for the program?

Students were accepted based solely on their commitment to attend extended hours and fulfill assignments, along with parents’ willingness to reinforce attendance and support completion of schoolwork, under a signed educational contract.

What were the main findings on test performance?

Across six representative achievement components, mean performance improved at a rate that substantially exceeded one year for each year of participation. Over three years, performance increased from below to more than two years above grade level.

Oct 15, 2026

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