This is too precious not to comment on: the Center for Education Reform, the organization that sponsored that full page ad slamming the AFT charter study and the Times in 2004, threw this celebratory paragraph into their newsblast today (see background here):
WHAT'S WORKING. D.C. charter schools are succeeding, according to The Washington Post, and "have opened a solid academic lead over those in [the city's] traditional public schools." An analysis of test results for economically disadvantaged students shows that "D.C. middle-school charters scored 19 points higher than the regular public students in reading and 20 points higher in math." D.C. charter school students outscored their conventional public school counterparts in other areas as well. In an online chat, writers discussed some of the reasons charters are thriving in the District: "A culture where the grown-ups trust each makes it a lot easier to teach kids. The experts doing research say high expectations and standards of behavior have to be applied consistently across classrooms. That's a lot more evident at charters than most DCPS schools I've visited. Charter directors were very consistent in saying that they will not hesitate to get rid of teachers who they feel are not performing. On the other hand, they are also very eager to keep the teachers they like, and provide support and encouragement and training to keep them happy."
This is a far cry from the fire-breathing condemnation of that ad, isn’t it?: “The study in question does not meet current professional research standards. As a result, it tells us nothing about whether charter schools are succeeding.”
You can’t make this stuff up.