More Great Seats 4 Kids Newsletter: SUNY Charters Continue to Outperform District Schools
I love DATA. Perhaps, it’s my past life as a researcher, but I can’t get enough of hard, quantifiable evidence that tells a story – especially when it’s a story about you as charter leaders and how well you are doing your job to create more great seats for kids.
We’ve been digging through the data a lot these past few months and trying to see what new insights and stories they reveal. And to say we’ve been pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. For instance, take a look at this chart:
| Region | Subject | SUNY proficiency | District Comparison | Statewide Averages | Difference (school-district) |
| New York City | ELA | 62% | 47% | 45% | 15 points |
| Long Island | ELA | 57% | 27% | 45% | 30 points |
| Albany/Troy | ELA | 47% | 25% | 45% | 22 points |
| Buffalo | ELA | 36% | 25% | 45% | 11 points |
| Rochester | ELA | 35% | 13% | 45% | 22 points |
| New York City | Math | 70% | 46% | 47% | 24 points |
| Long Island | Math | 60% | 26% | 47% | 34 points |
| Albany/Troy | Math | 50% | 23% | 47% | 27 points |
| Rochester | Math | 43% | 13% | 47% | 30 points |
| Buffalo | Math | 35% | 21% | 47% | 14 points |
Pretty impressive, right? SUNY schools from Buffalo to Long Island, within NYC’s five boroughs to New York’s Capital Region all significantly outperformed their local districts in the most recently available year of statewide data. And when I say significant, I mean significant. Just look at Rochester, where SUNY authorized posted a 43% proficiency rate in mathematics, more than tripling the district’s 13% average proficiency.
Much of this success has been driven by top performers. Consider Academy Charter School which outperformed its district of location in Long Island in ELA and Math, by 43 and 44 points respectively. Or, True North Rochester Preparatory – West Campus which outperformed its district by 34 and an incredible, incredible 49 points in ELA and Math. KIPP Tech Valley in Troy, New York meanwhile outpaced its district by 35 and 34 points. Stars. All of them.
But they aren’t alone. While we haven’t had credible state results since the start of the pandemic, we have seen schools everywhere across the state doing whatever it takes to continue to put students – and their achievement – as priority number one. We’ve tried to shine a spotlight on these schools wherever and whenever we can, including in this weekly email. Because we need to share their stories of resilience and adaptability and leadership – the SUNY difference – not just to other schools, but to the larger community. So, they can see what’s possible when you let strong school leaders do what they do best: educate.