As reported on WBAL, a study on charter schools ordered by the Maryland General Assembly is incomplete, resulting in conclusions and recommendations that cannot be substantiated, according to a letter written to legislative leaders this week by a top state analyst. Lawmakers required the Maryland State Department of Education to conduct the study, which it contracted with the Schaefer Center for Public Policy at the University of Baltimore to carry out, WBAL reported.

As described by WBAL,

“The study elements requested by the legislature were clearly not provided in a thorough or methodical manner,” wrote Warren Deschenaux, director of the Office of Policy Analysis at the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, which was required in legislation to examine the study.

The study stated that estimates for the amount and direction of the difference in funding between charter schools and traditional schools vary widely statewide.

“However, little data is provided to support the finding,” Deschenaux wrote.

For more information, see the full story from WBAL here and read the letter from the Department of Legislative Services here.

For additional background, see our previous post, Reports Recommend Revisions to Maryland Charter School Laws.