CHARTER SCHOOLS SHOWING GAINS; COMPREHENSIVE STUDY IS FIRST OF KIND.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

In the first comprehensive study of its kind, Los Angeles charter schools have been shown to do just as well or even better than noncharters, school board members learned Thursday.

``There are a lot of gems out there,'' said Lisa Carlos, co-director of the evaluation. ``These are schools with highly motivated parents, teachers and staff who care about kids and are trying to make a difference.''

The future of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Pacoima and Fenton Avenue Charter School in Lake View Terrace hinges, in part, on the $200,000 private consultant's report comparing the success of charter schools to Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now and other reform efforts.

The study is the first in a series on 13 charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District by WestEd, a San Francisco-based educational research firm. On Monday, the school board will consider renewing the charters of four schools, including Vaughn and Fenton Avenue.

The study compared the performance of 13 charter schools to other schools, including those involved in reform efforts such as LEARN, the Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project and the district's site-based management plan.

In the study, charter schools show gains in standardized achievement test scores, particularly on Spanish language tests. And students who remain at charter schools for two years are more likely to improve their performance than in noncharter schools.

But the study stopped short of recommending total adoption of charter schools. While Vaughn and Fenton boosted standardized test scores, many students score well below the 50th percentile - the national average - in reading and math skills.

Although Vaughn failed to meet its goals of boosting standardized test scores by 15 to 20 percentage points, it did outscore neighboring elementary schools, the report said.

Other goals were difficult to measure because of ambiguous standards or disputes over statistics.

WestEd, for example, could not evaluate Vaughn or Fenton's student attendance rates because of disparities between district and campus records.

``Charter schools have met some, not all of the goals they have set,'' said Jo Ann Izu, co-director of the evaluation.

Joe Rao, former head of charter schools for the district, said while the schools have made remarkable strides, they are not a panacea for boosting student performance.

``Are charter schools a magic bullet? No,'' Rao said. ``But they are one more way for parents and teachers to experiment and that's a good thing.''

Officials from Vaughn and Fenton said commitment to quality education is the key to improving student achievement.

``We're all there because we want to be there,'' said Irene Sumida, co-director of Fenton Avenue Charter School. ``We have a common vision and a common goal.''

The report examined standardized test scores, parental involvement, school governance, innovative educational programs and fiscal policies among other criteria.

Last year, Vaughn was named a California Distinguished School and a National Blue Ribbon School. In November, a group of parents, students and teachers traveled to the nation's Capitol to accept the prestigious award.

Fenton Avenue has been named a California Distinguished School. In 1996, the school was able to install 350 computers and begin to wire an integrated sound, image and data network for the entire school after campus leaders negotiated contracts with private companies and secured financing from foundations.

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1) Cesar Abarca, 7, works in his first-grade class at Vaughn Next Century Learning Center on Thursday.

(2) Vaughn Next Century Learning Center teacher Vicky Dianda goes over a whale story in the newspaper with her class.

David Sprague/Daily News