To hear the American Federation of Teachers tell it, the charter-school sky is falling.

A recent data analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress by researchers for the national teachers' union found charter school students often do worse than comparable students in regular public schools. The data show fourth-graders who attend charter schools perform about half a year behind students in other public schools in reading and math.

All schools need to be accountable for the education they provide to students. But any analysis of charter schools needs to take into account the special missions of many charter schools — such as serving children with certain disabilities or delinquent youths. Beyond that, some charter schools serve students who left poor-performing public schools that had failed them. It shouldn't come as a surprise that these students are struggling academically.

At best, the AFT findings need to be consider as "baseline data."

Charter schools are self-governing public schools, sometimes run by private companies. In many states, charter schools operate outside the authority of local school boards and have greater flexibility than traditional public schools in areas of policy, hiring and teaching techniques. Utah is a relative newcomer to the charter school movement. The first such school opened here in 1998 under more stringent restrictions than provided in many other states.

Although the AFT research raises interesting issues regarding charter schools, it should not serve as a rationale to put the brakes on this form of public school choice. A more meaningful yardstick of charter schools is to follow the progress of individual students over many years. Lags in reading and math proficiency are cause for concern, but the philosophy behind charter schools is that some students will be better served in more specialized learning environments.

Another factor to consider is that charter schools often experience rocky starts. Unlike well-established neighborhood schools that rely on the resources of their respective school districts, start-up charter schools are simultaneously hiring staff and teachers, imple-

menting curriculum, purchasing supplies and securing building space. It's no small undertaking.

When one considers that nearly a third of the nation's charter schools were less than 2 years old when the National Assessment of Educational Progress was administered, the report is but a snapshot in time. Charter schools, like any other public school, need to be accountable to students, parents and the communities they serve. But longitudinal data are needed to develop a more accurate picture of the nation's charter school experience.