>As I mentioned below, the general perspective is that charters are selective, hurt local schools, etc

That's NOT the "general perspective"... that's simply the narrative pushed by teacher unions because they stand to lose the most if/when parents get a choice in schooling.

As for why charters tend to do better, the answer is not that "small classrooms may be the key". That sounds like another self-serving finding to allow the local BOE and NJEA to push for higher budgets. The fact is that charter schools are a self-selective sample. People who choose to seek out other, better school options for their kids are already showing a higher interest and involvement in their kid's education. It's been shown over and over that the biggest determining factor in scholastic success is parental involvement. When parents take it upon themselves to be more involved in what their kids are learning, and actively participate in helping them in their scholastic experience, the result is a kid that does better. Unfortunately, a lot of parents don't understand this, or don't care, and some are simply unable to do it. To be fair, lots of parents are struggling financially and may be working more than one job, and their ability to get involved may be heavily curtailed. Others simply lack the experience/knowledge to understand the importance of getting involved. But, certainly, a lot just don't care, or don't care enough. Regardless of the reason(s) why a parent is not involved, there are no easy answers or solutions. We live in a country in which support for families is very lacking. As such, for a lot of people the option of being involved is not really a possibility.