Education research produces many studies, some better than others. And while good research can guide policymakers, bad research shines a spotlight on advocacy organizations and media willing to push an agenda by promoting any study, no matter how weak, as long as it supports their agenda.

That spotlight recently shined on the New York Daily News, which reported as fact an otherwise unsupported claim that N.Y.C. charter school students outperform those in regular public schools. The claim was made by the New York Center for Charter School Excellence, whose mission is to be "an advocate, bridge and catalyst for the achievement of academic and operational success and sustainability of all N.Y.C. charter schools for each young person."

That's an appropriate mission statement but not one that suggests the organization is an objective purveyor of data on charter school performance. And while the Center sent out a press release and a chart, neither appeared on the organization's Web site, even several days after the Daily News article's publication. Most important, the student achievement data from the Center are presented without even the most basic breakdowns--by race/ethnicity, family income, etc.--that are necessary for a fair and accurate comparison.

But the gossamer-thin evidence behind the claim didn't prevent charter school zealots from seizing on it as proof positive. Within a day, the editorial pages of the Daily News, the New York Sun and the New York Post had used the unsubstantiated claim to attack their whipping boy, the United Federation of Teachers, AFT's N.Y.C. affiliate.

Even more disappointing, though less surprising, was the decision by Eduwonk, the online presence of the staunchly pro-charter Progressive Policy Institute, to tout the article, commenting on its political implications as if the article should drive the debate about charter schools. Eduwonk's treatment of the data reveals its hypocrisy, given its shoot-the-messenger response when the AFT unearthed much stronger data, later verified by the U.S. Department of Education, showing charter school students lagging behind their peers on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Despite Eduwonk's ties to PPI and to the Democratic Leadership Council, its handling of charter school research is not progressive. It's not Democratic (or democratic). And it's not even very wonkish.

On the other hand, one expects more from the media, including the Daily News, a tabloid with a circulation of more than 700,000. The newspaper failed to fact check a questionable claim on a controversial matter from a group that clearly has an agenda. And now, given the media echo chamber that has amplified the claim, it may come to be accepted as fact. Journalists should be challenging and debunking such claims, not endorsing them.