Nearly 4,000 Supporters from Across the Nation to Convene at National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Annual Conference.
WASHINGTON, D.C.- The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) today announced that Dr. Bill Cosby and Dr. Deborah Kenny, founder and CEO of Harlem Village Academies, will keynote the annual National Charter Schools Conference, the nations largest gathering of charter school leaders, educators and supporters from across the country. Marking the 20th anniversary of the public charter school movement, the conference will take place June 19-22 in Minneapolis, MN. The theme for this years conference is 20 Years of Innovation: Proving the Possibilities, and will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
As one of Americas most beloved comedians and education advocates, Dr. Cosby will host an informative keynote session by asking Dr. Kenny one of educations most important questions: How do we give every child in our nation an excellent teacher and how do we keep those teachers passionate, happy and effective? Through this keynote session, Kenny will share findings from her new book Born to Rise and share her insights about what it takes to create schools where every classroom is led by a superstar teacher. Dr. Cosby, who holds a doctorate in education, has a long history of supporting positive school choice and closing the achievement gap. “The best of these charter schools have served as the paradigm,” said Dr. Cosby. “When will the failing systems get the memo? Public charter schools have provided an answer to the thousands of families who demand more high-quality education that best suits the diverse needs of their children,” said Ursula Wright, interim CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
As we celebrate 20 years of the charter school movement, we are invigorated by education advocates like Bill Cosby who share in our vision to improve public education and drive the charter movement forward. The 2012 National Charter Schools Conference will bring nearly 4,000 charter leaders, teachers, advocates, policy makers and education reformers together to share innovative ideas and be inspired by some of the brightest minds in education, public policy, business and philanthropy. With the first charter school founded in St. Paul, MN in 1992, the charter school movement grew in its first 15 years to reach one million students in 2006. Only five years later, today there are approximately over two million students enrolled in 5,600 charter schools across 41 states and the District of Columbia. Despite this growth, hundreds of thousands of students remain on waiting lists to attend the high-quality public charter school of their choice.
The conference will include sessions and conversations regarding important next steps as charter schools continue to transform education; state and policy issues affecting the sector; and celebrating the innovative milestones in the charter movement. Additional presenters and participants include Tony Miller (Deputy Secretary COO, U.S. Department of Education), Howard Fuller (Institute for the Transformation of Learning, Marquette University), Ember Reichgott Junge (former State Senator, Minnesota), Don Shalvey (Deputy Director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), John Merrow (Learning Matters, Inc.), and John Danner (CEO of Rocketship Education).
About the National Alliance
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit our website at www.publiccharters.org.
