A Note from Nina We were all surprised and saddened over the past few weeks to learn about the impending resignations of two pillars of education reform: Speaker John Boehner and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Both men have been committed to improving equity and quality in our nation’s schools. I shared some thoughts about Speaker Boehner’s legacy in a piece for U.S. News & World Report, and here is our statement thanking Secretary Duncan for his outstanding service.
Speaker Boehner and Secretary Duncan will be deeply missed, but we’re grateful for their steadfast support of public charter schools. And while we’re not quite sure what to expect in the House of Representatives, we are eager to welcome incoming Acting Secretary of Education John King, a charter school veteran and champion of educational excellence for every student. Warmly, Nina Rees
Federal Update The U.S. Department of Education announced more than $157 million in CSP grants – $125 million to State Educational Agencies in seven states and the District of Columbia, and $32 million in Replication and Expansion grants to 12 charter management organizations to promote the growth of high-quality charter schools. Also, two leaders in Congress – Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri – have advanced legislation that would increase funding for the CSP. We’re asking all public charter school supporters to join us in thanking Congressman Cole and Senator Blunt. Let’s also hear it for the 15 public charter schools named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education! The recognition is given to public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on academic excellence and progress closing achievement gaps.
The Charter Schools Program in Action One of our goals at the National Alliance is to increase funding for the federal Charter Schools Program so that we can grow the number of high-quality charter schools around the country. To demonstrate the CSP’s impact on schools, we feature a school each month that has received CSP funding. DeLaSalle Education Center in Kansas City, Missouri, is the state’s only charter high school exclusively serving high-risk, urban core students. DeLaSalle offers mental health, addiction recovery, parenting, and concentrated remediation supports to help students ages 14 to 20 achieve academic success. A $300,000 CSP grant allowed DeLaSalle to buy laptops, desktops, and Smart Boards and expand the use of online learning software to inspire the school’s tech-savvy students. Read more about DeLaSalle here.
Progress in the States Public charter school students, teachers, and families in the state of Washingtoncontinue to be in legal limbo. We’re waiting to hear again from the state Supreme Court after Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson asked the court to reconsider its ruling that Washington’s charter school law is unconstitutional. National Alliance board member and former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu penned a column asking the court to empower great teachers who want to start charter schools. In addition, our blog features statements from Washington’s charter school community. And please click here to help #SaveWACharterSchools! The Ohio legislature passed a major charter school reform that will strengthen accountability for schools and authorizers. The improvements are a big step forward for Ohio, whose charter school law comes in at #28 out of 43 state laws in the National Alliance’s latest annual rankings. Gov. Kasich is expected to sign the bill. Public charter school supporters in Massachusetts have filed a class action lawsuit to lift the state’s charter school cap. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five Boston students who were prevented from enrolling in public charter schools because of space limitations. Read our statement here. Meanwhile, Gov. Charlie Baker has proposed legislation to open new public charter schools in the state’s highest-need areas. Stay tuned!
Rallying for New York City Charter Schools In New York last week, 18,000 public charter school parents, teachers, students, and advocates marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall, imploring Mayor Bill de Blasio to help end inequality by supporting public charter schools. Check out some of the coverage here.
Charter Schools Serving Hispanic Students Earn Honors Three public charter schools and leaders serving largely Hispanic student populations have recently earned major honors. The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics selected Camino Nuevo Charter Academy in Los Angeles to receive the Bright Spot Award, a national recognition given to an organization that addresses or invests in key educational priorities for Hispanics. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute awarded Sonia Gutierrez the 2015 American Dream Medallion of Excellence for her lifelong contributions to education and workforce development, including the creation of Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, the nation’s first adult-education charter school. And the MacArthur Foundation named charter school founder and leader Juan Salgado the recipient of a “Genius Grant.” Mr. Salgado founded Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy, a Chicago charter high school that prepares students for success in competitive colleges and careers in the healthcare sector. Congratulations to Camino Nuevo, Sonia Gutierrez, and Juan Salgado!
Assessing the Increasing Strength of Charter Laws The National Alliance’s latest research report examines how state policy changes have affected each state’s position in our annual charter law rankings. We find that most states have improved their laws – several quite significantly – while three states have passed new charter laws that are closely aligned with our Model Law. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, and our Model Law is an effective benchmark for policymakers who want to build a healthier charter school movement in their state.
Early Registration for #NCSC16 Early bird registration for the 2016 National Charter Schools Conference in Nashville is now open! The conference will be held June 26-29, 2016. Get in the spirit by watching our preview video. And click here for event details and other conference developments.
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