Washington is kicking into high gear in 2013. The new Congress is being sworn in today, and the inaugural events are just a few weeks away. As our federal legislators begin a new Congressional session, we’ll share some of our hopes for the public charter school sector.
In these last few months, we’ve seen more evidence that public charter schools are being recognized as leaders of innovation in public education. Three charter networks received Race to the Top-District Awards from the U.S. Department of Education. Although charters are only 6 percent of all public schools, they received nearly 18 percent of award dollars. And, the latest round of Gates District-Charter Collaboration Compact grants demonstrated that an increasing number of forward-thinking mayors and superintendents are embracing charters as partners in educating the children in their communities. Building on this recognition, NAPCS will work to provide children access to quality public charter schools. Our top goal is to secure increased funding from Congress and the U.S. Department of Education that supports the expansion of quality public charter schools. We understand that we have to be vigilant about quality. Our President and CEO Nina Rees has endorsed the work of our colleagues at NACSA and their One Million Lives campaign. We know that underperforming charter schools need to close and we need to ensure that new, higher-quality ones are there to take their place. Indeed, our model charter law includes policies to improve school and authorizer accountability. NAPCS looks forward to advocating for stronger charter laws and related accountability measures in states and here in Washington.
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