Washington, D.C. Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released the following statement upon the announcement that SB 6194 will become law in Washington State:
“A critical step toward giving parents and students access to more high-quality public schools in Washington State occurred today when it was announced that SB 6194, the charter public school bill, will become law. The bipartisan support for the bill from the legislature is a testament to the hard work of the parents, students, educators, and advocates who led this fight and succeeded in changing hearts and minds throughout the state.
“Washington lawmakers have not only given hope to the hundreds of parents who currently have their children attending charter public schools in Washington, but also to the thousands of others who will now have an opportunity to enroll their children in high-quality charter public schools in the future.
“We commend Washington lawmakers for listening to parent, student, and educator voices and recognizing the need for this public education option in the state of Washington.”
About Charter Schools
Charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter movement. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org.
