National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Applauds Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act for Supporting Charter Schools Under ESEA Reauthorization

Charter Schools Bill Introduced in the House of Representatives Strengthens Quality for Charter School Sector

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In response to the introduction of the Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act, H.R. 2218, in the U.S. House of Representatives, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released the following statement from its President and CEO, Peter C. Groff:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110126/DC36825LOGO)

"The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools supports the Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act, H.R. 2218, a bill to enhance quality across the charter school sector while allowing for new charter schools to serve more children who need them.

"Passage of this bill under the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) will dramatically improve three programs that help public charter schools overcome state and local inequities as they seek to replicate and serve more families.

"Equally important, the legislation allows charter schools to continue developing innovations such as: hiring and teacher-training practices that have proven to deliver results, special education models focused on traditionally underserved or misunderstood student populations, creating technologically advanced learning models and executing non-traditional facilities arrangements to meet modern students' needs. The bill supports dissemination of best practices like these to allow more traditional district schools to adopt the innovations currently being developed in public charter schools.

"However, we are concerned that the legislation level-funds authorization for appropriations at the same time it demands stringent quality provisions be adopted at all levels of the movement: by charter operators, state education agencies and charter school authorizers. This focus on quality practices across the sector is an important move to ensure charter school models exhibit operational and academic success. We strongly support principles of quality and accountability across all levels, and look forward to working with Congress to ensure the sector can leverage adequate resources to successfully implement these principles as the charter sector grows.

"We look forward to seeing bi-partisan support of the Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act and working with Congress, the Administration and the U.S. Department of Education to see these policy changes enacted and implemented across the sector."

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) is the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement for all students by fostering a strong charter sector. The Alliance provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement. The NAPCS represents more than 1.8 million students enrolled in more than 5,000 charter schools across 40 states and the District of Columbia.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.
Peter C. Groff
http://www.profnetconnect.com/PeterC_Groff

SOURCE National Alliance for Public Charter Schools