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The first week of May was National Charter Schools Week. Charter schools across the country hosted open-houses and welcomed the public in to visit and learn what makes a charter education a special and rigorous public education for more than 500,000 children in them today.
We hope you had the opportunity to visit a charter school and let others know about this important public education reform.
See below for events and activities that went on in Washington, DC and around the country.
"Visit A Charter School"
The Center for Education Reform Home Office, Washington DC
Updated NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOLS WEEK TOOLKIT IDEAS coming soon.
If you were able to visit a charter school in person this school year, be sure to visit in cyberspace. CER is proud to turn its website over this week to the celebration of charter schools, offering links to over 500 Charter School Websites in 30 states, and spotlighting charter school activities and achievements around the country.
This past election year has shown that education tops the list of concerns of most Americans. Informed citizens need to know what works in bringing great schools to all children. Charter schools are one approach to reinvigorating public education, and National Charter Schools Week celebrates the educators and families who are making it happen.
So visit a charter school today! You'll be glad you did.
Ten years ago, the nation's first charter school law was passed in Minnesota. Literally hundreds of policy papers, studies, articles and analyses have been conducted of the charter school phenomenon, an educational innovation that has skyrocketed from just one school in 1992 to more than 2,000 schools operating for the 2000-2001 school year.
Families of more than half a million children have chosen charter schools and surveys show they are satisfied. A recent survey of parent satisfaction of Arizona charters had nearly 85 percent giving their children's charter schools a B or above (A/A+), and only 5.8 percent a D or below.
The Center for Education Reform has analyzed the existing research universe and identified 53 actual research-based studies offering a critique of charter schools. The conclusion of the overwhelming majority (50) of these papers is that charter schools have been innovative and accountable, and have created both opportunities for the children that attend them and a "ripple" effect on traditional public schools within their jurisdiction.
Thousands of charter schools have proven success, and dozens of credible and mainstream organizations support their endeavors. So, on the 10th Anniversary of a true education reform, check out what all the fuss is about.
Charter School Achievements Around the Nation: CER salutes schools bringing learning, innovation and satisfaction to educators, parents, students and communities across the United States.
California Charter School Award Winners: California's charter schools are making a real difference in the lives of children. To recognize those schools, CANEC has sponsored the First Annual Charter School Innovations for Excellence Awards, commending innovative programs and strategies developed by charter schools.
Michigan Charter School Highlights
from the Michigan Association of Public School Academies:
Revitalizing Education in America's Inner Cities · The
Business of Education, an Education for Business · Offering
School Choice - for Educators and for Families · The
Character of Education
Charter School Websites: Links to over 500 websites in 29 states.
National Charter Schools Week was sponsored by the Charter Friends National Network and more than 50 state and local charter friends group and is morally supported by the Center for Education Reform, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, the Institute for the Transformation of Learning and other national groups.
