A Response to USA Today: Students and Families Deserve Better
Nina Rees responds to a USA Today article covering an old and unfounded story about charter schools.
Nina Rees is the president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. Prior to joining the National Alliance, Nina spent 20 years shaping education policy in the public and private sectors. She served as the first Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. Before moving to the Education Department, Nina worked in the White House as Deputy Assistant for Domestic Policy to the Vice President of the United States.
Nina also served as Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Knowledge Universe, a leading global education company with investments in early childhood education, before- and after-school programs, and online instruction. In the 1990s, Nina was the Heritage Foundation’s senior education analyst and chief spokesperson on education. She began her career on Capitol Hill, where she worked for then-Congressman Porter Goss.
Nina has been a guest on Bloomberg, CNBC, C-SPAN, Fox News, MSNBC's Morning Joe, and PBS’s NewsHour. Her articles and opinions have been published in the The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Washingtonian named her one of Washington DC’s Most Influential People in 2021 and 2022.
Nina currently serves on the board of directors of the PIE Network and the advisory committee of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is a Pahara-Aspen Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
A native of Iran who immigrated to America at the age of 14, Nina earned her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech and a master’s degree at George Mason University. She now lives in McLean, Virginia, with her husband and daughter.
Articles, media appearances, and testimonials by Nina Rees
Parents most concerned about school safety, polling shows, MSNBC
Glenn Youngkin's charter school plan moves past ideology, The Washington Post
Listen to parents: Families say they want more school choice. We should give it to them., USA Today
Giving Parents School Choices podcast appearance for the George W. Bush Presidential Center
Nina Rees on Efforts to Reduce Funding for Charter Schools, C-SPAN
The Power of Education Can Change Lives, Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy
Taking Stock After 30 Years of Charter Schools, Education Week
30 Years Strong: Charter Schools And America’s Education Landscape, redefinED
Virtual learning is the right choice for some D.C. charters, The Washington Post
In America’s National Reckoning With Race, Equity in Education Is Still an Issue, Morning Consult
Reimagining the future of public education after COVID, The Hill
Nina Rees is named one of Washington’s Most Influential People 2021, Washingtonian
Millions of kids are at risk this fall if schools don't reopen. We must close the digital divide now, FOXBusiness
A constitutional right to a high-quality public education, American Enterprise Institute
Chartered Territory, National Association of Elementary School Principals
Charter school offers supplies and support to tornado victims, CBS
How charter schools are adapting amid the coronavirus outbreak, Yahoo Finance
The Union War on Charter School Philanthropists, The Wall Street Journal
Interview on Fox and Friends
Testimony before the House Education and Workforce Committee at a Congressional hearing on charter schools
Blog posts by Nina Rees
A Note on the 2021 Capitol Attack
The world watched the U.S. Capitol being breached by protestors while lawmakers gathered to count electoral votes and certify the 2020 election.
No Child Left Uneducated
The time is right for conservatives and progressives to come together and encourage states to pass constitutional amendments that guarantee access to a high-quality education.
