Nina Rees released the following statement today in response to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies bill that includes a funding increase for the Charter Schools Program.
Washington, D.C. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO Nina Rees released the following statement today in response to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies bill that includes an eight percent funding increase for the Charter Schools Program (CSP) for FY 2016.
"I want to personally thank Chairman Tom Cole for prioritizing charter schools and the families they serve. The significant increase in charter school funding will help students and parents across the country have access to high-quality, innovative public schools. The chairman's commitment to charter schools is all the more important at this time as over one million students are on waitlists to attend a charter school. Increased funding will help open more charter schools, which is a huge win for families who are desperate for better public school options. The National Alliance is extraordinarily grateful."
About Public Charter Schools
Public 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, all but one independent research study has 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 sector. For more information, please visit our website atwww.publiccharters.org.