WASHINGTON, DC–(Marketwired – January 30, 2014) – The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) applauds the Center for Education Reform (CER) for the release of their Survey of America’s Charter Schools. The 23-page report provides an in-depth analysis of charter school students, operations, and teachers, and discusses trends over time in the Size and Scope, Demographics, Finance and Operations, and Academic Program of charter schools and insights into why demand for these independent schools has grown.
The survey found that when compared to traditional public schools, charter schools serve a more disadvantaged student population, including more low-income and minority students. It also found 61 percent of charter schools serve a student population where over 60 percent qualify for the federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program due to their family’s low income.
Click here to read the survey report.
“BAEO is particularly pleased to see that this study finds that charter schools are not shying away from serving children from challenging backgrounds,” said BAEO President Ken Campbell. “Low-income children are often at the greatest educational disadvantage, and this study confirms that educators and community leaders who start high-quality charter schools are working with children who have the greatest need. The fact that charter schools serve large populations of children from low-income families also once again provides clear evidence that parents of all income levels want and need the ability to choose the best possible learning environment for their children.”
“We applaud the Center for Education Reform for their diligence in releasing this report and encourage policy makers and education reform advocates to review its contents and use it to continue to make the case for expanded parental choice in their cities and states,” said Campbell.
BAEO is an advocacy organization whose mission is to increase access to high-quality educational options for Black children by actively supporting transformational education reform initiatives and parental choice policies that empower low-income and working-class Black families. BAEO was founded in 2000 and champions parental choice policies and programs that serve low-income and working-class Black families, but is equally focused on promoting quality to ensure that Black students have access to high-performing schools. BAEO envisions a future where low-income and working-class Black families are empowered to choose a high-quality primary and secondary education for their children that enable them to pursue the college or career path of their choice, become economically independent adults, and engage in the practice of freedom.