TO BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING Today, more than a quarter-century into the charter school movement, you might be asking yourself, “Hmmm, just how did charter school laws get started?” If so (and, if not, perhaps you should be) sit back, relax and watch this panel discussion on “How Charter School Laws Really Got Started” from the Center for Education Reform’s 20th Anniversary Conference.
IT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU If you’ve forgotten, or, perhaps, never knew, it may surprise you to recall, or learn, which president launched the first National Charter Schools week. Nope, not him. And, no, it wasn’t him either. It was (insert drumroll)… President William Jefferson Clinton. What he proclaimed in 2000 is just as important now, 2017. Read it here.
IT WON’T SURPRISE YOU Our nation’s current Chief Executive is also four-square behind charters, and choice. It won’t surprise anyone who’s been paying attention that his statement reads, in part, “More choices for our students will make our schools better for everybody.” To read President Trump’s full statement, click here.
NOR WILL IT SURPRISE YOU For many in the education reform/choice/charter movement, this is the 18th Charter School Week that’s been celebrated — and marks a career worth of work to advance the promise and growth of charters. Among those battle-hardened veterans is CER’s Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. Here’s what she had to say in commemoration of this year’s Charter School Week.
AND FINALLY Commendations and proclamations are all well and good but there’s nothing like hearing about the value of charters from the real VIPs – charter students themselves. See why they love charters, and why we love them, in some of the videos from CER’s “Hey John Oliver, Back Off My Charter School” video contest.