Legislation strengthens accountability, transparency and governance of charter schools
WASHINGTON, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–May 24, 2013. U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) yesterday introduced legislation that would expand the Charter School Program at the Department of Education (DOE) making the expansion and replication of successful charter school models eligible for federal funding. The bill – the All Students Achieving through Reform (All-STAR) Act – also takes several steps to strengthen public charter school accountability, transparency, and governance.
Earlier this month, Senators Durbin and Kirk toured the newly opened LEARN Public Charter School in North Chicago. The Senators visited a seventh-grade classroom and applauded the Navy, the LEARN Network, the Illinois State Board of Education and the North Chicago community for working to bring the successful charter school model to the area.
“Charter schools, like those in the LEARN and Noble networks in Illinois, have some of the most successful educational programs in the nation,” said Senator Kirk, a member of the Senate Health Education and Labor Committee. “Our bill aims to help expand the best practices of these successful schools to others. As a longtime supporter of charter schools, my hope is that with the All STAR Act we will expand good quality education to our next generation so they can better compete on the global stage.”
“We must ensure that each and every child has the opportunity to learn and thrive no matter where they live and public charter schools have increasingly become an important part of that effort,” said Durbin who first introduced this legislation in 2010. “Already educating 2.3 million students in America, many charter schools have shown that with creative thinking and innovative solutions we can achieve tremendous success for some of the most disadvantaged students. Not all charter schools succeed but those that do can use the All-Star Act to expand their reach.”
All-STAR authorizes competitive grants within the DOE’s Charter School Program to replicate and expand the most successful public charter schools across the country. The three year grants can be used to add additional grades in an existing charter school or to create a new school based on an existing successful charter model.
“We strongly support the All-Star Act’s goal of expanding access to the nation’s most promising public charter schools by authorizing $700 million for the replication and expansion of charter schools with a strong track record of success, as well as state grants,” said President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Nina Rees. “As the nation’s charter schools continue to transform the public education landscape, the National Alliance applauds Senator Durbin and Senator Kirk for their leadership, and we look forward to working with him on this legislation and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.”
The grants can be awarded to local education agencies, state education agencies, authorized public chartering agencies and non-profit organizations which then award subgrants to individual charter schools. Priority is given to the top performing charter schools in each state which: have significantly closed achievement gaps; meet benchmarks on state assessments; serve a high-need student population; and exceed the state graduation, attendance or persistence rates.
In order to promote and strengthen accountability, transparency and governance, All-STAR encourages states to be better regulators of charter schools by giving funding priority to states and other entities that require detailed performance reports from and have established polices to encourage successful charter schools. Specifically, the bill will prioritize states and entities that have:
- A strategic plan for authorizing or approving public charter schools;
- Policies for authorizing or approving public charter schools which examine a school’s financial plan, financial controls and audit requirements;
- A plan for serving students with disabilities, students who are English language learners, students who are academically behind their peers and gifted students;
- The capacity and capability to successfully launch and subsequently operate a public charter school, including the backgrounds of the individuals applying to the agency to operate such school; and
- A transparent, timely, and effective process for closing down academically unsuccessful charter schools.
Source: kirk.senate.gov
