The Center for Education Reform, founded in 1993, combines education policy with grassroots advocacy in over 40 states throughout the country to foster positive education reforms. CER advocates reforms that produce high standards, accountability and freedom, such as strong charter school laws, school choice programs for children most in need, common sense teacher initiatives, and proven instructional programs. http://www.edreform.com
The DC Public Charter School Board was created in 1995 by the School Reform Act and has the authority to grant charters in Washington. Board members are appointed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia from a list drawn up by the U.S. Secretary of Education. http://www.dcpubliccharter.com
The DC Public Charter School Association was created by DC public charter schools in 2004 to serve as their collective voice. It focuses on three key areas: (1) policy and advocacy-serving as a clearinghouse of information; (2) school quality-by facilitating access to information, best practices, training and technical assistance, and networking across schools; and (3) public engagement-working to improve build public support for charter schools in DC. http://www.dcpcsa.org
Education Sector is an independent education policy think tank devoted to developing innovative solutions to the nation's most pressing educational problems. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan, and seeks to be a dependable source of sound thinking on policy and an honest broker of evidence in key education debates throughout the United States. http://www.educationsector.org
Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS) is a charter school advocacy group in DC working with city and federal officials and the press to increase understanding of and support for charter schools. FOCUS also runs a charter school startup center, encouraging individuals and organizations to start charter schools and providing information, training, and support to them. http://www.focusdc.org
The National Alliance of Public Charter Schools develops policies that support high-quality public education options for families who need them the most. Key priorities include lifting arbitrary "caps" on charter growth, closing the finance gap between charters and other public schools, and updating the federal Charter Schools Program to spur a new era of charter achievement. The Alliance proactively delivers the message of accountability and results through print, broadcast, and online media; Issue Briefs and other publications; and conferences. http://www.publiccharters.org
No Child Left Behind is a sweeping federal education law with the goal of ensuring that all public school children are proficient or better in Reading and Mathematics by school year 2013-14. Under the law, schools that fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), as measured by an annual state test, must offer parents the choice to transfer their children to a different school, and after two years of failing to make AYP, provide no-cost Supplemental Education Services (SES) to qualifying students. For more information about NCLB, school choice or SES, contact Wendy Scott at wscott@dcprep.org.
|
