Charter schools are quickly becoming a major force in public education, supported in part by the Obama administration’s education agenda. The administration is encouraging states to support the expansion of high-quality charter schools by offering states that lift caps on new charters a chance to win grants from the renowned Race to the Top competition. The administration has also singled out charter schooling as a key strategy to turn around 5,000 of the nation’s most troubled schools.
At the same time, Latinos and English language learners, or ELLs, make up an increasing share of the nation’s school-aged children. They are also disproportionately concentrated in the schools targeted by the administration’s school turnaround efforts. Charter schools that take on this challenge of turning around schools will therefore inevitably have to consider how they are going to improve the educational outcomes of Latino and ELL students in these schools.
Join us for a discussion about the role—both current and future—that charter schools have in the education of Latinos and ELLs. A new report by the Center for American Progress and the National Council of La Raza will launch the discussion. We will examine how both the large growth of the Latino and ELL student population and the potential expansion of charter schools will influence the educational landscape, and hear from two high-performing charter schools that have been recognized for their Latino and ELL achievement.
Opening remarks:
Cynthia G. Brown, Vice President for Education Policy, Center for American Progress
Delia Pompa, Vice President for Education, National Council of La Raza
Featured Speakers:
Peter C. Groff, President and CEO, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Monique Daviss, Executive Director, El Sol Science and Arts Academy, Santa Ana, CA
Richard Farias, Superintendent, Raul Yzaguirre School for Success, Houston, TX; Founder, President, and CEO, Tejano Center for Community Concerns, Inc.
Moderated by:
Melissa Lazarín, Associate Director for Education Policy, Center for American Progress
For a full transcript click here.