Political Quotes

“As the Senate prepares to vote on the Every Child Achieves Act, I wish to commend Senator Alexander for working with me to include language regarding charter school authorizers in the substitute amendment language. A charter school authorizer is an entity approved by the State legislature and is responsible for establishing charter schools' academic and accountability standards, among other things. State charter laws vary from State to State in regards to how and to whom authorizers are subject to accountability. For example, a State with independent or multiple authorizers gives entities other than local education boards or the State board, the authority to approve charter schools. These entities are typically outside the traditional education structure of a state and can include independent, statewide charter school boards, or colleges and universities. According to the Center for Education Reform, ``there is a direct correlation between States with multiple authorizers and higher student achievement.'' Out of 44 State laws, 21 States have created independent authorizers. The language in the underlying Every Child Achieves Act encouraged States applying for grants to Support High-Quality Charter Schools (Sec. 5103) to establish authorizing standards of an authorized public chartering agency, despite the fact that some States don't have any explicit authority over charter school authorizing.…”