Grants awarded for charter schools and expansion of public school choice in Louisiana
New Orleans, LA – The U.S. Department of Education today announced the five state recipients of charter school grants to be awarded to state education agencies for the use of charter school support and expansion.
The five states to receive a share of the $82 million dollar grant, announced by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement, included Arizona, Tennessee, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Louisiana.
The Charter School Grants Program is designed to help financially support existing successful charter school and help promote the expansion of these schools by helping fund school planning and start up costs, as well as educate the public as to what charter schools are.
Charter Schools are independent public schools that are allowed to be more innovative and held accountable for student achievement.
“Louisiana is at the forefront of the charter school movement. It is because Louisiana has embraced public charter schools and their ability to provide innovative solutions in public education, that we were selected by the U.S. Department to receive these funds, “says Caroline Roemer Shirley, Executive Director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.
Louisiana has a strong record for supporting public school choice, and the efforts have received national attention. A recent study by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Educational Options (CREDO) found that Louisiana’s charter schools are outperforming their traditional public school counterparts. Also, New Orleans continues to lead the nation in the percentage of public school students attending charter schools at 58%.
Additionally, at the end of this legislative session, the legislature moved to successfully remove the cap on the number of charter schools allowed to operate in Louisiana, a move that certainly helped position Louisiana for these funds.
“These funds will help Louisiana to continue to create a high quality charter school movement. We are thrilled to be one of the five states to receive this money and commend Superintendent Pastorek and the Louisiana Department of Education on their efforts to secure these additional dollars for Louisiana.“says Roemer Shirley.
About Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools
The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) is a 501c3 non profit organization whose mission is to increase student achievement by supporting, promoting, and advocating for the quality charter school movement.