Charter Schools: Reinventing Public Education

1. Charter Schools: Reinventing Public Education

2. Charter Schools… Are independent public schools of choice Serve ALL student populations Are tuition-free Have more flexibility which allows for more innovation in the classroom to better meet students’ needs Have greater accountability Are raising the bar and transforming public education

3. 20th Anniversary of CA Charter Schools • California approved the Charter Schools Act in 1992, the second state in the nation to pass a charter school law – after Minnesota • Charter schools were created to: • Provide more options and choice to parents and students • Encourage innovation • Provide learning opportunities, especially to underserved students

4. Charter Schools Nationwide In 2011-2012, more than 2 million students attended nearly 5,600 charter schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia *From the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

5. Charters Grow in Response to Parent Demand With 982 Charter Schools, California has the highest number of charter schools of any state in the U.S.

6. Californians support charter schools •  In 2011, a statewide poll of Californians found: • 67.3% of respondents know quite a bit or some about charter schools, up from 50.8% the year before and 48% two years ago • 47.2% of respondents strongly or somewhat favor charter schools, up from 42% the year before and 35.9% two years ago

7. The California Charter Schools Association The California Charter Schools Association is the membership and professional organization serving 982 charter public schools and more than 412,000 students in the state of California CCSA was founded in 2003

8. Academic Performance Charter school performance is mixed, with charters overrepresented in both the top 5% of CA public schools and the bottom 5%

9. Academic Successes • Charters stand out in many areas: • Charter schools are breaking the link between poverty and low performance, with charters serving low-income students more likely to be high-performing than traditional schools • California charter schools serving a predominantly African American student population consistently outperform similar traditional schools • California's charter middle schools consistently demonstrate higher academic performance than non-charter schools • Overall, charter schools in Los Angeles and Oakland outperform district schools

10. Charter School Growth • Despite a challenging economy, 100 new charters schools opened in California in the 2011-12 school year • CA charters serve more than 412,000 students

11. Charter Schools in Los Angeles Charter School Growth in Los Angeles L.A. Unified School District is home to more charter schools than any district in the country More than 10,000 students are on waitlists for L.A. charter schools

12. Charter Schools in Los Angeles 2010-11 Mean API Scores by Level Overall, charter schools outperform LAUSD schools

13. San Diego Charter Schools There are 42 charters in San Diego Unified School District, and 95 in San Diego County

14. Oakland Charter Schools 2010-11 Mean API Scores by Level Charter schools serve about 20% of students in Oakland Overall, charters outperform Oakland Unified Updated 01/17/12

15. Oakland Charter Schools 2010-11 Mean API Scores by Subgroups Oakland charter schools also outperform district schools for many subgroups

16. Fresno Charter Schools 34 charters operate in Fresno County, 13 of them within Fresno Unified

17. San Bernardino Charter Schools There are 12 charter schools in San Bernardino Unified

18. San Francisco Charter Schools There are 14 charter schools in San Francisco Unified

19. Charter Schools in Sacramento City USD There are 14 charter schools in Sacramento City Unified School District

20. San Jose Charter Schools There are 33 charter schools located in the City of San Jose (includes multiple school districts)

21. For More Information • If you need additional information or resources, visit: • www.calcharters.org • www.familiesthatcan.org