Landrieu, Alexander Announce Senate Public Charter Schools Caucus

Three cheers for Senators Landrieu and Alexander!

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Landrieu, Alexander Announce Senate Public Charter Schools Caucus

http://support.tennessean.com/blogs/?p=1404

Caucus will be source of information on benefits of charter schools.

WASHINGTON – United States Senators Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., today announced the creation of the Senate Public Charter Schools Caucus, which will provide a vehicle for informing Members of Congress and the public about the role and potential of charter schools in the United States.  The caucus will work with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which will provide important and provocative speakers for quarterly events, serve as a resource on the impact of federal and state charter policies and act as conduit for research, statistics and trends in the charter movement.

“Education is key to our entire state’s future and we must do everything within our power to improve schools and make them work for our children,” Sen. Landrieu said. “As Louisiana focuses on rebuilding from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we must focus special attention on the impact that the storms had on our education system. Hurricane damage devastated the school system in many affected areas, but it has also given us an opportunity to rebuild a public school system based on innovation and community involvement.  Charter schools will play an important role in the reconstruction of our schools, and I thank the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools for their work in promoting and supporting this effort.”

Alexander added:  “One of the great developments in education over the past few decades has been the advent of widespread choice within the public school system.  It’s hard to argue against providing families with options to choose from in meeting the particular educational needs of their children.  Our challenge going forward is to not only expand those options but improve their quality and consistency.  Of course most educational policy will continue to be made – as it should be – at the state and local level.  But the federal government has an important role to play as well, and the National Alliance will be a great resource for Congress in tackling these issues.”