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Ten years of steady growth
The Houston Chronicle reported this week that charter schools across the region have nearly doubled their enrollment since 2014, encompassing nearly 100,000 students and representing around 8 percent of total enrollment. Awesome! Additionally, they published a profile of two schools in the Houston area that have seen the most growth: KIPP Texas Public Schools and YES Prep Public Schools.
A moment
50CAN president Derrell Bradford joined host Paul Peterson on The Education Exchange podcast this week, discussing the state of charter schools specifically—and the school choice movement more broadly—in the aftermath of the 2024 elections. He calls this “a moment of peril and opportunity” for charters. Check it out to find out why!
School closure debate in Ohio
Earlier this week, Ohio Senate Education Committee heard testimony on SB 295, which is aiming to change the closure requirements for poor-performing public schools across the state. Coverage of the hearing from Clevleand.com focused on the potential that chronically underperforming district school buildings could be “charterized” sometime in the future if the bill passes. The Fordham Institute’s Chad Aldis testified at the hearing as well, noting that he is far more concerned about the possibility that some charter schools with a history of low performance will be allowed to escape consequences right now if the bill is enacted as it currently stands. An important piece of legislation to keep an eye on.
Kudos
Congratulations to the staff and administration of Dayton Leadership Academies, one of only two charter schools in the region that received an Excellence in Prevention award, which recognizes schools and districts who are implementing programs and strategies to prevent mental health issues in their schools. The awards were handed out by the Montgomery County Educational Services Center at a celebratory event this week.
Wrangling
Legal wrangling continued last week in the effort to create the first religiously-affiliated charter school in the country. Specifically, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the U.S. Supreme Court not to take up an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that bars the state from entering into a contract to open the proposed St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.
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