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U.S. Department of Education Awards more than $54 Million in Charter School Grants to States to Increase Public School Options

Press Release

Date: March 13, 2012
Issues: Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the award of three charter school grants, totaling $54.8 million, to increase public school options in Minnesota, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Minnesota will receive a five-year grant and New Jersey and Massachusetts will each receive three-year grants, based on available funding, under the FY 2011 Charter Schools Program state educational agency (SEA) competition, which provides funds to states to create new high-quality charter schools and disseminate information about existing charters.

"High-quality charter schools have an important role to play in the overall strategy of successful school reform," said U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. "These states have an opportunity to spread successful practices and expand effective public charter school choices for more students and parents."

The purpose of the Charter Schools Program is to increase financial support for these public schools, build a better national understanding of public charter schools, and increase the number of high-quality public charter schools across the nation. Altogether, the administration will invest $255 million in fiscal year 2012 through several grant programs administered by the Charter Schools Program to:

* support charter school efforts to find suitable facilities;
* disseminate information about successful charter school practices; and
* replicate and expand high-quality charter schools.
* help plan and implement public charter schools;

President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2013 budget request also includes $255 million to expand educational options by helping grow effective charter schools and other autonomous public schools that achieve positive results and give parents more choices.

More information about the Charter Schools Program is available from the Education Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/csp/index.html.

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