U.S. Department of Education Awards $2.8 Million in Charter School Grants for Planning, Program Design, Implementation and Dissemination

Press Release

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of 17 grants totaling $2.8 million to charter developers for planning, program design, and initial implementation of new charter schools, as well as for dissemination and sharing best practices of existing charter schools. The grants will assist in expanding the number of high quality charter schools in the nation by providing funding to 16 new, or recently open, charter schools over the next three years. The grants will also provide one high- quality charter school the ability to partner with other charter and non-charter public schools to improve academic performance and share effective practices.

"Effective charter schools continue to offer bright ideas and viable solutions to challenges facing the education system," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "The schools can be laboratories of innovation in teaching and learning for students, parents and teachers."

This year's competition incorporated priorities for schools improving achievement for students in rural communities, students with disabilities, and English learners; projects that promote student diversity; and schools that address the needs of military-connected students. All grantees serve or are planning to serve a student population of which at least 50 percent are from low-income families.

The administration will invest more than $240 million in fiscal year 2013 to assist in the planning and implementation of public charter schools and dissemination of their successful practices through the Charter School Program (CSP). In addition, the president's fiscal year 2014 budget requests $294 million for Expanding Educational Options, which includes grants for supporting effective charter schools.

The purpose of the CSP is to increase national understanding of the charter school model and to expand the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the nation by providing financial assistance for the planning, program design, initial implementation, and dissemination of best practices. Federal funds are also available to replicate and expand successful schools, help charter schools find suitable facilities, and pay for national activities and initiatives that support charter schools.

More information about the Charter Schools Program is available from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement.

Following is a list of grantees by state. The list includes the first-year grant award amount for each grantee:

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