Phoenix (May 12, 2019) – Arizona is excited to join students, families, educators and supporters across the country in celebrating National Charter Schools Week.
In accordance with the national annual event, Gov. Doug Ducey has proclaimed the week of May 12-18 Arizona Charter Schools Week to recognize the important role of public charter schools in expanding high-quality education options for all students.
According to a 2018 EdChoice survey, 61 percent of Americans support public charter schools. That support is evident in Arizona, where charter enrollment has doubled in the last decade alone. Today, Arizona’s public charter schools serve a record 200,000 students across 554 schools.
Arizona’s public charter school movement exemplifies the sector’s commitment to providing quality choices that put students’ needs first and achieve strong academic results. Since 2015, Arizona charter students of every racial and ethnic group have outperformed the state average in nearly every grade level and subject area on the AzMERIT assessment. Arizona charter students are also outperforming their district and private-school peers on the National Assessment for Educational Progress, better known as the Nation’s Report Card. Nearly 70 percent of Arizona charter schools that received a letter grade earned either an ‘A’ or B’ in 2017-18.
The Arizona Charter Schools Association will celebrate National Charter Schools Week by visiting our 2018 Charter School of the Year, ASU Prep Poly STEM Academy; and the 2018 Charter Teacher of the Year, Dr. John Rosinbum of BASIS Tucson North.
“Charter schools empower parents, expand educational opportunity and ensure that no child is trapped in a failing school by virtue of where they live,” said Jake Logan, president and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association. “We are proud to celebrate the contributions of the charter schools and educators who continue to provide high-quality, innovative public education options for families in every corner of Arizona.”
For media inquiries, please contact Jamar Younger, jamar@azcharters.org or 602-802-5516.
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About the Arizona Charter Schools Association
The Arizona Charter Schools Association is a nonprofit organization that advocates and strengthens the autonomy, equity, and quality of Arizona’s diverse public charter schools. As a national leader in the public charter school movement, Arizona’s 556 charter schools serve almost 200,000 students in the 2018-19 school year. Academically, Arizona charter schools continue to produce excellent results. For the last four years, public charter students outperformed the state average on the AzMERIT assessment. In fact, if Arizona’s public charter students were separated and measured as their own state, it would rank among a handful of the top-performing states in the entire country on the Nation’s Report Card. For more information, visit www.azcharters.org or call 602.944.0644.
