Non-partisan think-tank supports Association’s efforts to improve educational opportunity, achievement for Arizona students
Phoenix (Jan. 9, 2020) – The Arizona Charter Schools Association is proud to announce the hiring of Matthew Ladner, who will lead the Arizona Center for Student Opportunity – a new non-partisan think tank devoted to provide accurate information about the positive impact charter schools are having on Arizona students. Ladner brings almost 25 years of charter school and education policy experience, with much of his research focusing on how demographic and social shifts affect Arizona’s education system.
“Matt’s extensive knowledge of charter schools, education reform and demographics will prove to be an invaluable resource for the Arizona Charter Schools Association as we continue to work towards ensuring that every child has access to a quality school,” said Jake Logan, president and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association. “We’re honored to have one of the leading voices of the charter school movement joining our team. Combined with our existing world class research team, the Arizona Center for Student Opportunity will be a huge value add for public education in Arizona.”
Ladner was previously Senior Research Strategist for the Arizona Chamber Foundation, where he examined various education and economic challenges facing the state. He also served as Senior Advisor for Policy and Research at the Foundation for Excellence in Education, focusing on charter schools, school choice, race and special education. In addition, Ladner worked as Vice President of Research for the Goldwater Institute, Vice President of Policy and Communications at Children First America and Director of State Projects at the Alliance for School Choice. He is currently Executive Editor of redefinED, a Friedman Fellow at EdChoice, and a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Goldwater Institute.
“In the past 25 years, Arizona’s charter schools have helped invigorate the state’s education system by improving student academics while serving as a model for other states to replicate. I look forward to working with the Arizona Charter Schools Association to help advance this work and find ways to further improve Arizona’s education system,” Ladner said.
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.
