Phoenix, Ariz. — U.S. Department of Education Assistant Deputy Secretary Morgan Brown today visited Pan-American Elementary School (PAES) in Phoenix, Ariz., to celebrate the release of the Department's new Innovation in Education guide, K-8 Charter Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap. This new resource profiles seven charter schools from across the U.S., including PAES, making strides under No Child Left Behind to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their peers. Touring classrooms and visiting with faculty and students, Brown touted the remarkable progress at Pan-American elementary to tackle the achievement gap and produce consistent academic gains for students.

K-8 Charter Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap examines factors contributing charter schools' successes including a mission-driven focus, innovative academic programs, positive school culture, partnership with families, accountability for achieving results, and continuous professional learning and improvement. Unveiled last month by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings during a charter school visit on her No Child Left Behind back-to-school bus tour, the guide highlights practices that inform educators on ways to help students meet high academic standards.

"Charter schools like Pan-American Elementary Charter School are helping students thrive under No Child Left Behind. They are igniting in students a love for learning and proving that through an innovative, challenging academic environment, all students can achieve," Secretary Spellings said.

Just six years after opening its doors, Pan-American Elementary School has experienced a steady increase in students' academic achievement, which school leaders attribute to strong parental involvement and a focus on standards-based instruction. Although 100 percent of students are achieving below grade level when they enter Pan-American, PAES is achieving adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind and received a "Performing Plus" ranking by the Arizona Department of Education in 2005-06. Additionally, by offering a full-day kindergarten program, in contrast to Arizona's half-day programs in most public schools, teachers are able to cover more material and bring these students at least a half-grade ahead of their peers in other public schools each year.

In addition to Pan-American Elementary, the schools profiled in the Innovation in Education guide are: Alain Locke Charter Academy (Chicago, Ill.); Amigos Por Vida—Friends for Life Charter School (Houston, Texas); Amistad Academy (New Haven, Conn.); Carl C. Icahn Charter School (Bronx, N.Y.); Cesar Chavez Academy (Pueblo, Colo.); The Intergenerational School (Cleveland, Ohio).

The K-8 Charter Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap guide is available at the following link: http://www.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/charterk-8/index.html.

This book is one of a series of innovation guides produced by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement.

All books in this series are available as free downloads at http://www.ed.gov/about/pubs/intro/innovations.html.

The U.S. Department of Education case study video featuring the Cesar Chavez Academy is available at: http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/2007/match-cca.html.

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