Secretary Spellings today made the following statement on the NCES report, "A Closer Look at Charter Schools Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling":

Many charter schools are still relatively new, and we need to examine how they improve student performance over time for a better picture of how they compare to traditional public schools. Charter schools are empowering low-income parents with new educational options and providing an important lifeline for families in areas where traditional public schools have fallen short of their responsibilities.

I have visited high-performing charter schools all around the country, and I have seen how they take the most at-risk students and refuse to give up on them. These schools are pioneering new classroom strategies that will help us raise achievement in all our public schools.

For additional information about the No Child Left Behind Act and other education initiatives, please visit the Department's Web site at http://www.ed.gov.

For additional information, the general public may also call 1-800-USA-LEARN (872-5327).

The report, "A Closer Look at Charter Schools Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling," is available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006460.

###

Top

Back to August 2006