The U.S. Department of Education's Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Doug Mesecar visited Guadalupe Schools in Salt Lake City today to present an $8,533,334 Charter Schools Program grant to the Utah State Department of Education. Utah's Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert and Vice Chairman of the Utah State Board of Education Mark Cluff joined Mesecar for the announcement.

Utah is one of five states receiving the competitive grants through the Department's Charter Schools Program this year, which supports states' efforts to plan, design, implement and disseminate information about charter schools. Additional states receiving grants are Idaho, New York, Florida and Oregon.

The long-term objectives for Utah's public charter schools include increasing the number of high-quality charter schools in the state targeting underserved student populations; increasing new charter school board members' and directors' understanding of the laws and rules that frame charter school operations, as well as the policies, procedures and practices of successful charter schools by providing additional training and funding; and providing additional training and information to all charter schools to promote best practices in instruction and school management.

"Supporting the growth of new, high-quality charter schools is critical to our efforts to improve the educational opportunities for all children," Mesecar said. "Utah has continued to demonstrate strong annual growth in the number of charter schools that school districts and the Utah Charter School Board are authorizing."

These grants help states create more quality charter schools and increase school choices for parents and their children. State educational agencies with a specific statue authorizing charter schools may apply for funding. In awarding grants, the Department gives preference to states that have demonstrated progress in increasing the number of high-quality schools, that hold schools accountable for reaching clear and measurable objectives and that give public charter schools a high degree of autonomy over budgets and expenditures.

Charter schools are independent public schools designed and operated by parents, educators, community leaders, education entrepreneurs and others with a contract or charter from a public agency, such as a local or state education agency or an institution of higher education. Charter schools are operated free-of-charge to parents and are open to all students. These schools provide parents with enhanced educational choices within the public school system. Exempt from many statutory and regulatory requirements, charter schools receive increased flexibility in exchange for increased accountability for improving academic achievement. The first charter school in the United States opened in 1992. Today, more than 4,000 charter schools serve more than 1 million students in 40 states and Washington, D.C.

More information about the Public Charter Schools Program is available at www.ed.gov/programs/charter.

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