Department Awards Nearly $5 Million in Charter School Grants for Planning, Program Design, Implementation and Dissemination

(October 5, 2011)  The U.S. Department of Education announced today charter school grants totaling $4,792,526 to charter developers for planning, program design, and initial implementation, as well as for dissemination. These Charter School Program Non-state Educational Agency (Non-SEA) grants will assist in expanding the number of high quality charter schools in the nation by providing funding to 23 new, or recently opened, charter schools over the next three years. These grants will also provide three high quality charter schools the ability to partner with other charter and non-charter public schools to improve academic performance and share effective practices.

 "High-quality charter schools have an important role to play in the overall strategy of successful school reform," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "These organizations have an opportunity to spread successful practices and expand effective public charter school choices for more students and parents."

The administration invested more than $250 million in fiscal year 2011 to assist in the planning and implementation of public charter schools and dissemination of their successful practices through the Charter School Grants Program. In addition, the President's fiscal year 2012 budget requests $372 million for Expanding Educational Options, which includes grants for supporting effective charter schools.

The purpose of the Charter Schools Program (CSP) is to increase national understanding of the charter school model and to expand the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the nation by providing financial assistance for the planning, program design, initial implementation, and dissemination of best practices. Federal funds are also available to replicate and expand successful schools, help charter schools find suitable facilities, and pay for national activities and initiatives that support charter schools.

More information about the Charter Schools Program is available from the Education Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/csp/index.html.

Following is a list of successful grantees by state. The list includes the first-year grant award amount for each grantee.

Cross-posted from the ED Blog.