WHAT'S NEW: Updates from the National Alliance 

• Welcome back! Hope everyone had a great start to 2024. 
• This year, we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Thank you so much for the support over the last two decades. We can't wait to see what the future holds! 
• NCSC registration opens tomorrow. Keep your eye out for a registration email, and join us in Boston, June 30 — July 3.
• Two new reports are out:
  • Read below to learn more about our latest enrollment trend report, Believing in Public Education: A Demographic and State-Level Analysis of Public Charter School and District Public School Enrollment Trends
  • We also released our Rising Leaders Initiative program report,  Supporting a New Generation of Student Advocates: The Rising Leaders Initiative       

READ: Believing in Public Education: A Demographic and State-Level Analysis of Public Charter School and District Public School Enrollment Trends 

Believing in Public Education: A Demographic and State-level Analysis of Public Charter School and District Public School Enrollment Trends is a new data analysis that examines enrollment trends during the last four school years (2019-2023). Over the last four school years (2019-20 to 2022-23), charter schools have gained more than 300,000 students, an increase of 9%. Meanwhile, district public schools have been unable to recover the 1.5 million students they lost during the pandemic, a 3.5% loss. The report examined data for Black, Hispanic, and White students in 26 of 42 states included in the analysis. All three groups are continuing to choose charter schools—and, in some cases, charter school enrollment growth is even outpacing expected numbers based on population growth trends.

Read the report. 

Learn more in Charter Schools Keep Winning Students from Union Schools, an editorial by The Wall Street Journal. 

INSPIRE: Supporting a New Generation of Student Advocates: The Rising Leaders Initiative 

The Rising Leaders Initiative (RLI), a one-year advo­cacy training program for charter high school students, completed its first year in 2023. From hosting voter registration drives to leading campaigns to write letters to Congress—these young advocates used their voices to spread awareness about the importance of public education and ideas on how to evoke positive changes.

Read the report. 

Catch up with these amazing leaders in Where Are They Now? Class of 2022-2023 Rising Leaders, and learn more first-hand about their experiences in the RLI in From Students to Advocates: Reflecting on the Rising Leaders Initiative. 

ENGAGE AND APPLY: Resources and Opportunities

School Ambassador Fellowship 

• Who: U.S. Department of Education 
• What: This is a unique professional engagement experience designed to improve the outcomes for students nationwide by leveraging the voices of outstanding school-based practitioners to inform the Department on a range of national education policy issues. 
• When: Applications due February 5 at 11:59 p.m. EST. 
• Where: For more information, please visit the application information page. 

Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program 

• Who: U.S. Department of Education 
• What: The Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program seeks to improve results for children with disabilities by promoting the development of technology, supporting educational activities, and providing accessible educational materials. 
• When: Applications are due March 4.
• Where: Pre-application webinar information will be released January 8. For additional information, visit the application website.  

ATTEND: Upcoming Events

Join these conferences and activities to connect with fellow charter school advocates!

• Jan 31-Feb 2: Diverse Charter School Coalition 2024 Annual Convening -- Los Angeles, CA 
• Mar. 13-14: North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools Advocacy Summit -- Raleigh, NC 
• Mar. 18-21: California Charter Schools Conference -- Long Beach, CA 

See more upcoming events. 

READ: What We're Reading

• The 'Godfather' of Top Charter Schools: A Tribute to the Late Linda Brown | The 74
• UT Tyler Charter School Teacher Recognized by Humanities Texas | Tyler Morning Telegraph
• West Virginia School Allows Students to Earn Free Nursing Courses While in High School | WTRF

We ❤️ your partnership. Please support our work by:

• Making a tax-deductible gift
• Getting involved

Thank you!