3,500 Charter Advocates Descend Upon Sacramento to Celebrate the "Momentum" of California's Charter Movement at Annual Conference

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week, March 20-23, 2017, 3,500 charter public school supporters will arrive in the State Capitol to attend the 24^th Annual California Charter Schools Conference. The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) is honored to invite charter school leaders, teachers and advocates to the event in celebration of the "Momentum" and growth of California's nonprofit charter public school sector and to address the future of California's education system.

"There's no doubt, California's students are learning more and finding greater success after high school, because of charter public schools," said Jed Wallace, president and CEO, CCSA. "This year's conference theme, Momentum, speaks to the nonprofit charter sector's incredible contributions over the last 24 years, and the critical need to reaffirm our pledge to the values that guide us in service of our students: empowering families and promoting high quality public school options for every student. We are particularly honored to host three of California's Gubernatorial candidates this year at a discussion that marks their first education forum, and gives them an opportunity to talk with our leaders about the crucial role charters will continue to play in the public education landscape."

This year, attendees will have an opportunity to hear from the following notable speakers:

Tuesday, March 21: Andrew Solomon, worldwide bestselling author of "Far From the Tree: Parents, Children & The Search for Identity," will present the opening keynote address from 8 – 9:30 a.m. at the Memorial Auditorium on 1515 J Street in Sacramento. Solomon has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and his book has been acclaimed by The New York Times, NPR, and Vanity Fair as "revolutionary."

"It is vitally important that we defend the right of all students to learn openly and freely.  No one should find his or her education compromised through being a member of an ethnic or racial minority, identifying as LGBTQ, or facing socioeconomic or ability-based challenges.  The barriers these groups face have grown more impenetrable in this new era of our nation.  I believe that our differences can serve as a uniting force, that by helping our children define their multiple identities, we can make life richer not only for them, but also for the rest of us.  I am impressed by the way California's charter public schools strive to ignite a passion for learning in all students, regardless of their differences. It's imperative that we work together to increase all families' access to such high-quality educational options.  Our children deserve nothing less."

Wednesday, March 22: Jed Wallace, president and CEO, CCSA will present the keynote address during the morning plenary session, from 8:00 – 9:30 am at the Memorial Auditorium. Under his leadership, CCSA now advocates on behalf of more charter schools and charter school students than any other state in the nation.

Thursday, March 23: 2018 California Gubernatorial Candidates John Chiang, California State Treasurer, Delaine Eastin, former California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles, will participate in a forum on public education with a focus on the role of charter public schools in serving California' students. The panel will take place during the closing plenary session from 10:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center, 3^rd Floor Ballroom.

Additional Information:

• More than 600,000 students attend over 1,200 charter schools in California
• 3,500+ conference attendees
• 186 conference breakout sessions, 56 expo presentations/posters, 300 exhibiting companies
• Charter schools are public schools. They are tuition-free and serve all students. Across the state, charter schools are excelling academically.  

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About the California Charter Schools Association
The California Charter Schools Association's vision is to increase student learning by growing the number of families choosing high quality charter public schools so that no child is denied the right to a great public education. Our mission is to ensure a million students attend charter public schools by 2022, with charter public schools outperforming non-charter public schools on every measure. We do this by serving as the advocacy organization that builds the policy environment needed to grow as quickly as possible the number of students attending high quality charter public schools. For more information, please visit our website at www.ccsa.org.

Contact: Caity Heim, Manager, Communications, CCSA
530-304-1242
[email protected]

SOURCE California Charter Schools Association

Related Links

http://www.ccsa.org