Jeanne Allen: District-Charter Collaboration Puts Priorities in Focus

Setting political differences aside is a necessary next step for student success

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jeanne Allen, President of The Center for Education Reform, released the following statement regarding the commitment of nine traditional public school districts and their charter schools to partner on raising student achievement through the District-Charter Collaboration Compact:

"The essence of the charter school idea is to allow schools the freedom and flexibility to implement innovative methods for raising student achievement, and to, by extension, showcase how traditional schools can do the same.

"This collaborative partnership between school districts and their charter schools, as pioneered by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provides for a true cross-pollination of ideas and practices, free from the often politically charged debates so common within our school systems.

"Several cities signed on to the District-Charter Collaboration Compact, such as Baltimore, New York and Los Angeles, have seen their charter communities steadily raise the achievement levels of students regardless of geographic or demographic considerations.

"If entered into with an open mind, on both sides, and with a common focus on the success of all students regardless of their school, this collaboration could provide a model for all districts and teach them that when adults are able to rise above their differences, it's students who will come out on top."

SOURCE Center for Education Reform