Statement in response to the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General report

October 3, 2016 – The Florida Charter School Alliance released a statement in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) report entitled, Nationwide Assessment of Charter and Education Management Organizations:

“Florida has been very proactive and repeatedly updated its charter school laws to strengthen accountability, and address the types of concerns mentioned in the recent U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) report.

Public charter schools have been a quality education option for children in Florida for two decades, and in that time have made incredible academic gains – particularly among minority students and in under-served communities. It’s important to note that many non-profit charter management organizations (CMOs) have had great success helping low-income students make academic gains and, in many cases, surpass their peers attending district-run schools in state assessments. In fact, some of the highest performing charter schools in the state belong to CMO networks.

The Florida Charter School Alliance will review the report findings and will work with our member schools, authorizers, and legislators to ensure that our state’s policies are up-to-date and that transparency exists at all levels of charter school operations.”

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