Bill Cosby and Deborah Kenny to Keynote at the National Charter Schools Conference

Bill Cosby, one of America's most beloved comedians and education advocates, asks Dr. Deborah Kenny  education's most burning question: "How do we give every child in our nation an excellent teacher – and how do we keep those teachers passionate, happy and effective?"

Kenny, founder and CEO of Harlem Village Academies, will share findings from her new book, Born to Rise. In this keynote session, Cosby will dig deep into Kenny's insights about what it takes to create schools where every classroom is led by a superstar teacher.

We're thrilled to have such fantastic keynotes joining us at this year's conference, and believe that these conversations contribute to the strength and success of the movement. We hope that you will join us to be a part of it all!

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Honors the 2012 Hall of Fame Inductees

The awards will be handed out during the June 20 general session at this year's conference. The National Charter Schools Hall of Fame was established to recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions in the following areas:

• Pioneering efforts in the development and growth of charter schools
• Commitment and contributions to charter schools and education
• Innovative ideas and successful implementation of those ideas
• Inspiration to others in the charter school movement

Without question, these individuals and organizations have fulfilled these requirements.

This year the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is honoring Jim Griffin, president of the Colorado League of Charter Schools. His work across the nation has led the conversation around public facilities access and funding equity for public charter schools in policy making, and his pioneering work on the Colorado Growth Model has led to many states’ adoptions of meaningful student assessments.

We’re now celebrating 20 years since the first charter school opened, and it is this year’s inductees who made sure that the Minnesota story became an example for the rest of the nation to follow. Among other things, Jon Schroeder drafted and helped enact the Federal Charter School Program, City Academy High School was the first public charter school to open its doors and Eric Mahmoud has been a continuous beacon of  what performance management should look like in schools. Read the inductee's full biographies.

The Next 20 Years: Impact and Future of Public Charter Schools

Please join us on June 20 for a groundbreaking keynote panel discussion on the impact and future of public charter schools on education. Moderated byPBS NewsHour correspondent and Learning Matters President John Merrow, this panel will help determine the future of charter schooling. 

About our panelists:
•   Don Shalvey, deputy director for the Gates Foundation’s U.S. Programs Education initiative, founded the acclaimed Aspire Schools in California.
•   Howard Fuller, co-chair and co-founder of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, is one of the charter movement’s fiercest advocates. He currently directs the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University.
•   John Danner is the CEO of Rocketship Education. He was honored with the 2010 John P. McNulty Prize for leadership “pioneering a unique hybrid education model” in elementary schools in high-need areas.