WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rosselló and Education Secretary Julia Keleher proposed legislation to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives that would introduce “Alliance Schools.” Similar to public charter schools that exist in 44 states and the District of Columbia, Alliance schools would provide new public school options for Puerto Rico’s students. The bill would allow specialized nonprofit entities to administer schools that can offer customized curriculum, schedules, and enrichment programs that meet the diverse educational needs of Puerto Rico’s students.
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO Nina Rees released the following statement of support:
“The National Alliance supports Governor Rosselló and Secretary Keleher’s effort to allow more public school options to the students of Puerto Rico. As the legislation notes, Puerto Rico is experiencing a mass exodus of families to the United States following the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. To combat this, elected officials recognize that strengthening public schools and the options available to parents will be an essential element of rebuilding Puerto Rico’s economy and securing its future fiscal prosperity.”
“As advocates for strong public school options for all students, the National Alliance believes that increased autonomy coupled with strong accountability creates the conditions for public schools to deliver an innovative, flexible, and high quality education to their students and families.”
About Public Charter SchoolsPublic charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.
About the National Alliance for Public Charter SchoolsThe National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org.
