Washington, D.C.-Today, the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned a previous Court of Appeals dismissal of Cruz-Guzman v. State of Minnesota, remanding the case to trial. Cruz-Guzman, which has been ongoing since November 2015, claims that the Twin Cities metro area has denied students of color the adequate education that is their right under the state constitution.
National Alliance President and CEO Nina Rees released the following statement in response to this misguided decision:
“When parents freely choose to send their children to public charter schools, those parents have affirmed their belief that public charter schools are good options for their families. As the trial court now hears this case, we strongly urge it to refrain from limiting the ability of parents – especially parents of students who have long been denied high-quality public school options – to choose among the best public schools available to their children, regardless of location or student population.”
About Public Charter Schools
Public 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 Schools
The 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
