Revamping Section 5201 of No Child Left Behind

On June 28th, Representative Charles Boustany (R-LA) introduced H.R. 2904, the Charter School Program Enhancement Act of 2007. The bill would amend section 5201 of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and significantly bolster the development and replication of successful charter schools.

Notably the bill would:
• Continue support for charter start-ups;
• Provide greater support for the expansion and replication of successful charter models;
• Strengthening the Education Secretary's ability to use grant selection criteria to encourage improvements in state charter laws;
• Allow charter school authorizers to serve as grant administrators in addition to state education agencies;
• Allow the Secretary of Education to allocate funds between the Charter Schools Program and State Facilities Incentive Grants Program; and
• Create a national dissemination program to encourage the sharing of charter schools’ best practices among public schools across the nation.

The bill includes many proposals that are important to the charter school community, such as greater support for the expansion and replication of successful charter models. The bill also includes provisions that are sure to infuriate charter school critics. For example, the bill would allow the Secretary of Education to exclude applications from states with charter laws that “limit the number of charters in the state” or “the percentage of students who may attend charter schools” or “limit, in any other way the Secretary considers material, the ability of the state to use charter schools to serve students in the state.”

To be sure, the bill will face scrutiny but the strength of the co-sponsors suggests that its language will become (and may already be) an important part of the NCLB reauthorization discussion. The co-sponsors include Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE), Rep. Luis Fortuno (R-PR), Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY, Rep. Howard McKeon (R-CA).

Resources:
“The Charter Schools Program Enhancement Act of 2007,” National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, June 29, 2007.
“H.R. 2904, To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize the laws relating to public charter schools to improve academic achievement of all students,” The Library of Congress, THOMAS, June 28, 2007, http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h2904_ih.xml.
Author: DAD