National Charter School of the Year in Texas

May 30, 2007 - PRLog -- Washington, D.C. – The Center for Education Reform (CER), the nation’s premiere education reform group, recognized the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts as a National Charter School of the Year, an honor given to 53 charter schools from across the U.S. at a special awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

After the ceremonies, education writers Jay Mathews of the Washington Post and Greg Toppo of USA Today spoke to representatives from the schools at a Press Club luncheon.  The representatives later had a chance to hear from Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and speak with members of Congress at an event on Capitol Hill.

“We commend the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts and the other honorees for their achievement,” said CER President Jeanne Allen.  “They are among the vanguard of a school choice movement that provides more than one million children an educational opportunity that might otherwise be unavailable.”

Superintendent Dollie Blevins said, “We are honored to be recognized as one of the outstanding charter schools in the nation.  We appreciate being among this list of amazing educators who strive to provide every student a choice for a learning environment that meets their needs.  For our students it is a day filled with high expectations for their academics as well as their pursuit of excellence in their study of the arts.  We will strive to maintain the standards that garnered us this recognition.”

All U.S. charter schools were eligible for the honor. The selection process began in the fall of 2006, with all schools asked to respond to CER’s annual survey.  A small percentage of survey respondents were invited to – and ultimately submitted – detailed information for consideration for this recognition.

Evaluation of the schools proceeded along four themes: achievement; planning and execution; satisfaction; and policies and programs.  Each theme included additional criteria (12 in total), such as improvement over time; percentage of at-risk students served; meeting mission and goals; and parental involvement.  CER identified 53 exceptional schools deserving recognition.

“Charter schools across the nation succeed despite limited resources and oftentimes hostile bureaucratic environments,” said Ms. Allen.  “They are the heroes in a civil rights struggle for educational choice, particularly for children and parents of limited means.  We’re delighted to recognize some truly shining examples.”

In the 2006-07 school year, there are more than 3,940 charter schools serving over 1.16 million students in 40 states and Washington, D.C.

Charter schools are innovative, public schools designed by educators, parents, or civic leaders that are open by choice, accountable for results, and free from most rules and regulations governing conventional public schools.

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The Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts is a public charter school for boys and girls in grades three to twelve.  Any student regardless of race, religion, disability or income, who wishes to study the fine arts along with a challenging academic curriculum, may attend. This school offers classes in music, visual arts, theater, dance and instrumental music. Rigorous daily rehearsals, community involvement, and academic achievement define these talented young people.

Website: www.fwafa.org