Support Public Charter Schools in Kentucky

The children in Kentucky’s schools today represent the future of our Commonwealth. However in too many instances, Kentucky children are badly under-performing their potential.

Take for instance the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress which shows only thirty-five (35) percent of Kentucky 4th graders and thirty-six (36) percent of Kentucky 8th graders read at or above a proficient level. The data is even more troubling among African American children where forty-eight (48) percent of African American 4th graders and forty-two (42) percent of African-American 8th graders are below basic in reading. To be below basic means these children lack even a partial-mastery of the building blocks of how to read. These are statistics we find simply unacceptable.

We cannot fail to educate all our children and expect to grow and attract good paying jobs over the next generation. In the face of a struggling economy and scarce job opportunities, having a good education, especially an education which allows children to succeed in college, is essential to a child’s future success.

There are strategies which are working for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, giving them a chance to make incredible academic progress. Public charter schools have demonstrated that they are capable of accelerating the academic achievement of the students attending them. Over forty states have charter schools, including Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia and Tennessee. Research shows that charter schools – when designed properly and held accountable for results – are reaching children in ways that traditional public schools cannot.

With over 5,000 Public Charter Schools serving more than 1.6 million children in 41 states we ask you, why not Kentucky? Why shouldn’t Kentucky children have the same opportunity as those in Indianapolis and Nashville to meet and exceed their potential in an innovative classroom? Why shouldn’t Kentucky try a new approach to an old problem? We believe Kentucky should and the time to do so is now.