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U.S. Department of Education Awards Utah More Than an $8.5 Million Grant to Help Create More Charter Schools |
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From Education Newsfeed: The U.S. Department of Education's Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Doug Mesecar visited Guadalupe Schools in Salt Lake City today to present an $8,533,334 Charter Schools Program grant to the Utah State Department of Education. Utah is one of five states receiving the competitive grants through the Department's Charter Schools Program this year, which supports states' efforts to plan, design, implement and disseminate information about charter schools. The long-term objectives for Utah's public charter schools include increasing the number of high-quality charter schools in the state targeting underserved student populations; increasing new charter school board members' and directors' understanding of the laws and rules that frame charter school operations, as well as the policies, procedures and practices of successful charter schools by providing additional training and funding; and providing additional training and information to all charter schools to promote best practices in instruction and school management. State educational agencies with a specific statue authorizing charter schools may apply for funding. Charter schools are independent public schools designed and operated by parents, educators, community leaders, education entrepreneurs and others with a contract or charter from a public agency, such as a local or state education agency or an institution of higher education. Exempt from many statutory and regulatory requirements, charter schools receive increased flexibility in exchange for increased accountability for improving academic achievement. The first charter school in the United States opened in 1992. Today, more than 4,000 charter schools serve more than 1 million students in 40 states and Washington, D.C.
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