Press Releases

The staff of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission (GCSC) is recommending four charter school petitions be approved by the Commission at its monthly meeting, Thursday (Dec. 16). The four prospective schools are Chattahoochee Hills Charter School, Cherokee Charter Academy, Georgia Connections Academy and Heritage Preparatory Academy.

In reaction to the fire that severely damaged the KIPP West Atlanta Young Scholars (WAYS) Academy building on Friday, Georgia Charter Schools Association CEO Tony Roberts, Ph.D. expresses sympathy and calls for action and assistance for the high-performing middle school.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce has filed an amicus brief to the Georgia Supreme Court, on behalf of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission and charter schools throughout the state. The Chamber’s amicus brief — in reference to a lawsuit filed against the Commission, the Georgia Department of Education and two Commission-approved charter schools — argues that both the Commission and HB881 (the law that created the Commission) are fully Constitutional, and furthermore, that quality charter schools and school choice are “essential to developing and maintaining an educated workforce, which is key to attracting and sustaining corporations and industries in our state.”

Interested in starting a quality charter school? The Walton Family Foundation Start Up Grant initiative can help. The program targets the Atlanta Public Schools attendance zone, but a limited number of grants are available for exurban and rural areas with limited quality public school choice options.

The Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) and the Georgia Parent Advocacy Network (GPAN), in conjunction with the Center for an Educated Georgia (CEG) will present a free screening of the gripping documentary, “The Lottery,” 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30, at the United Way Building’s Loudermilk Center (40 Courtland Street, NE, Atlanta 30303).

The GCSA has sent a letter to every school superintendent and school board in Georgia, urging them to reject an amicus brief that the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) and Georgia School Superintendents Association (GSSA) plan to submit to the Georgia Supreme Court.

The GCSA has launched CharterUniversity, an extensive professional development initiative featuring more than 50 training and education programs and services provided to support new founding boards, operational boards, school leaders, teachers, and office managers.

Charter schools in Georgia are performing extremely well in comparison to traditional public schools, according to an analysis of 2010 Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) and Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) data by the Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA).

The Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) has launched a new training platform featuring webinars designed to help individuals and groups interested in starting quality charter schools in Georgia.

“Getting Started Opening a High Quality Charter School” is a 35-minute webinar covering the basics of starting a charter school. The second webinar, “Building Blocks of a Quality Charter School,” is about 25 minutes, and delves a bit deeper into the requirements of developing a high quality school and addresses “accountability,” “business,” and “capacity.”

Eighth grade students attending charter schools throughout Georgia performed better on the 2010 Criterion Referenced Competency Test than students in traditional public schools, according to an analysis conducted by the Georgia Charter Schools Association. The GCSA analysis indicates also that the difference in student performance is more pronounced in the Atlanta and DeKalb County School Systems, and students in independent charter schools posted impressive scores across the board.

July 30, 2010 The top candidates in two of the most important offices in state government — governor and state school superintendent — have stated their positions on the issue […]

Here are the unedited questionnaires submitted by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes and Republican state superintendent candidate John Barge. Roy Barnes John Barge