AMERICAN ACADEMY FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION
1050 17th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington , DC 20036
T: 202-452-8611 / F: 202-452-8620

www.aale.org        aalecharters@aale.org

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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

DATE:  November 15, 2003
CONTACTS:  Jeffrey D. Wallin , AALE President

 

AMERICAN ACADEMY FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION WINS CHARTER SCHOOL GRANT FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The American Academy for Liberal Education ( AALE ) announced today that it had been awarded a three-year grant totaling $900,000 from U.S. Department of Education under its Charter School Program.  “Linking Charter Schools to No Child Left Behind: Solving the Accountability Problem” will assist schools in meeting the demands of the landmark federal Act, such as employing highly qualified teachers, making adequate yearly progress, and creating public access to meaningful school data.  The grant will be administered through the AALE Charter School Accreditation Program, which focuses on academic quality and outcomes in a rigorous process of external review.  The grant will itself be reviewed by one of the country’s top education evaluators, Dr. Margaret Raymond.  Dr. Raymond is director of the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes at Stanford University .

“AALE accreditation is fast becoming the badge of honor for America ’s most academically rigorous, liberal arts-based charter schools, a mark of distinction that citizens can trust,” said AALE President Dr. Jeffrey Wallin .  “This grant will help the top charter schools distinguish themselves based on high standards that are closely linked to the No Child Left Behind Act.”  AALE ’s Charter School Accreditation project began two years ago and has already accredited charter schools in Arizona , Colorado , Michigan , New Jersey , and North Carolina .