CONGRESSMAN Jared Polis 2nd DISTRICT OF COLORADO

Washington, Dec 16, 2009 - Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), a leading proponent of education reform, today introduced bipartisan legislation—H. R. 4330, the All Students Achieving through Reform (All-STAR) Act—that would help close our nation’s achievement gap in education by expanding and replicating successful, high-quality public charter schools serving at-risk students.

“To reclaim America’s leadership in education, we must support, expand, and replicate successful schools and educational models with a proven track record of getting the job done,” said Polis.  “My legislation—the All-STAR Act—builds upon effective models of educational achievement, expands opportunity, and encourages the growth of top-performing public charter schools.”

Charter schools are public schools with site-based governance, including a contract to operate with a public authorizing entity, usually a school district or state.  Today, more than 5,000 public charter schools are educating over 1.5 million children in 40 states and the District of Columbia, helping to close the achievement gap.

The All-STAR Act focuses on replicating high-quality public charter schools in areas that need them the most. All-STAR would establish a new competitive grant program for states, local education agencies, public charter school authorizers, and eligible non-profit organizations to expand and replicate existing charter schools that have exceeded performance expectations, such as the Pinnacle Charter School in Westminster, CO and the Washington Math/Science/Technology Public Charter School in Washington, DC.

More information on All-STAR is available at http://polis.house.gov/UploadedFiles/12-16_AllSTAR_Fact_Sheet.pdf. 

“The education crisis is complex and wide-ranging, and systemic reform at every level is needed to improve our educational achievement,” said Polis.  “We have seen examples of what works: schools that offer a glimmer of light for families trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and failure.  Expanding on the success of high-quality public charter schools through the All-STAR Act is a critical tool to increase educational opportunity.”

Polis, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, is a former chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education and has founded and served as the superintendent of charter schools serving at-risk student populations.