FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                         

Contact:        
Lori Cooney
(866) 558-2874                

NATIONAL PARENT ORGANIZATION APPLAUDS SELECTION OF ARNE DUNCAN AS U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY

ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Coalition for Public School Options (NCPSO), a new, parent-driven organization that supports the creation of public school options, today offered parents’ perspectives on President-elect Obama’s selection of Arne Duncan as the next U.S. Secretary of Education.

“Like so many Americans, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the President-elect’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Education. On behalf of the millions of parents with children enrolled in America’s public schools of choice, I want to congratulate Superintendent Duncan for being selected to serve as our next Secretary of Education,” said Lori Cooney, NCPSO president.  “Superintendent Duncan has won much praise for his efforts to implement new reforms in the City of Chicago, including support for public school options such as charter schools and magnet schools.  His track record indicates he is supportive of what our organization believes in and fights for — that all families should have access to the public school options that best serve their children’s learning needs.  We look forward to working with Secretary-designee Duncan to ensure strengthening public school options remains high on the President-elect’s agenda.”

The Coalition supports the creation of public school options, including charter schools, online schools, magnet schools, open enrollment policies and other innovative education programs. Additionally, the organization will advocate for free and equal access without restrictions to these public schools for all children.

Cooney reiterated the organization’s founding principles, which will drive their agenda in the states and at the national level:

We believe students learn in unique ways, and it is not possible for every student's learning needs to be met by the nearest traditional neighborhood public school;

We believe parents should have innovative public school options to meet the learning needs of their children;

We believe public school options are increasingly provided from coast-to-coast through charter schools, online schools, magnet schools, open enrollment policies and other innovative education programs,

We resolve all families should have access to the public school options that best serve their children's learning needs.

"A traditional neighborhood school might not work for every child," Cooney said. "And we want to make sure the public education landscape across the U.S. includes more public school options for those families who want them - and for the children who need them."
 
For more information or to join the organization, please visit: http://www.publicschooloptions.org.

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