'Charter schools work' says Education Department

"Charter Schools: School Reform that Works,” is a new video available on the U.S. Department of Education website. This video summarizes the results of the charter school movement.

Charter schools are “encouraging improvement in all schools, and at the same time offering options for students and families,” according to Doris McMillon.

She is the moderator of “Education News that Parents Can Use,” a monthly television series put on by the Department of Education and available on the internet.

McMillon explained that charter schools are K-12 schools that use public funding, but are free of many of the restrictions and bureaucracies of the public schools.

In exchange, these schools have more accountability for results.

Charter schools are laboratories for education, “setting a high bar that can lead to extraordinary results for students,” she stated.

Twenty years ago, the first charter school was opened. Today, there are 4,300 of these schools across the country.

In addition to the charter school story, the February show of “Education News that Parents Can Use” includes interviews with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other education leaders.