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Sunday, September 11, 2011

NJ Spotlight | Education Commissioner Refines the Rules for Charters

NJ Spotlight | Education Commissioner Refines the Rules for Charters:

Education Commissioner Refines the Rules for Charters
Increased accountability, broader student access top the list in Cerf's edict

With the administration expected to announce a new class of charters in the coming weeks, acting education commissioner Chris Cerf has detailed steps that are intended to improve the oversight of new and existing schools.

But questions remain about the capacity of the state to meet its promises. And the announcement stops short of some of the measures that Democratic legislators have asked for to amp up accountability even more.

Cerf released a letter sent to all charter school heads on Friday. It starts with praise for the opportunities and education that the experimental schools have provided students.

But it continues in a more critical tone:

"Not all charter schools are serving students at the levels they deserve," Cerf wrote, mentioning that