Russlynn Ali to Speak at Charter School Summit

SAN JOSE, CA – Russlynn H. Ali, assistant secretary of civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education, will deliver the keynote address at the Charter School Summit at the Santa Clara County Office of Education on January 30.

Also featured at the summit will be California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, California Secretary of Education Glen W. Thomas, California Director of Charter Schools Carol Barkley, and John E. Deasy, deputy director of education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The rapid growth of charter schools in Santa Clara County, and concerns about effects on neighborhood public schools, led to the call for the summit by Anna Song, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Education, and Board Member Joseph Di Salvo.  The summit is being facilitated by the COE Charter Schools Department.

Ali is U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s primary adviser on civil rights and responsible for enforcing U.S. civil rights laws as they pertain to education. Previously she was a vice president of the Education Trust in Washington, D.C., and the founding executive director of the Education Trust-West in Oakland.

The identified objectives of the summit are to:

• Ease tensions between charters and local school districts
• Increase awareness of charter activity in Santa Clara County
• Increase collaboration among districts, the County Office of Education and charters to best meet student needs
• Promote an environment where the process for charter applications, approvals, and denials has clearly defined and communicated accountability standards.

Registration for the summit, which will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., is available on-line. For more information, call (408) 453-3601 or email CharterSchoolsDept@sccoe.org.

Date last updated: January 7, 2010