CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FIRST, SERVING THE PUBLIC INTEREST.

• Charter public schools are open to all, with no entrance exams.
• 39 Charter public schools serve over 32,000 public school students across Illinois.
• 84% of charter public school students come from low-income families (2007).
• 65% of Illinois' charter public school students are African American and 29% are
Latino.

CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE MEASURED BY THE SAME ACADEMIC STANDARDS AS ALL OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND THEY CONSISTENTLY EXCEED THOSE STANDARDS.

• Over two-thirds of charter public school teachers are state-certifi ed, while the
remaining are drawn to charter public schools from all walks of life, with at least a
bachelor's degree, fi ve years of professional experience, and successful completion
of state exams of basic skills and relevant subject matter.
• Charter public school teachers receive twice the ongoing training that other public
school teachers receive.
• 90% of K-8 charter public schools in Chicago posted higher combined scores on
statewide tests of reading, math and science (Illinois Standards Achievement Test)
than neighboring traditional schools (2006-07).
• 4 out of 5 charter public high schools in Chicago score better on statewide tests
of reading and math (Prairie State Achievement Test) than neighboring traditional
schools (2006-07).

CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS ROOT THEIR SUCCESS IN MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC AUTONOMY, WHICH ALLOWS ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE CURRICULA THAT MEET EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDENT'S NEEDS.

• Charter public schools are governed by non-profi t boards of directors that include
local parents, teachers, and community leaders who understand their needs.
• Charter public schools do not off er cookie-cutter approaches handed down from a
central offi ce, but are free to innovate and adapt.
• Charter public schools have a longer school day and longer school year, with 45
minutes more instruction a day and two weeks more instruction a year in Chicago.
• Charter public schools emphasize individual student attention, with an average of
only 20 students per class.

THROUGH HIGHER S TANDARDS AND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE DELIVERING A HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION.

• 5 of the Top 10 schools ranked in CPS Scorecards for Enrollment in College or Post-
Secondary Education are charter schools (2008).
• Students in Chicago's charter public schools are much less likely to be truant (94.2%
attendance rate) or transfer to another school (6% transfer out rate).
• Students in Chicago's charter public high schools are more likely to graduate (77%) than
traditional public schools (66%)
• The RAND Corporation released a study recently showing that multi-grade charter high
schools signifi cantly improve student achievement in high school graduation (7 percentage
point advantage) and college enrollment (11 percentage point advantage).
• 32% more charter public school students overall attend selective or very selective colleges
than the CPS average
• The success of charter public schools is underscored by the public demand: There are over
13,000 children on waiting lists.

CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS DON' T JUST OFFER THEIR OWN STUDENTS A HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION, THEY ARE STRENGTHENING OUR ENTIRE PUBLIC EDUCATION S YSTEM AND IMPROVING OUR QUALITY OF LIFE.

• Research by nationally renowned experts found that high-quality charter public schools
improve our quality of life, reducing crime and welfare rolls by helping students compete in
the global economy.
• That same study found charter public schools provide substantial economic benefi ts to school
districts, communities and the state, by increasing property values and wages and expanding
our tax base.
• Other states have found that traditional public schools benefi t when they adopt proven
strategies from their charter public schools. For example, charter public schools in Chula Vista
California helped create district-wide changes in procurement procedures and reporting on
school-based activities to the School Board.
• A recent study by Chicago's Civic Federation found that Illinois charter schools do not impose
a financial burden on their host school districts, and that charter public schools do not
compromise districts' ability to manage their finances.

DESPITE A STRONG RECORD OF SERVING THE PUBLIC INTEREST OVER THE PAST DECADE, CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR EQUAL FUNDING AND AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE STUDENTS ACROSS ILLINOIS.

• Of the ten largest states, Illinois has the most restrictive caps on the number of charter public
schools allowed to operate, the fewest number of charter public schools, and the fewest
number of communities off ering public school choice.
• Charter public schools receive less funding per student than traditional public schools, and
the law bars them from accessing school construction fi nancing programs open to every
other traditional school.
• Traditional public schools can count on the state or their school district to help them meet
their start-up costs, but the state's charter public school start-up grant program, which
provides an additional $250 per pupil for fi ve years, has received zero funding since Governor
Blagojevich took office in 2003.

The Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) is a statewide membership organization for charter public schools, with 39 member schools serving 32,000 students in 76 buildings across Illinois. As the collective voice of charter public schools, INCS embraces its mission to promote and invigorate the charter school model and strengthen its members' roles in quality public education systems.