7/10/2006
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Justin Ohlemiller, [317] 327-3690 |
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Mayor’s charter schools initiative receives Harvard’s prestigious Innovations in American Government Award
Charter School program selected to receive $100,000 grant from among one thousand applicants across the country
INDIANAPOLIS – Mayor Bart Peterson’s charter schools initiative today was named a recipient of the prestigious Harvard University Innovations in American Government Award. The Mayor will accept the award today in Washington DC.
Harvard’s Innovations program has been referred to as the “Oscars” of American government awards.
This is only the second initiative from Indiana to receive the honor from Harvard in the 20-year history of the award program. The previous winner was the Competition and Costing program under then-Mayor Steve Goldsmith in 1995.
All levels of government, from local to federal programs, are eligible, and approximately one thousand applications were received. The Mayor’s charter initiative will receive $100,000 to support and promote its continued work in providing more quality public school options.
“Through our charter schools initiative, we are providing high-quality education options to families in our community,” Mayor Peterson said. “Receiving Harvard’s Innovations in American Government Award brings more national validation and attention to our program, and it will help us to spread the word about what has been accomplished here.”
The Mayor’s charter school initiative has been recognized by other organizations around the country over the last several years, including the National Association for Public Charter Schools, which recently profiled Indianapolis as one of its top five cities for growing charter school success. The accountability system established by Mayor Peterson also was featured in a Progressive Policy Institute report entitled, “Fast Break in Indianapolis: A New Approach to Charter Schooling,” available at http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110&subsecID=134&contentID=252889.
Andrew Rotherham of the Progressive Policy Institute stated that the Mayor’s accountability system, “isn’t a piece of cheerleading but a solid look at how charters are doing and how they can continually improve; it’s a great example of transparency in action.”
Fordham Foundation President Chester Finn described it as, “a superb accountability model for charter schools at a time when that issue is on everybody’s mind.”
And in 2004, Mike Petrilli, the Associate Deputy Under Secretary of Education, said that the Mayor’s Office in Indianapolis produced the best accountability report of any charter authorizer.
“Indianapolis has become the national model that other cities can use as they look for new and creative ways to improve their education systems,” Mayor Peterson said.
The Innovations in American Government Awards, founded in 1986, is a program of the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The award is administered in partnership with the Council for Excellence in Government in Washington.
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