Dear Public Charter Schools Supporter:
 
On behalf of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, we hope you will join us for the 9th annual National Charter School Conference in Washington D.C., June 21-24, 2009.
 
The conference is the single largest annual event in the charter school movement, and will convene this year with the theme “Leading Change in Public Education.” We are pleased to welcome to the conference as keynote speakers two of the nation’s most visionary urban schools leaders: New York City Public Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Additionally, we have invited President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to address our conference. Along with our two general sessions, we will feature more than 100 break-out sessions in six strands. These major topics include governance, operations and leadership; facilities and funding; and performance and accountability.  This year we will also have a unique opportunity to share our success stories with elected representatives in Congress. Taking advantage of being in the nation’s capital, on June 24, we plan to stage the movement’s largest advocacy day ever on Capitol Hill.
 
Growing from a single school 17 years ago, charter schools now serve more than 1.4 million students in 4,600 schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. This continuing dynamic growth is a testament to the dedication and skill of thousands of school teachers, school leaders and others. Our national conference is a time to share what we know, learn from one another and celebrate our successes. Again, we hope you will join us in Washington in June.
 
Sincerely,

 
Nelson Smith
President and CEO