In honor of National Charter Schools Week, May 6th-12th, I want to take the time to recognize the amazing work that educators and school administration teams around the country invest in ensuring an excellent education for charter students. A charter school, as defined by the National Charter School Resource Center, is a publicly funded, independent school that is established by teachers, parents, or community members under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority. Charter schools are schools of choice, in which parents make the decision to enroll a student into.
Charter schools have played a very important role in my life and because of the amazing education program I received at my high school, Leadership Public Schools, I was able to realize my college dream of attending my dream university, UC Berkeley. My story is not a stand alone one, in fact, charter alumni around the country have similar reflections on their charter school experiences. What makes my story unique is the fact that this great education that I received inspired me to return to the same high school as a teacher.
My alma mater, that I now form a part of the teaching team of, has received astounding recognitions nationally for our academic program and student support programs. Most recently, and for the 4th year in a row, we have been awarded a gold medal by the US News and World Report. Within this recognition, our rankings were the following:
- #144 in the national rankings
- #18 out of all California high schools
- #50 out of all charter schools across the country
These awards serve as one recognition of the many ways we work tirelessly, every single day, to ensure that our students are receiving an education that mirrors even the wealthiest districts in the U.S. I am proud to be an alumni and a teacher in a school that serves its students in such an incredible manner. LPS Richmond was a huge reason for my success as a student and is now having the same incredible impact on my role as an educator.