The National Charter Schools Conference by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is where the movement meets.
We are a diverse coalition of leaders—the educators, families, and advocates uniquely suited to address the current challenges in public education. Join us as we face these challenges head on and find solutions to the most pressing issues in our schools.
At NCSC23, we brought together the diverse voices in our movement from around the country to unite across broad interests to meet the diverse needs of students. What you get here, you can't get anywhere else.
We had content centered around these focus areas:
- Staffing and financial challenges
- Academic outcomes and mental health
- Building and engaging a diverse group of advocates
- The future of charter schools and education
These focus areas allowed attendees to dive deeper into relevant and timely content with experts and peers and come away with practical tools and techniques they can implement.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr. Salome Thomas-EL
Award-winning Principal and Best-Selling Author
Principal EL is the head of school at Thomas Edison Public Charter School in Wilmington, DE, and is the best-selling author of I Choose to Stay (movie rights optioned by Disney) and The Immortality of Influence (with foreword by Will Smith). He recently debuted three more books: Passionate Leadership, Building a Winning Team, and Retention for a Change about the importance of leadership, mentoring, parenting, and service to others—topics he’s sure to dive into on the main stage at NCSC23.
Principal EL first received national acclaim as a teacher and chess coach of the eight-time National Chess Champions of Vaux Middle School in Philadelphia. Winner of the Marcus A. Foster Award for outstanding School District Administrator and the University of Pennsylvania’s distinguished Martin Luther King, Jr Award, Principal EL has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, and Oprah Radio Network.
Luma mufleh
Refugee activist and founder of fugees family
Luma Mufleh, a Syrian/Jordanian entrepreneur, coach, and thought leader in refugee and English Language Learner (ELL) education. She is the founder of Fugees Family, the only network of schools in the U.S. dedicated to refugee and immigrant education. With schools in Georgia and Ohio and an expanding footprint across the country, she is a leader in bringing educational equity to refugee resettlement communities across America.
In her book, Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children, and in her widely viewed TED Talk, Luma shares her inspiring personal story. The daughter and granddaughter of Syrian refugees growing up in Amman, Jordan, she was one of the only Arab students in her class at an American school and one of the only girls who played on her soccer team. Empowering refugee children to use their voices to reclaim and tell their own stories, Luma is shifting the narrative around refugees to one of courage, resilience, and creative potential.
Nina Rees
president & CEO, national alliance for public charter schools
Nina Rees is the president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement and the organization behind the National Charter Schools Conference. Since joining the National Alliance in 2013, Nina has enhanced the organization’s stature in Washington, D.C., deepening relationships with members of both parties in Congress, multiple presidential administrations, and across the nonprofit and advocacy spaces. Over the course of her tenure, annual funding for the federal Charter Schools Program has grown from $254 million to $440 million.