Atlantic Legal Foundation
60 East 42nd St.
Suite 2102
New York, NY 10165
(212) 867-3322
Fax (212) 867-1022
For more than five years, Atlantic Legal has represented charter schools and their advocates when charters have been opposed by bureaucrats, teachers' unions, school districts and others who benefit from the conventional public education monopoly.
Mission Statement
Atlantic Legal believes that charter schools offer a necessary and viable alternative for parents and children locked into failing public schools. Recognizing that entrenched special-interest groups are opposed to the charter schools concept and advised by a board of nationally prominent leaders in education, Atlantic Legal has established a program devoted to the protection and strengthening of charter schools.
Recent Developments
| What goes on in the charter school board room is crucial to the effective operation of a charter school. Brian Carpenter, CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute, has written Charter School Board University, a comprehensive 'how-to' for charter school board members on the topic of good governance. The book also serves as a foundation for the Institute's board training seminars. Charter public school boards across the country have retained the Institute and use University as their guide to building more effective charter school board governance. The book has been heralded as a 'must read' and described as concise, engaging, and easy to read by te nation's most recognized and respected names in the charter public school sector. Individual copies may be ordered on Amazon.com. For discounts on six or more copies, contact the National Charter Schools Institute at (989) 774-2999. |
| New Jersey Board of Education Rules Benchmark Academy Charter School May Open |
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What We Do
- Leveling the Playing Field -- Atlantic Legal is publishing a series of state-focused legal guides, written by nationally known labor law attorneys, to educate charter school leaders about what they must know regarding unionization efforts.
Click above for Atlantic Legal's Guides for New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
- Litigation -- Atlantic Legal represents charter schools and charter school advocates in court, often as "friends of the court," focusing on broad policy concerns that are not being developed adequately by plaintiffs and defendants. Atlantic Legal offers its representation at no charge.
- Bush v. Holmes -- Click here to read Atlantic Legal's brief in the case of Bush v. Holmes, where Atlantic Legal on behalf of Excellent Education for Everyone argued that research consistently supports the conclusion that vouchers provide children - especially minority children - with better education. Further, Atlantic Legal asserted that, far from harming public schools, Opportunity Scholarships have actually improved the performance of the worst public schools, even where all other efforts to do so have demonstrably failed. The brief asserts that vouchers actually improve racial integration and tolerance, because they introduce more racial mixing, and evidence has shown that students who attend private schools are more tolerant of groups they dislike than are public school students.
- Bush v. Holmes -- Click here to read Atlantic Legal's brief in the case of Bush v. Holmes, where Atlantic Legal on behalf of Excellent Education for Everyone argued that research consistently supports the conclusion that vouchers provide children - especially minority children - with better education. Further, Atlantic Legal asserted that, far from harming public schools, Opportunity Scholarships have actually improved the performance of the worst public schools, even where all other efforts to do so have demonstrably failed. The brief asserts that vouchers actually improve racial integration and tolerance, because they introduce more racial mixing, and evidence has shown that students who attend private schools are more tolerant of groups they dislike than are public school students.
- Pro Bono Counsel -- Atlantic Legal gives legal advice to charter school leaders and links charter schools with able private sector lawyers willing to provide representation at reduced rates or at no charge. Atlantic Legal collaborates with other public-interest attorneys who seek to expand school choice options on behalf of their clients.
- Education -- Atlantic Legal organizes conferences and workshops bringing national charter school leaders and charter advocates together to explore solutions to common problems. Using its network of charter school leaders, Atlantic Legal will also publish occasional papers discussing national issues impacting charters.
- Website -- Atlantic Legal's dedicated website, www.defendcharterschools.org, will serve to gather the best research and current developments affecting charters.