With more than 170 charter schools in Pennsylvania and about half of them in the Philadelphia region, the charter school movement has become a significant force in public school education in the Commonwealth.  There are more than 40-thousand  students on waiting lists. The growth of charter schools seems limited mainly by the decisions of public education officials. On “In Focus” with Steve Highsmith for Saturday, February 16, 2013, Steve looks at the latest assessment of the charter school movement through the eyes of two successful charter school executives, Dr. Naomi Booker, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Global Leadership Academy Charter School and President of the Philadelphia Charters for Excellence Coalition, and Stacey Cruise, Chief Executive Officer of American Paradigm Schools, which operates three charter schools at five campus locations in Philadelphia.  Booker and Cruise discuss how charters are funded, how they operate differently from traditional public schools, and more.

“In Focus” is a 30 minute public affairs program addressing the needs and issues important to the Philadelphia region. “In Focus” is broadcast from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. on PHL17.   A segment of each program also is posted on phl17.com.