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Appearances by former President Bill Clinton, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, charter school leader Eva Moskowitz, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman fueled the National Charter Schools Conference with an eloquent discourse on the important role charter schools are playing in American public education. The heart of the movement, however, was showcased on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol building during a culminating rally in support of the 16 charter schools impacted by the Georgia Supreme Court’s decision to declare the Georgia Charter Schools Commission unconstitutional.

More than 4,000 attendees were expected to participate in the 2011 NCSC June 20-23 in Atlanta. In addition to a strong list of keynote speakers, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) also showcased more than 140 breakout sessions, more than 20 networking breakfasts and 150,000 square feet of exhibit space for participants to explore.

“I have seen the challenges and the opportunities that make this the most defining moment of our movement,” NAPCS President Peter Groff said during his address, recounting 84,000 miles of travel in which he visited dozens of charter school facilities and encountered hundreds of charter school students. “The time has come for us to ask, ‘How will we be remembered? How will we be defined?’”

In the last year, Groff said he was encouraged by nine states that strengthened their charter school laws and 13 others that had pending legislation. Among those he singled out was Maine, which in the week following NCSC enacted its first public charter school law to become the nation’s 42nd charter school jurisdiction.

During the conference, the NAPCS also recognized several education leaders who have made an impact on the charter school movement, including honoring Clinton with a Lifetime Achievement Award and presenting Hall of Fame inductions for Donald L. Hense, chairman of the board of Friendship Public Charter School, in Washington, D.C.; Joel I. Klein, former chancellor of the New York City Department of Education; and Jim Peyser, managing partner for city funds, NewSchools Venture Fund.

Please access our image gallery for NCSC highlights, including the keynote speakers, Hall of Fame honorees, dazzling student performances and the Georgia charter school rally.