(105 ILCS 5/27A-2)
    Sec. 27A-2. Legislative declaration.
    (a) The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
        (1) Encouraging educational excellence is in the best
    
interests of the people of this State.
        (2) There are educators, community members, and
    
parents in Illinois who can offer flexible and innovative educational techniques and programs, but who lack an avenue through which to provide them within the public school system.
        (3) The enactment of legislation authorizing charter
    
schools to operate in Illinois will promote new options within the public school system and will provide pupils, educators, community members, and parents with the stimulus to strive for educational excellence.
    (b) The General Assembly further finds and declares that this Article is enacted for the following purposes:
        (1) To improve pupil learning by creating schools
    
with high, rigorous standards for pupil performance.
        (2) To increase learning opportunities for all
    
pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for at-risk pupils, consistent, however, with an equal commitment to increase learning opportunities for all other groups of pupils in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, marital status, or need for special education services.
        (3) To encourage the use of teaching methods that may
    
be different in some respects than others regularly used in the public school system.
        (4) To allow the development of new, different, or
    
alternative forms of measuring pupil learning and achievement.
        (5) To create new professional opportunities for
    
teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the school site.
        (6) To provide parents and pupils with expanded
    
choices within the public school system.
        (7) To encourage parental and community involvement
    
with public schools.
        (8) To hold charter schools accountable for meeting
    
rigorous school content standards and to provide those schools with the opportunity to improve accountability.
    (c) In authorizing charter schools, it is the intent of the General Assembly to create a legitimate avenue for parents, teachers, and community members to take responsible risks and create new, innovative, and more flexible ways of educating children within the public school system. The General Assembly seeks to create opportunities within the public school system of Illinois for development of innovative and accountable teaching techniques. The provisions of this Article should be interpreted liberally to support the findings and goals of this Section and to advance a renewed commitment by the State of Illinois to the mission, goals, and diversity of public education.
(Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)