I am an unalloyed supporter of charter schools. From the day I arrived as Chancellor I made clear that charters are a critical leveraging force in public school reform.

We are taking numerous actions to create a hospitable environment for charter schools. We have increased funding for special education and school start-up expenses. We will continue to house charter schools in Department of Education buildings. We have quite a few in our spaces already, and we'll have more in a few months. And we also included more than $250 million in our five-year capital plan to support facilities development for charter schools.

The culmination of our support was the creation of the Center for Charter Excellence. I view the Center as one of our landmark initiatives. We had a sense that we needed to stimulate interest in charters. We needed to make sure that the policy environment is such that charter operators feel supported, and we also needed to create additional funding sources to support new charter schools. We also need to create some back office solutions so that we can offer services on a scaleable basis to charters -- but I note the word "offer" not "impose." The Center will be instrumental in seeing all these things happen. Obviously what we are looking for is good schools, and we will support charters to a level and quality that we support all of our public schools.

So why is it, that I -- the public schools Chancellor -- am an unalloyed supporter of charter schools? Frankly it's simple: educators, families, and children want good schools. Charters are one way to create them.

Charters bring in new blood. These are leaders and entrepreneurs who are not otherwise part of the system. They are people with ideas, with creativity, and who are willing to give their all for their students. On that central basis, when we have a city where there are thousands of kids not getting the education that they need and deserve, I don't see why we would in any way shut down more options and new opportunities.

In the end, I want to see every kid in New York City in a school that each and every one of you will be proud of. If those schools come from the traditional public sector or the charter sector, that's fine with me.

I think we should support charters for another reason. Public education in large urban areas in the United States has failed. This is a somewhat heretical thing for a schools Chancellor to say. But if we are not going to be candid, I don't think we can take the kind of steps we need to make the necessary changes. New York City is actually one of the best urban school systems in the United States, but by any measure, I guarantee you that at least half, probably more than half, of our students are not remotely getting the education they deserve.

What I find shocking is that this has been going on for so very long. School reform has been part of the discussion for as far back as anyone can remember. Over 20 years ago, the "Nation At Risk" report found nothing new -- that we were having a crisis in urban education. All the data indicate that children in poverty and children of minority and immigrant children -- those who need a good education the most -- are simply not getting what they need.

So why have we had so many decades of reform and so little change? I think it is because people continue to focus on program-based reform. They are unwilling to get their heads around the fact that in large urban areas the culture of public education is broken. If you don't fix this culture, then you are not going to be able to make the kind of changes that are needed. Programmatic reform is important: curricula, class size, after-school programs, summer school -- those things are very important. But unless we are prepared to deal with the culture in public education, I don't think we can get the kinds of results that we need for our kids.

Let me explain what I mean by this. Over the past decades we have tried to regulate ourselves into success. The thinking was that more rules, requirements and prescriptions would do the job. But it hasn't happened, and more rules and regulations aren't going to do it. In addition, we have contractual rules permeating the system trying to figure out how to run a school. These kinds of vectors are not going to get us to success.

The best schools are very sensitive communities in which people have a shared vision and mutual commitment. They respect each other and are passionate about educating kids. They are willing to run the extra mile, to take some risks and be entrepreneurial. That's what creates a school culture that will work. Sadly, public school education is exactly on the opposite end of the spectrum.

The best school systems in our nation are those that pay a great deal of respect to excellence and meritocracy. Yet sadly, our system doesn't put a premium on those things that matter. We treat our people as fungible, and everyone knows that people are not. We under-invest in leadership. We downplay differentiation. And as a result, the fundamental problem with our system is that it has misaligned incentives.

The charter model offers a solution to this problem. At their core, charter schools embody the three ingredients that are necessary for any successful school -- leadership, autonomy, and accountability.

Leadership is absolutely critical. Leaders bring people together. They understand how to inspire. They respect people, create a system of shared values, build a team, and make sure that the sum of the people is much greater than the individuals who are involved. We must focus on leadership, and one of the first things I did as Chancellor was to create one of the most powerful leadership academies in public education today. Our Leadership Academy is training of a new generation of leaders -- leaders who will take advantage of opportunities and autonomy to stimulate innovation, and who will create different kinds of schools with different kinds of environments. And these leaders will be accountable for their results.

I want charter schools as part of our system because they embody a different culture. Charters recognize the need for strong leadership, and charters are willing to be accountable for their students' achievement. I want charters as part of our efforts so that they can influence the things that are going on in our system. I also want charters to benefit from some of the system-wide changes that can be beneficial and helpful. One charter school leader came up to me today and said that one of our regional superintendents has been enormously supportive in terms of professional development. I want that kind of cross-fertilization. By the same token, I've got people in my school system now who are writing me and asking how they can make their school into a charter school. I think that's a strength. I don't think that's an addition -- I think that's a multiplication.

Charter schools present a tremendous opportunity. I want them at the forefront of our reform movement here in New York City because our reform is about values; it's about culture. It's about bringing change to a system that has for far too long disserved our children and especially our children who most need an outstanding education.

Let me leave you with a final thought. Our school planning for next September has begun. Think about ways that you can participate. Take this seriously. Get involved. Found an outstanding charter school. In this small kernel of a charter movement there is a great deal of hope for what we can do in education for our children and I am proud that New York will be at the forefront of that movement. Thank you very much.