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Today we hope to examine how to best use our resources and relationships to adequately finance charter schools, to create excellent governing and leadership structures, and to build and sustain effective relationships with the many diverse stakeholders that create the foundation of the charter school movement — students, parents, faculty, boards, communities, business partners, districts, foundations, authorizers, and policymakers. We'll discuss how to expand our reach and share our successful charter school practices so that the whole public education system benefits.
Mark Cannon
Executive Director, NACSA
Jim Griffin
Executive Director, Colorado League of Charter Schools
Deborah McGriff
Chief Communication Officer, Edison Schools
Richard Moreno
Chief Financial Officer, Charter Schools USA
Doug Thomas
Director, Gates-EdVisions Project, EdVisions
Otho Tucker
Senior Vice President, Mosaica Education, Inc.
Influencing Traditional Public Schools - Working With Districts
Charter schools have been able to use their flexibility to implement innovative classroom and organizational practices that traditional public schools have been unable or unwilling to do: longer school days or academic years, urban boarding schools, experiential education programs, etc. Some of these innovations are paying off through gains in academic growth and parent satisfaction. Nevertheless, many traditional schools and districts have not yet embraced the opportunity to learn from charter school successes. What examples can we cite of charters seeding positive change in traditional public schools? How can districts and charter schools come to view each other as partners, striving for the same, shared goal of increased academic achievement for all students? What obstacles must be overcome? How is innovation best communicated between schools and from schools to districts?
Facilities Issues
Research has now shown what nearly all charter school founders have discovered - facilities is a charter school's number one start-up problem. What are some creative solutions to today's facilities challenges?
Accountability Roles & Processes (Authorizers & Other Stakeholders)
To whom is a charter school accountable? Who are its most important stakeholders? What should be sought after in a charter school's relationship to its authorizer? Board members? Parents? Students? Local School districts? Business members? Community service providers? Education Management Organizations? Others?
The Role of Universities, State Departments, Charter Associations & Resource Centers
How can universities and state departments of education maximize their positive
impact on the charter movement?
How can state charter associations and resource centers do the same?
What are the unique advantages and constraints of each entity?