| Vital role for State Depts & Universities |
6/9/04 7:54 AM |
| Author:
Joe Nathan
|
 |
If the charter movement is to achieve it's potential, state departments and universities have several vital roles to play. These can include:
1. Convening conferences and meetings for charter, district, private and
parochial school educators at which people from outstanding schools do
workshops or make panel presentations, sharing some details of things that have worked
2. Providing opportunities for replication workshops, in which successful charter schools efforts. Federal charter funds allow states to use a certain % of their fed charter funds to this, and it makes enormous sense.
3. Writing op ed columns in newspapers, as well in professional journals, and seeking out opportunities via radio programs, business and community groups that describe successful charters, and point out how the successful charters ARE helping narrow achievement gaps and increase achievement. It is vital this info get to the public.
4. Providing opportunities for successful charter schools to share their
experience with state and national level legislators, so that these
folks can see the benefits of a charter movement.
The Center for School Change at the University of Minnesota has worked
closely with Minnesota's state department - which has done all these things and with state departments in other places. We see these actions as very high priorities if the charter movement is to fulfill its potential. Moreover, convening different kinds of schools recognizes that some traditional schools have marvelous lessons to share, as do the best charters.
People working in schools MUST focus much of their attention on working with students and families. If State Departments and Universities can help get more attention to their best efforts, and help others learn from them, the charter movement will have a broader, greater, and more positive impact.
Joe Nathan, Director, Center for School Change
Humphrey Institute
University of Minnesota
Posted as a reply to:
The Role of Universities, State Departments, Charter Associations & Resource Centers by Bob Montgomery 
|
|
