On average, the funding gap between charter schools and traditional schools is 22 percent, or $1,800 per pupil. The average charter school ends up with a total funding shortfall of nearly half a million dollars.
Source: Charter School Funding: Inequity’s Next Frontier
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Leadership Series for Board Members - How to Renew, Refresh, and Re-energize Your Board
This free webcast on October 25, from 2-3:30 EST, will present a discussion of board renewal through long-term and long lasting strategies rather than the quick fix, short and fleeting approaches. Topics to be discussed include changing "the work" of the board so it becomes more meaningful and engaging, increasing the board’s connection to the community, and transforming board meetings from information exchange to strategic and generative work.
Online Charter School Funding Seminar
Education Commission of the States is sponsoring a free, interactive Web seminar focused on charter school funding. The session, which begins at 2 p.m. (EST) on October 17, will feature a presentation by Bryan Hassel, co-author of a recent multistate study of charter vs. district funding. Todd Ziebarth, policy analyst at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, will moderate the session. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions throughout.
Charter Schools in Idaho
This paper, delivered at the National Conference on Charter School Research at Vanderbilt University, compares gains of individual Idahoan students before and after their enrollment in a charter school. Using longitudinal analysis, the authors find that charter schools at the elementary level are more effective than district schools in increasing performance in math. They also find that students who moved from district schools in the first year to charter schools in the second year experienced greater gains after the move. By contrast, those who moved from charter schools to district schools saw the greatest decline in gains. The authors highlight some differences between the experience of Idaho and other states, including charters in the state tend to attract students who have been performing above average in traditional public schools. In 2005-06, 29 charters were in operation, serving four percent of Idaho's public school population.
Methods of Assessing the Achievement of Students in Charter Schools
This paper, delivered at the National Conference on Charter School Research at Vanderbilt University in September, discusses the challenges of assessing charter school achievement. It examines the benefits and shortcomings of major charter school research methods (Comparison with Controls Based on Observable Variables; Comparison-of-Gains-with-Controls based on Observable Variables; Value-Added Analysis; Lottery-Based Analysis; and Combining Methods). Unlike some other education researchers, the authors find that value-added analysis is “entirely superficial when it comes to estimating charter school effects.” They conclude that "value-added analysis is not a useful method for generating evidence on charter school effects." The authors suggest that lottery-based analysis is superior and label it the "gold standard."
2006 Accountability Report on Mayor-Sponsored Schools
The Mayor of Indianapolis' latest annual charter school accountability report shows that charter schools in the city are improving more rapidly than district schools and some schools are improving far more rapidly than other schools in the state. The city's mayor is currently the only mayor in the nation with authority to grant charters for schools, and his annual report card on them has been widely praised for its level of detail and scrutiny. The report found, however, that most of the charters struggle to adequately handle administrative requirements, such as turning in state reports on time, keeping documentation and running board meetings properly. The report contains test scores, attendance data, state audit information and other results from the 12 Indianapolis charter schools that have been operating for at least two years.
State of the District of Columbia Charter School Sector: A Ten Year Review
This report examines ten years of charter schools in the District of Columbia. The charter sector in the city has grown dramatically and it is estimated that one-half of all public school children in the District of Columbia will be attending charters by 2014 if present trends continue. The District of Columbia now has one of the most active and dynamic charter school sectors, surpassing bigger cities like New York and Chicago in the number of charter schools and students. The author finds that charter schools are performing slightly better than traditional D.C. public schools on national standardized tests. However, only a small percentage of charter school students are scoring at proficient or advanced levels. The report offers numerous recommendations, including closing chronically low-performing schools and establishing an independent facilities board to allocate unused district buildings to charter schools.
Turning the Corner to Quality: Policy Guidelines for Strengthening Ohio's Charter Schools
At the request of Ohio's top government and education leaders, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, National Association of Charter School Authorizers, and National Alliance for Public Charter Schools have issued a report seeking to strengthen the state's charter school program. The report breaks its 17 recommendations into four categories: Keep the Accountability/Autonomy Promise, Strengthen Ohio's System of Charter School Sponsors, Fund Charter Schools Fairly, and Help Open Quality Charter Schools. Recommendations include closing low-performing charter schools and holding sponsors more accountable for oversight of the growing charter movement while also helping more high-performance schools to open and succeed in Ohio. In return for stepped-up accountability, the document calls for restrictions on the formation of high-quality charters to be removed and for charter schools to receive more equitable funding.
What Should Parents Know About Charter Schools?
In this audio clip from National Public Radio, Paul Hill, a professor at the University of Washington's Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, talks about the benefits and potential drawbacks of charter schools.
Key Charter Schools Questions for Current and Potential Policymakers
As the 2006 election season enters its final weeks, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is offering a questionnaire template to help voters determine where candidates stand on charter school issues. Some of the questions focus on federal policy (such as flexibility in defining highly-qualified teachers), while others concern state policy (such as state mandated caps on charters).
14th Annual California Charter Schools Conference, March 27-30 in San Diego, CA
The 14th Annual California Charter Schools Conference will take place March 27-30, 2007 at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in San Diego, CA with a focus on "Teaching and Learning in High-Quality Charter Public Schools." The conference will offer sessions that share strategies and best practices that can be utilized to improve student achievement and charter school operations. A Call for Presentations is open until October 20. For more information, send an email to conference@charterassociation.org or call 213.244.1446, ext. 2201.
Online Call for Presentations and Registration for 2007 National Charter Schools Conference
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools will host the 2007 National Charter Schools Conference from April 24 – 27 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The online Call for Presentations proposal submission system as well as conference registration and hotel reservations for the 2007 conference has begun. The conference website allows users to register, make hotel reservations, and/or submit a presentation proposal. The deadline for presentation proposal submissions is October 16th. For questions, send an e-mail to nationalconference@publiccharters.org or call 206-463-3344.
NACSA 2006 Annual Conference, October 23-24 in San Diego, California
Register by October 18 for the National Association for Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) 6th Annual Conference, October 23-24 in San Diego, CA. NACSA’s Conference is designed to offer highly interactive and practice-oriented sessions on issues important to all who are dedicated to advancing quality charter schools and school change. Topics will include the essentials of effective charter school authorizing, measuring academic performance, and using chartering as a strategy to restructure low-performing schools. Tom Vander Ark of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will deliver the keynote address.
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