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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The Fordham Foundation's First Year of Charter Sponsorship: an Education Week Profile
This Education Week series explores the successes and challenges of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's new venture into charter school sponsorship. The national organization has been authorizing charter schools in Ohio since July 2005 and currently sponsors nine in Cleveland, Dayton, and Springfield.
Charter School Board University
This new training manual presents a "how-to" guide for charter school board members. Written by Brian Carpenter, CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute, the book also serves as the foundation for the Institute's board training seminars.
New York City Charter Schools Fundraising Guidebook
This guidebook is designed to provide charter school boards and school leaders with detailed instructions on how to establish and manage an ongoing, successful fundraising program. Included are key topics such as how to incorporate fundraising into the school's strategic plan and diversifying funding sources. Several fundraising best practices and examples of successful fundraising plans are also included. While written for New York City Charter school developers and operators, others in the larger charter school community will find it to be a very helpful tool in their fundraising efforts.
Florida's Charter Schools: A Decade of Progress
In honor of the tenth anniversary of charter schools in Florida, the state's Department of Education released a reflective report, tracking the evolution of the charter school movement in Florida, and the resulting changes in legislation, growth, and performance. In the past, traditional public school students outperformed their charter school counterparts on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. But the gap has recently narrowed with both types of public schools performing at similar levels. While both types of schools have seen the achievement gap between races/ethnicities reduce over time, the actual gap between white and black students and white and Hispanic students at charter schools is smaller compared to the achievement gaps in traditional schools. The Hispanic student population at charter schools, in particular, is making greater gains and are more proficient in reading and math than Hispanics at traditional public schools.
National Charter School of the Year Award
The National Charter School of the Year Award has been established by the Center for Education Reform (CER) to recognize the innovation, accountability, and achievement of charter schools across the nation. All operating charter schools are eligible and invited to apply, and the winning school will receive $10,000 and be featured in CER's National Charter School of the Year program. Each school applicant will be evaluated on 12 criteria, which examine test results, achievement over time, graduation rates, and general success. Submission deadline is January 31, 2007.
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. The schedule for more than 200 breakout sessions and table talks is now available. For more information, send an email to conference@charterassociation.org or call 213.244.1446, ext. 2201.
2007 National Charter Schools Conference, April 24-27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham will be the kickoff speaker at the 7th National Charter Schools Conference, set for April 24 – 27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More than 3,000 charter school colleagues will convene in the "Land of Enchantment" to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the movement and to hear Meacham's global outlook for educating students in the next 15 years and beyond. Meacham joins Kevin Johnson, former NBA basketball star and Founder/Chairman of the Board of St. HOPE Academy Charter School, as conference keynotes. Go to the conference website to register, make hotel reservations or to participate in the Virtual Career Fair. Hosted by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the conference will feature more than 120 breakout sessions, focusing on Quality, Policy, Advocacy and Capacity. For questions, call 206-463-3344 or e-mail nationalconference@publiccharters.org. Early bird rates end January 15!
Georgia Charter Schools Association 5th Annual Conference, January 25-26 in Atlanta
The 5th Annual Georgia Charter Schools Conference will be held January 25-26 at the Loudermilk Conference Center in Atlanta. A "Career Readiness for a 21st Century Workforce" will be one of the leading conference strands. Lydia Logon, Senior Director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) will lead a session entitled, "Business Community Cites Need to Improve Education." That session will focus on the need of the nation’s public school system to "focus more strongly on improving curricula, academic expectations, and performance measures to ensure students are prepared for postsecondary education and the workforce." In addition to more than the 30+ sessions tailored for charter school faculty, leaders, and advocates, the conference offers networking opportunities with other charter school supporters and the availability to speak with conference exhibitors and sponsors.
"Alternative" Charter School Authorizers: Playing a Vital Role in the Charter Movement
Alternative charter school authorizers are increasing across the nation and are seen as a way to add value to the charter movement and the public education system. In this new paper from the Progressive Policy Institute, author Louann Bierlein Palmer assesses the quality of alternative charter school authorizers including independent state-level charter boards, higher education institutions, municipal offices and nonprofit groups. By analyzing authorizing policies and practices in Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin, she determines that the best authorizers share three traits: a) they desire their jobs as authorizers; 2) they are relatively insulated from politics; and, 3) they have the ability to create the adequate infrastructure necessary to achieve high quality outcomes. The author cautions policymakers to create new types of authorizers only when the current system is unsuccessful.
2007 National Charter Schools Program Showcase, April 5-6, Washington, DC
This event, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, will bring together educational professionals committed to expanding high quality charter schools and increasing the national understanding of the charter school model. The purposes of the showcase include: expanding the national dialogue about how states can use chartering as an intervention in low performing schools; identifying successful state practices using chartering to comply with NCLB; providing local and state leaders with current knowledge about successful charter school models and practices; and sharing information about available partnerships, initiatives, and technical assistance. Registration for the April event is limited.
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