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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Principles and Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing: 2007 Edition
This updated set of principles and standards for charter school authorizers addresses the key areas for which authorizers are responsible, including designing and overseeing the application process, performance contracting, providing ongoing oversight and evaluation, and renewal decision-making. The document is intended to focus on the ends that authorizers should be aiming to attain, recognizing that there are many means of getting there.
Webcast: Leave Nothing on the Table -- the Art of Skillful Negotiation
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a nonprofit community development organization that assists charter schools, has made a webcast available which focuses on developing negotiation skills. The webcast provides guidance in how to deal with contractors and professional service providers, as well as purchasing supplies, meeting with community members, and collaborating with staff and other stakeholders. It is designed to include real on-the-ground examples and demonstrate both the practice and the art of preparing for and conducting skillful negotiations.
School Reform in Philadelphia: A Comparison of Student Achievement
This study tracked the performance of two cohorts of 5th graders at Philadelphia elementary and middle schools to learn whether, by 8th grade, those attending schools under private management (schools contracted out to for-profit and non-profit management organizations) learned more than students at newly restructured district schools and in the district as a whole. Privately-managed schools were especially effective at increasing the percentage of students performing at or above the basic level. For example, the improvement in reading was 25 percent at the privately-managed schools, as compared to only 15 percent at restructured schools and 17 percent for the district as a whole. Students at privately-managed schools were as effective as other schools in the district at bringing 5th students up to fully proficient levels of performance by 8th grade, despite the fact that students were initially performing at significantly lower levels.
Evaluation of the Delaware Charter School Reform: Final Report
This report summarizes findings across a three-year evaluation of the Delaware charter school program. It examines the state's charter schools and the students they serve, teachers and staff that work in charter schools, the relative revenues and expenditures for charter schools, charters' performance and impact, and state challenges of overseeing a charter program. Charter school student performance was mixed with 10th grade charter school students achieving significantly higher reading scale scores than their matched noncharter peers, while 5th grade charter students were not performing at levels comparable to their noncharter peers. In other grades and subjects, district and charter students performed at similar levels. The researchers conclude that, on the whole, the Delaware's charter program has been successful. Charter schools in the state have grown slowly, but steadily, with 17 charter schools in operation in Spring 2007.
Charter School Autonomy: the Mismatch Between Theory and Practice
This data-rich article examines the degree of autonomy charter schools hold and the factors limiting their autonomy. The author finds that school autonomy largely is influenced by state laws, relationships with authorizers, and partnerships with EMOs/CBOs. Schools with lower levels of autonomy were likely to be conversions, authorized by local districts, and partnered with EMOs/CBOs. Schools with higher levels were newly created schools, did not have partnerships with EMOs/CBOs, and were somewhat independent as a result of receiving direct funding from state entities. Many charter schools in the study had little autonomy and more than half had to negotiate exemptions in the areas of teacher policies, staff hiring and firing policies, finances, salaries, and certification requirements. The author calls for more research on the benefits and limitations of high levels of autonomy and the impact of state and federal policies on school autonomy.
The Final Ten: How the States Without Charter Schools Can Make It to the Goal Line
This document tracks the legislative histories of states without charter schools (Alabama, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota,Vermont, Washington,and West Virginia) and offers state-specific strategies for pushing through charter school legislation. It also addresses four key components of "model charter law:" including university/community college authorizers; equal funding and facilities help; blanket waivers/freedom from rules; and contractual freedom.
The Politics of Charter Schools
This article examines the history and current state of politics surrounding charter schooling and examines the key players and their opposing perspectives. It addresses the politics of charter funding/financing, state caps on the number/types of charter schools permitted, parental choice, unions, education management organizations, and existing charter school research. The author concludes that the growth of the charter school movement will be shaped not by the effect of charter schools on student achievement, but rather by the values, self-interest, mobilization efforts, and lobbying power of the various participants in the charter school political arena.
2007 National Charter Schools Conference, April 24-27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is excited to have over 2,500 attendees at the 7th Annual National Charter Schools Conference next week in Albuquerque! The conference will offer sessions presented by leaders of the national charter school movement and present numerous special events for networking and fun. Registrants should sign up for networking breakfast sessions Friday morning where groups will meet by profession or interest and ask their peers for solutions to their most pressing questions. The 15th anniversary of the first public charter school will be celebrated with an anniversary dessert reception followed by a dance and party with Alliance Board Member and disc jockey Howard Fuller. The unique exhibits include a "green" model school building on the exhibit floor and a timeline highlighting most states' charter school history on display in the conference hall. Online registration has closed but registration can be completed each day at the conference at the Albuquerque Convention Center beginning Tuesday, April 24th through Friday, April 27th.
National Charter Schools Week, April 30-May 4
From April 30 - May 4, charter advocates, parents, teachers and students from across the country will celebrate the role high-performing charter schools play in opening doors to hope and opportunity for families. With the theme of "Closing the Gap," the 8th annual National Charter Schools Week will highlight how charter schools are making meaningful gains for disadvantaged children. To assist the charter school community in planning, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has developed a toolkit. The toolkit offers a wealth of resources for helping make the week a success, including suggested engagement activities and talking points for speaking with a variety of audiences. It also provides several templates, including a sample press release, a sample school fact sheet, and a sample legislative letter.
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