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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Authorizer Self-Evaluation Instruments
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers offers a set of Authorizer Self-Evaluation Instruments based on the organization's Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing. The instruments are designed to help public charter school authorizers to closely evaluate and strengthen their practices in five core areas: Agency Capacity and Infrastructure, Application Process, Performance Contracting, Ongoing Oversight and Evaluation, and Renewal Decisionmaking.
Developing Training Programs for Charter School Governing Board Members: a Promising Practice Profile
This guide examines how public charter school support organizations in four states are training public charter school governing board members. It examines training and support strategies focused on the legal issues of running a public charter school as well as the role of the governing board within the context of separation of duties from the public charter school administrators.
Federal Funding Catalog
This searchable database of over 100 federal funding sources for public charter schools details relevant federal funding sources that can be tapped to support public charter schools. It identifies the purposes for which the funding can be used and provides information on the requirements and process for making an application. Users may search the database by uses of funds, federal agency, eligible applicants, type of funding, and matching requirements.
Annual Report on Georgia’s Charter Schools, 2007
Georgia's public charter school students are performing stronger academically than other public schools in meeting AYP, achieving higher graduation rates, making equal or greater performance on state tests, as well as receiving higher SAT scores According to the most recent statistics,. In 2007, the state's public charters made adequate yearly progress (AYP) at a somewhat higher rate than traditional public schools. In 2007, 85.1 percent of public charter schools made AYP, compared to 82.1 percent of traditional public schools. In every content area of the state Criterion Referenced Competency Test, public charter school student performance met or exceeded the performance of public school students generally. In 2007, 89.9 percent of fourth-year students in public charter high schools graduated, compared to 72.3 percent statewide. In all four content areas of the Georgia High School Graduation Test, public charter high school student performance exceeded the performance of public school students generally. In 2007, Georgia public charter high school seniors performed quite well on the SAT, averaging a combined score of 1667, which compares to a combined score of 1458 for traditional public school students and the national average of 1511.
Achievement and Attainment in Chicago Public Schools
This study, recently published by the RAND Corporation, Mathematica, and Florida State University in Tallahassee, finds that public charter schools may improve graduation rates. Examining Chicago's multi-grade public charter high schools (those that include grades 6-12, 7-12, or K-12), the study's authors find that public charter schools appear to produce substantial positive effects on ACT scores, probability of graduating, and probability of enrolling in college. The large positive results suggest promise for multi-grade public charter high schools (and perhaps public charter high schools more generally) and demonstrate that evaluations limited to test scores may fail to capture important benefits of public charter schools.
The 2008 Public Charter School Dashboard
This year's annual round-up on public charter school statistics examines growth and quality in the public charter school movement. It finds that the demand for public charter schools continues to grow among American families. Nationwide, in 40 states and Washington DC, over 4,300 public charter schools enroll more than 1.2 million public school students. In the past four years, 1,600 new public charter schools opened and 500,000 additional public school students chose to enroll in public charter schools. This past fall, more than 350 new public charter schools opened and an additional 115,000 public school students enrolled in these schools. At least 60 percent of public charter school students are minorities; 52 percent are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch; 11 percent of public charter school students are identified as special education students; and 12 percent are English language learners.
National Public Charter School Opinion Survey Results
More than three out of four voters (77%) favor giving parents more options when choosing a public school for their children, according to a March 2008 national poll conducted for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. The nationwide study of 800 registered voters by the Glover Park Group found that minority voters (82%) and parents (81%) most strongly express the desire for greater public school choices. When a description of public charter schools was provided to surveyed parents, 60 percent expressed interest in enrolling their children in a public charter school. Respondents gave broad support for many of the qualities that public charter schools provide. Over 90 percent of voters said they support providing a more structured learning environment, requiring more parental involvement (94%), and holding students, teachers and parents accountable for improved student achievement (93%).
National Association of Charter School Authorizers Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN (October 27-28)
NACSA’s 8th Annual Conference, themed "Setting the Pace," will take place on October 27-28, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis. It will feature practice-oriented workshops focused on public charter school authorizing, as well as policy, research and strategy sessions.
Countdown to New Orleans: National Charter Schools Conference, June 22-25
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools will host the 2008 National Charter Schools Conference June 22-25 in New Orleans, LA. "Still We Rise: Achieving Academic Excellence at Scale" is the conference theme, reflecting the growth of quality public charter schools across America. The theme has special resonance in New Orleans, which boasts the nation's largest percentage of public charter school enrollment. Register for the conference athttp://www.nationalcharterconference.org. The conference is the largest gathering of charter school operators and supporters in the nation. Major speakers at the conference include Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, actor and education activist Danny Glover, philanthropist, supermodel and Happy Hearts Fund founder Petra Nemcova, Alliance President Nelson Smith and Geoffrey Canada, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Harlem Children's Zone. Attendees will learn and share best practices, discuss national and state policy issues, have the opportunity to volunteer at local charter schools, and enjoy special events featuring New Orleans traditions, food and music! Questions? Call 206-463-3344 or e-mail nationalconference@publiccharters.org.
Charter School Laws Across the States, 10th Edition
This document provides a detailed look at the nation's 41 public charter school laws along with their rankings and scorecard. Minnesota and the District of Columbia are among those that received an "A" from the authors; Iowa and Mississippi received an "F." The report offers a 29-point breakout of each state's public charter school law provisions and data, including approval process, operations, funding, and rules and regulations regarding teachers and students.
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