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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Note: Please be aware that online publishers often change URLs or no longer provide access to articles after 7 days. If any of the below links no longer work, access the publishing newspaper and search the archives for the keywords in the subject matter. Good luck.
National Alliance to Host November 12 Teleconference, "Assessing Financial Risks for Public Charter Schools"
Worries about tightening credit markets, stock market losses, and a looming economic recession are a serious matter for public charter school operators trying to adjust and react to the current financial crisis. In response, the National Alliance for Public Charter schools will host "Assessing Financial Risks for Public Charter Schools," a teleconference for public charter school operators on November 12 from 2:00 to 3:30 EST. The teleconference will feature a panel of experts on charter school financing issues who will speak and take questions. The panel will include: Kathleen DeLaski, Senior Program Officer (Education), Walton Family Foundation; Susan Harper, Vice President, Merrill Lynch Community Development Company; and, Tom Nida, Executive Vice President, Community Development Group, United Bank (Nida also serves as Chairman of the Washington DC Public Charter School Board). The teleconference is free but registration is required.
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (11/10/2008)
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New Study of KIPP Schools Released
Veteran Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews points readers to a new study from Columbia University researcher Jeffrey Henig that assesses seven studies of KIPP schools. In "What Do We Know About the Outcomes of KIPP Schools," Henig concludes that "the weight of the evidence suggests that students who enter and stay in KIPP schools tend to perform better than similar students in more traditional public schools" and "this does not appear to be attributable to a selective admissions process." he also notes that "where it has been monitored, student attrition is high and seemingly selective" and "would reduce the size of gains in reports that simply compare KIPP eighth graders with those in their host districts." Henig recommends that "policymakers at all levels of government should pay attention to KIPP and consider it a possible source of information and guidance for their decisions" but "should temper their interest in the operation with wariness and realistic expectations." He says policymakers "should treat KIPP schools as potential tools that may contribute to -- but not substitute for -- systemic improvement."
Source: Washington Post (free registration required), (11/10/2008)
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Denver Plans Shared School Facilities
This week, Denver Public School officials plan to recommend placing new school programs — including public charter schools — in under-enrolled Denver middle and high schools. Shared-school campuses are increasingly common across the country as urban districts work to provide varied programs in cities where real estate costs have soared. Denver school officials have examined New York's and Chicago's shared schools initiatives, hosted school administrators from those cities, and hired a former New York public charter school principal to help the district build its program. The district hopes to launch the program next year. Proponents say shared campuses can increase the number of academic offerings, develop appropriate school sizes and more effectively use building space. "As with anything new, until people actually see it, it's hard to visualize what it will be like," said DPS Superintendent Michael Bennet. "It's going to be incumbent on us to execute well."
Source: Denver Post, (11/09/2008)
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Majority of Top Schools Serving Poor Families in California are Public Charter Schools
A report to be released this week by the California Charter Schools Association finds that 12 of California's 15 highest performing public schools serving children from low-income families are public charter schools. Check out next week's News Connection or the association's website for more details.
Source: ABC News, (11/09/2008)
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St. Louis and Kansas City Start-ups Receive Federal Grants
Four groups hoping to start public charter schools in St. Louis and Kansas City have been awarded $2 million through the U.S. Department of Education, the Missouri Charter Public School Association announced last week. Three — Confluence Academy of the Arts, KIPP St. Louis and St. Louis Language Immersion Schools — are aiming to start schools in St. Louis. The fourth, Hope Academy, is looking to open in Kansas City. All aim to start by this coming fall, according to the association. The grants, which range from roughly $500,000 to $700,000, will pay for school planning and start-up, and will pay out over three years.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, (11/09/2008)
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High Quality Public Charter School Oversight System Sought for New Orleans
Within the next few years, policymakers will have to decide whether to renew dozens of New Orlean's 47 public charter schools. Despite having the nation's largest market share of students enrolled in public charters, state and local educators are only now working on a public chartering oversight system that demands performance while allowing schools autonomy. This winter, state officials hope to create a comprehensive oversight system -- including outlining how to decide which schools get closed at the end of their five-year contracts. Ken Campbell of Louisiana's public charter school office said the state needs to better describe its expectations for public charter schools. The law states, for instance, that students must improve academically for public charters to win renewal. But it does not say how much. Greg Richmond, president of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, said many advocates now believe that failing schools should be aggressively closed. He thinks New Orleans and Louisiana educators will not "allow a free-for-all" -- though closing bad schools will still take political determination. "It's a lot of trouble to close a school, politically and logistically," said Bryan Hassel, co-director of Public Impact, an education policy consulting firm. "It's very tempting to let schools drag on in the hope of improvement."
Source: The Times-Picayune, (11/08/2008)
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Group Pushes for "Green" Public Charter Schools
This past weekend, over 200 people from at least 11 states gathered at a conference themed "No child will be left inside," hosted by Wisconsin's Green Charter Schools Network. "We hope to make this a national movement," said Jim McGrath of the Network. "We have identified 135 green charter schools around the country, and we believe there are another 150." Green public charter schools strive to teach required subjects such as math and English in the context of environmental education, often through projects that improve the local environment. Components of green schools include standards-based environmental learning integrated with other subjects, green and healthy practices and facilities, and efforts to take care of the land and natural resources. "Our network mission is to support green schools with environmentally-focused education programs and practices," McGrath said. "We would like to help all charter schools become green."
Source: The Capital Times, (11/08/2008)
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President-Elect Obama Supports Expanding Public Charter Schools
Last week, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO Nelson Smith released a statement congratulating Senator Barack Obama on being elected the 44th President of the United States of America. "Over the course of his campaign, President-elect Obama stressed accountability and choice in public education, especially through the expansion of high-quality public charter schools," Nelson stated. In his acceptance speech, Obama said "we must 'open doors of opportunity for our kids' and said there are 'new schools to build.'" Obama's "proposal to double federal funding for public charter schools signals his strong commitment to making high-quality public school options available to families who need them most," Nelson wrote. Last week, public charter school advocates also applauded Obama's pick for Chief of Staff -- Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who sponsored $300 million in new funding for public charters.
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, (11/05/2008)
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