Education Week’s Top Charter School Stories for 2012 & Predictions for 2013

On Education Week’s Charters & Choice blog, Sean Cavanagh picked his list of the top 10 most important stories of 2012. Cavanagh’s picks include the expansion of charter networks such as Aspire and Rocketship to new states; the trend of more states loosening charter caps and making it easier for charters to find facilities; struggles in many states over who should have the power to approve charters; Missouri’s shutdown of a group of Imagine schools in St. Louis; and victories for charter school ballot measures in Georgia and Washington state. For 2013, Cavanagh’s predictions include the continued growth of charters nationwide; continued questions in some areas over whether state and local authorizers adequately regulate charters; a push for state and local officials to be given more responsibility to shut down low-performing charters; and the expansion of online charters in some states.

Source: Education Week

No New Orleans Charter Schools Will Return to City Control in 2013-14

According to the Times-Picayune, no state-controlled New Orleans public schools plan to return to local control in the next school year. The Algiers Charter Schools Association voted Thursday to keep its three eligible schools under the domain of the state Recovery School District (RSD), citing concerns about financial autonomy. The management organizations of the other 10 eligible schools had already voted to stay in the state district. RSD charter schools function as independent financial entities, receiving federal grants directly, rather than having funds filtered through the school district, which takes a percentage. State Rep. Wesley Bishop said he would probably sponsor legislation in the spring to preserve charter school financial autonomy. Before the Algiers Charter Schools Association vote, Louisiana Department of Education spokesman Barry Landry praised the schools for improving performance enough to become eligible to return to the district: "It's a great development and it shows tremendous achievement."

Source: Times-Picayune

New York and Connecticut Team up to Launch Charter School Network

According to Education Week’s Charters & Choice blog, the New York Charter Schools Association and the Connecticut Charter Schools Association will merge into a new group, the Northeast Charter Schools Network. The new association will support almost 200 schools between the two states. The move was in a part an attempt to protect pro-charter laws passed in Connecticut last year, which helped close funding gaps between district and charter schools. Bill Phillips, the former president of the New York Charter Schools Association and the president of the new association, cited recent budget cuts in Connecticut as attempts to "whittle away last year's gains."

Source: Education Week

Chicago Charter Network Participates in Birth-to-College Educational Model

Education Week’s Early Years blog describes a study of the use of professional learning communities among educators at the Educare Learning Network, which serves children six weeks to five years old, and two University of Chicago Charter School campuses, which serve students in preschool through 5th grade. The study is part of a larger birth-to-college model, whose goal is to create "a tightly aligned educational experience" for children and families, according to Tim Knowles of the Urban Education Institute. The professional learning communities help teachers and support staff develop a focus on their long-term impact on students. "It helps teachers in early-childhood programs to have the vision of where these children are going,” said Brenda Eiland-Williford, Educare director of program and curricula. In a survey, 82 percent of the participants said their involvement in the study had "impacted their thinking about their practices in the classroom and with families."

Source: Education Week