The Charter Blog
December 29 2006
KIPP to Mississippi?
Comment »FL releases 10th anniversary charter report
Comment »Great editorial from RI
Comment »December 28 2006
SC charter district slow getting off ground
Comment »IN charters improving
Comment »21 Dec 2006
Charter v. Contract
Over on thisweekineducation, Russo’s Q&A with Mike Feinberg is full of gems but one particularly caught my attention. Mike talks about KIPP’s Chicago contract school, that was phased out and merged into a KIPP charter, and this exchange follows:
What specifically were some of the things that didn’t work without a charter in Chicago?
MF: The staff of the contract school had to spend considerable time navigating through the traditional school system of 600 schools that is more complex than a charter school system of 1 school. That navigation time could have and should have been spent with the students and families, which our charter school on the west side of Chicago has been able to do and has achieved great results in the process.
Worth pondering in the wake of the recent NCEE commission report. Performance contracting for public schools is a great idea, and would be a step forward for sure. But it looks like the charter model puts the emphasis in the right place — on the kids, not the oversight office.
NS
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December 21 2006
New charter rules in OH
Comment »Continued differences over funding in MD
Comment »20 Dec 2006
Fordham's Excellent Adventure
TBFF's impressive authorizing record in OH...
Education Week has a series of articles this week on the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's venture into charter school sponsorship. (Wish I could link all of the articles, but Ed Week has a ridiculous two-views-per-week policy, which I've exhausted). Browse for yourself here.
The articles show that TBFF has taken its responsibility seriously and has been properly tough on its schools and itself. They've also learned much from the experience, including just how hard it is to educate low-income kids and know exactly what's going on inside of the schools you oversee.
They recently released a report on their authorizing efforts, 2006 Sponsorship Accountability Report, which is shockingly good--even by TBFF's high standards. They know their wards inside and out and they've made it all transparent to the public. Lots of veteran authorizers could learn gobs from this report. (Aside: please note that traditional school districts NEVER put together such searching, public analyses on their schools.) Alliance prez Nelson Smith, a former authorizer in DC, called the TBFF report "state-of-the-art." He's not kidding.
Getting into the sponsorship business was no easy decision--there was dissention on their board--but once they jumped in, they were in full bore. Much credit goes to Checker Finn, the group's president (who is the subject of one of the Ed Week pieces), and Terry Ryan, VP for all things Ohio.
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