The Charter Blog
January 29 2008
Use of public dollars should require public scrutiny
Comment »National charter school is expected to open here
Comment »Bush Call for "No Child" Reauthorization Meets Skeptical Reaction
Comment »January 28 2008
Successful charter schools giving families reason to stay in Cleveland
Comment »Charter schools in jeopardy: Legislation to increase funding goes before N.H. House on Tuesday
Comment »Charter schools in Utah: Building schools, at what price?
Comment »25 Jan 2008
Pastorek: Let's Start Fresh
Louisiana looks for expertise in turning around failing schools
The literature on “state takeovers” is pretty dismal, and given tight budget constraints there’s less reason than ever to think that state ed departments can work miracles with failing schools. But Louisiana Superintendent Paul Pastorek is taking another tack: actually asking for help from the nation’s best school managers. We all expect Paul Vallas to work wonders as superintendent of the state’s Recovery School District, but the RSD is already swamped by the needs of the schools it inherited in New Orleans. So Pastorek is “searching for organizations that can create a climate of high expectations for students, teachers and administrators and execute a clear and focused mission of achievement.” He’s just sent out an all-points-bulletin asking for letters of interest, a precursor to a full-scale RFP later this year.
The state doesn’t yet know how many of the schools will become charters – but it’d be great if some of our best practitioners would take a look at these schools in Shreveport, East Baton Rouge and other places, and make the case that “Starting Fresh” is the best way to go. That term comes from our brethren at NACSA, the national authorizers’ group, who have developed a terrific library on this subject. Key point: You can’t do turnarounds halfway.
Which is why chartering — and keeping the kids while changing everything else in the dynamics of the school — can work.
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24 Jan 2008
Another win for charter fiscal equity
Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s gotta pay, judge says
One by one, the excuses for depriving charter school kids of 100% funding are being exposed. The latest case is from Charlotte-Mecklenburg, where a judge has ordered $1.3 million in compensation to five charters shortchanged by the district. Interesting that a former Charlotte mayor was leading the charge here — he sits on the board of a plaintiff charter. Maybe he’s read our issue brief arguing that municipalities and not just school districts should call the shots in allocating public education dollars...
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