The Charter Blog
April 30 2008
If Cleveland schools can team with a charter school, why not others?
Comment »Stopgap funding measure for charter schools before Senate
Comment »Charter Schools Win Battle Against Audits
Comment »April 29 2008
Charter schools grow stronger in Pa.
Comment »April 28 2008
L.A. Unified may rethink offers to charter schools
Comment »NH Charter schools win funding vote
Comment »28 Apr 2008
Watch Newark
Funders Ante Up for Charters
An amazing collection of national and local funders has joined forces to create a new $25 million fund supporting the charter community in Newark. The city's already home to some of the state's highest-performing charters -- North Star, Robert Treat, and KIPP Team among them. And like every other chartering city, other schools fall along a spectrum of performance. Happily, this new fund will not only make it possible for high-flyers to serve more students, but will also help the middling schools with teacher
recruitment, leadership development, and other supports. Given the strong backing of Mayor Cory Booker, this will be a great experiment in lifting all boats -- improving not only the size and quality of Newark's charter community, but also accelerating reform of the traditional system.
It's also another illustration of the galvanic role being played by national and local foundations in pursuing quality growth. NYC's Center for Charter Schools Excellence was launched with $40 million in mostly Gotham-based funding. KIPP's planned Houston expansion is made possible by the Fisher Fund and other national groups, but also by a healthy dose of Texas money.
Great to see that in this latest instance, there's serious attention to the non-networked charters that, nationally, still make up about 80% of our movement.
For more on the Newark fund, here's their own new website: www.ncsfund.org
NS
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