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Celebrations,-Proclamations-and-Acknowledgements-of-National-Charter-Schools-Week

Wed, 04 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

President Obama officially proclaimed May 1 through May 7 to be National Charter Schools Week saying, “In communities across our country, successful public charter schools help put children on the path to academic excellence by harnessing the power of new ideas, ground-breaking strategies and the collective involvement of students, parents, teachers and administrators. During National Charter Schools Week, we recognize these institutions of learning and renew our commitment to preparing our children with the knowledge and skills they will need to compete in the 21st century. “ Click here to read the complete proclamation.

Legislators across the country are also recognizing this week’s events.

Senator Mary Landrieu (D – La.) introduced a resolution congratulating the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of charter schools across the United States for ongoing contributions to education, and supporting the ideals and goals of the 12th annual National Charter Schools Week.

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., this week is joining the Georgia Charter Schools Association in promoting National Charter School Week to emphasize the important role charter schools play in education in both Georgia and across the nation.
“I am pleased to join the Georgia Charter Schools Association in commemorating National Charter School Week because charter schools play an important role in education,” said Isakson. “Charter schools create a learning environment where students, teachers and parents are afforded the flexibility to make decisions in order to maximize students’ success. I will continue to support charter schools because there is tremendous value in investing in our children’s education, which is critical to the future of America.”
Click here for more information.

Charter-School-Graduates-Ready-to-Serve-in-Uniform-Face-Obstacles-Even-Before-Boot-Camp

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Did you know all high-school diplomas awarded to public school students are not equal in the eyes of the military? Unfortunately, students attending many of our nation’s public charter schools are learning this the hard way.

Why?

Well for enlistment purposes, the military classifies education in three overall categories: Tier I, Tier II and Tier III:

Tier I - High-school graduate
Tier II - Alternative high-school credentials including test-based equivalency diplomas (GED), occupational program certificate of attendance, correspondence school diplomas, home-study diplomas, online/virtual public school diplomas or high school certificate of attendance.
Tier III - Non high-school graduate

The vast majority (more than 90 percent) of all enlistments are from the Tier I category. However at times, graduates from traditional and virtual public charter schools are labeled as Tier II candidates when they attempt to enlist in the armed services, making it a bit more difficult to enlist. It seems charter school graduates are being penalized for choosing a different public school option.

To correct this unjust policy, the U.S. Senate included language in the National Defense Authorization Act that requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a new policy guiding the recruitment and enlistment of charter school graduates in the Armed Forces. Unfortunately, that legislation has yet to pass and faces significant hurdles due to other social policies.

Nonetheless, given the Secretary of Education’s recent comments about many students being unable to successfully enlist, either because they didn’t graduate, have obtained a criminal record or are physically unfit, it seems counterintuitive to handicap a potential recruit who has graduated from a high-quality, state-accredited public school simply because it is a charter school.

Click here for more information.

Chicago-Public-Charter-School-Graduate-Featured-on-NPR's-StoryCorps

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As an avowed addict of NPR, I love the StoryCorps series every Friday morning. Often the stories make me laugh, sometimes I fight back tears, but mostly I sit back and appreciate the way that StoryCorps provides everyday people the chance to tell their own poignant stories, stories that resonate so broadly. The story this morning was a conversation between an alumnus of North Lawndale College Prep, a charter school in Chicago, and the dean of the school when she attended. Tierra Jackson talks about her struggles in high school as a homeless teenager. When she opened up to the teachers and staff at North Lawndale, they created a support network to help her succeed. She is now a junior at Roosevelt University. In Tierra’s own words, “There's so many people who could, you know, be the next Bill Gates and change the world. But because they're poor or they're living in poverty, they're instantly written off because no one thinks they'll make it. I just want to make it." Tierra’s high school, like so many other charter schools setting high expectations for students, believed in her and didn’t let her fall through the cracks. At the start of the new school year, this story truly resonates as 6,000 charter schools work to make sure that every student reaches their potential.

Image: Tierra Jackson talks to John Horan, the president of her high school. Image via StoryCorps webpage.

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CMO-Recipes-for-Success

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A recently released analysis, Unlocking the Secrets of High-Performing Charters, states that while there is no “secret sauce” that explains the success demonstrated by the 18 “no excuses” charter management organizations (CMOs) in the New Schools Venture Fund portfolio, there are common ingredients. Like contestants in Iron Chef, these CMOs all use the same ingredients: a laser focus on literacy and numeracy to establish an academic foundation; a pedagogy favoring direct instruction and differentiated grouping, especially in the early grades; and comprehensive student assessment and performance management systems. But like any good cook, these CMOs add plenty of other seasonings into the pot to create a unique and tailored school culture. If you’re hungry for more details about these CMOs’ recipes for success, you can read the full article here.

We at NAPCS strongly support the tremendous work happening in these high performing CMOs, and have aggressively pursued additional funding for the replication and expansion of quality charter schools through the All Students Achieving through Reform (All STAR) Act and the Empowering Parents Through Quality Charter Schools Act. Additionally, the US Department of Education just announced a new Replication and Expansion for High-Quality Charter Schools grant competition through the Charter Schools Program (Keep an eye out for NAPCS comments on the grant competition’s priorities in Ed Week’s upcoming article on the subject). We hope that these federal funding opportunities continue to be on the menu so more and more students can access high performing charter schools.

Click here for more information.

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Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

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Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

National Charter Schools Week (NCSW) is just around the corner—May 5th-11th. During National Charter Schools Week, we celebrate achievements in the school house and the state house. These achievements could not have been possible without the commitment of teachers, leaders, parents and advocates from all parts of the country.

“For me, charter schools will always represent opportunity; an opportunity for adults to make a difference in the lives of students and for students to explore skills and talents they didn't know they had.”

—Michael Skeldon, Ed.D., Principal of the Beacon Charter High School for the Arts in Woonsocket, RI

Click here for more information.

Countdown-to-National-Charter-Schools-Week-%282-days-to-go%29

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

National Charter Schools Week (NCSW) is just around the corner—May 5th-11th. During National Charter Schools Week, we celebrate achievements in the school house and the state house. These achievements could not have been possible without the commitment of teachers, leaders, parents, and advocates from all parts of the country. Check out our toolkit for ways you can participate in NCSW!

During NCSW, we present the Champions for Charters awards to recognize public officials for leading a major public charter issue or initiative, serving as a highly visible public charter school advocate, and consistently supporting charters as a quality public school choice option. As we countdown to NCSW 2013, let's draw inspiration from a past Champion for Charter recipient.

2010 Champion for Charters - U.S. Representative Jared Polis (D-CO-2nd)
Congressman Polis introduced the bipartisan All Students Achieving through Reform Act (All-STAR), H.R. 4330, to support the expansion and replication of high-quality public charter schools that close the achievement gap. It is a key proposal and recognized as the most important piece of federal charter school legislation proposed since the original Charter Schools Program in 1994. Throughout his public service, Rep. Polis, who founded and served as superintendent of charter schools serving at-risk students, has worked hard to ensure that public charter schools are treated fairly and have equal access to education dollars.

“The All-STAR Act is about making the very best educational practices at America’s leading charter schools available to more students,” said Polis. “It’s as simple as finding what does and doesn’t work, funding the best schools, and giving every student the best possible education. This bill will provide hope and opportunity to tens of thousands of additional children at new or expanded charter schools.”
Click here for more information.

Countdown-to-National-Charter-Schools-Week-%284-days-to-go%29

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

National Charter Schools Week (NCSW) is just around the corner—May 5th-11th. During National Charter Schools Week, we celebrate achievements in the school house and the state house. These achievements could not have been possible without the commitment of teachers, leaders, parents and advocates from all parts of the country. Check out our toolkit for ways you can participate in NCSW!

“In my 14 years at Jumoke Academy, a public K-8 charter school in Hartford, CT, I have seen what can happen when committed teachers and school administrators confront the high needs of a low-income and minority population head on. Jumoke was founded in 1997 by my mother, Thelma Ellis Dickerson, a lifelong advocate for education reform and former president of the Hartford Board of Education, to eliminate the achievement gap for the city of Hartford. It was her fervent belief that, 'if we provided a safe, supportive but rigorous learning environment for children, staffed with high-quality teachers who challenged students to learn at the highest levels, we could change the face of public education in the city of Hartford for the absolute better.'”

—Michael Sharpe, CEO of Jumoke Academy, President of the Connecticut Charter School Association, board member of the National Charter School Leadership Council, founding member of Legacy Protect and Family Urban Schools of Excellence

Click here for more information.

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Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

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Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

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Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Countdown-to-National-Charter-Schools-Week-%289-days-to-go%29

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

"The mission of Hope Academy is to provide students who have dropped out of a formal educational program, as well as those contemplating dropping out, an opportunity to obtain a quality education leading to a diploma... Hope Academy continues to excel by surpassing the State of Missouri’s average graduation rate of 86.7 percent with a 93.1 percent rate... The personal growth and knowledge I have received while working at an innovative and evolving charter school are skills I will be able to use for the rest of my life, much like the skills Hope Academy’s students gain."

—Zachary Bassin, Director of Operations and Development at Hope Academy Charter School in Kansas City, Missouri

Click here for more information.

David-Hoff-Is-Our-New-VP-for-Communications-and-Marketing

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We’re pleased to announce that David Hoff will be our new Vice President for Communications and Marketing. As the leader of NAPCS’s communications function, Hoff will be the spokesperson for NAPCS and the public charter school movement. He begins his new position on October 9, 2012.

Before joining us, David was the deputy assistant secretary for communication development at the U.S. Department of Education, where he worked closely with senior Education Department officials to develop messages supporting the Obama administration’s goal of providing a cradle-to-college education for all children. He oversaw speechwriting, publications, the Web site, and new media for the department. Prior to joining the Department in May 2009, David was a journalist for more than 20 years including more than 12 years at Education Week.

You can learn more about David’s background here. Fun fact about David: he first wrote about charter schools in 1993 while at Education Daily.

Click here for more information.

David-Kearns

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

We lost a giant last weekend. David Kearns blazed a trail of innovation as CEO of Xerox and then answered a plea from former President George H.W. Bush to serve as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education. There, among many other accomplishments, he created New American Schools, the non-profit that fostered “whole-school” models such as Expeditionary Learning and Modern Red Schoolhouse – and in doing so, served as a seedbed for the charter movement. Here is yesterday’s eloquent floor statement by his former boss, now U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander. Note the history he traces, as well as his testimony to the respect and fondness Kearns inspired in everyone who knew him.

Click here for more information.

Educating-Tomorrow’s-Leaders:-Updates-from-the-National-Charter-Schools-Conference

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Planning for this year’s National Charter Schools Conference is underway, and I wanted to share my thoughts on one of the major topics of this year’s conference, educating tomorrow’s leaders. At midnight tomorrow, March 8th, the advance rate for the conference expires. You can register now to secure this lower rate.

Our conference theme is Delivering on the Dream, which speaks to all of our dreams for public charter schools, whether we’re teachers, advocates, school leaders, or support staff. For so many, the dream involves future leadership—students leading change, schools leading communities, and teachers leading schools. Thus, we have chosen educating tomorrow’s leaders as a major thread at the conference.

Keynote Panel

The three speakers at our keynote panel on July 1 have three distinct perspectives to lend to the topic of educating tomorrow’s leaders. After the success of last year’s panel, we decided that we had to have another intense, thought-provoking conversation this year. Dr. Michael Lomax, President and CEO of UNCF, brings to the table a deep understanding of how K-12 education feeds into college and sets students up with the habits of good leaders.

Leaders like Dr. Craig Barrett are far and few between. As former CEO of Intel, Dr. Barrett will be sharing with us the connections between education, leadership, and workforce preparedness. How can we make sure we are preparing students for healthy and productive lives?

It would be unfair to have this conversation without a strong, school-centered participant. And Ana Ponce, listed as one of Forbes Magazine’s “7 Most Powerful Educators,” has been creating leaders in L.A. for over a dozen years. If you have questions for this trio of great speakers, leave a comment below—we’ll try and get as many of your questions answered by this great panel!

Professional Development

All of our attendees are either current leaders or tomorrow’s leaders, which is why we’re putting a special emphasis on leadership training at this year’s conference. There will still be all the outstanding content related to public charter schools, but we’re adding a few sessions this year to help develop more leaders in our own community.

Sessions such as Strengthening Your Organization Through Strategic Planning: The Good, the Bad, and the Measured, led by Lisa Diaz and Marisol Logan, will prepare all attendees for the challenges of bringing an organization through change. Leadership Development and Sustainability: The Foundation of Successful, Stable Schools will walk you through steps to make both yourself and your teammates better leaders. What professional development goals do you have that the conference will help you achieve?

This is just a taste of some of the great things we have planned for this year’s conference! Don’t miss out on the lower rate for registration before March 8th, and keep an eye on both the blog and the conference homepage for more exciting updates about this year’s conference!

Click here for more information.

Gina-Mahony-Is-Our-New-Senior-VP-for-Federal-Affairs

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We’re excited to announce that Gina Mahony is our new Senior Vice President for Federal Affairs. As the leader of NAPCS federal affairs, Gina will focus on improving federal support for the growth and expansion of high quality public charter schools across the country. She begins her new position tomorrow.

Before joining us, Gina was a Policy Director at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, serving as a strategist, advocate and advisor for Fortune 500 and privately-held companies, coalitions and trade associations on issues before the U.S. Congress, the Executive Branch, and federal agencies. Prior to her work at Brownstein, she spent 11 years working on Capitol Hill, serving more than five years as a senior policy advisor to Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), during his tenure as House Majority Leader and Democratic Whip. During her time on the Hill, she developed and implemented legislative strategies on a variety of policy issues, including education.

You can learn more about Gina’s background here. Fun fact about Gina: she serves on the Parish Pastoral Council at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, and has been a basketball coach at Holy Trinity School since 2002.

Click here for more information.

Harriett-Ball,-RIP

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A great teacher died yesterday. Back in the '90s, Harriett Ball took two rookie Houston teachers under her wing and showed them how to make a classroom a joyous place to learn … and then travelled with Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg through the amazing journey of KIPP, while continuing to teach and consult. We were proud to induct this great lady into the Charter School Hall of Fame along with her KIPP colleagues in 2009. She succumbed to a sudden heart attack on Tuesday. What a legacy she leaves!

Click here for more information.

How-Do-Charters-Find-Great-Leaders003F

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) understands supporting the growing number of high-quality charter schools takes a huge commitment. It means finding and developing a great number of talented leaders. At NAPCS, we think we can help by sharing some of the promising practices in place at public charter schools across the country. “ASSESS, Coordinate, Execute: How to ACE an Executive Director Search” describes how you can find the next leader for your charter school and is the second publication in our year-long “Charter People” campaign to spotlight and address human capital issues in the charter movement.

We kicked off the campaign with an issue brief detailing how charter schools hire teachers. We hope these publications are useful to those of you working out in the field. We also want to hear from you. We want to know about your school, your job, your greatest successes, your biggest challenges and your ideas for how to improve public education. Help us by telling us about a great charter school leader you know. Post a message on our Facebook wall or send a tweet with the hashtag #charterpeople. We’ll continue to share what we learn.

Click here for more information.

Klein-Moves-On

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Joel Klein is resigning as chancellor of the New York City school system. In eight years as leader of that mammoth organization, Joel Klein showed what decisiveness looks like. He closed chronically failing schools despite clamorous opposition; he invited top-performing charter operators to open up shop in the city’s toughest neighborhoods, and made them an example for their district counterparts; he provided unparalleled autonomy to traditional schools and overhauled the city’s accountability systems. And the results were recognized with a coveted Broad Prize. What propelled all this was his unapologetic determination that kids should come first. Not teachers, not principals, not systems, but kids. And he led with a fine sense of outrage about the way kids had been treated by public education. I will not soon forget the way this balding, bespectacled man raised the roof of a Harlem church a couple of years back as 1500 parents and activists responded to the passion and intensity of his call to do better by the city’s schoolchildren. The Alliance is honored to have him as a member of its board, and New York City is a better place for his service.
Click here for more information.

Making-the-Most-of-the-National-Charter-Schools-Conference:-Five-Steps-to-Networking

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday I told you all about one of our focuses this year, educating tomorrow’s leaders. And today, I'd like to share some tips and tricks I’ve learned from attending a lot of conferences and seeing the National Charter Schools Conference grow over the past few years. With registration rates going up after midnight, I thought it’d be good to tell you a bit about the opportunities we’ve got for you. So, here we go—Jenny’s six steps to networking.

1. Establish Your Networking Goal

You would be amazed at how many people don’t have a goal when they network. You’ve come to a conference to learn something, right? Sometimes that thing can’t be found in the breakout sessions or from the keynotes. But you’re at an event with thousands of other people—surely some of them have been in your shoes! Possible networking goals might be:

Meeting someone who also runs the finance committee on their board
Learning how other schools schedule professional development days throughout the year
Finding a great example of a learning management system put to good use
Discovering what that state did to celebrate National Charter Schools Week

Keep your networking goal in mind the whole week, and make sure you’re trying to achieve it. Pro tip: Write one quick fact you learned from a person after getting their card. Especially if they helped you towards your goal!

2. Introduce Yourself

Going up to strangers and introducing yourself brings me the jitters, and I’m sure I’m not the only one! Jumping into a conversation doesn’t need to be stressful—keep a few things in mind:

Join conversations of 3 or more people so you know you aren’t interrupting something private
Go say "hi" to someone standing by themselves—they might be just as scared as you are!
Use your goal to introduce yourself: “Hi, I’m Jenny. Have any of you successfully networked at a conference before? Have any tips?”
Pin yourself to the elbow of a strong networker, and use him or her to pull you through the room

You know who are often great and experienced networkers? Our exhibitors! They always know a bunch of people and are super outgoing. Use them to help you navigate a crowd, and you’ll always go home with a pocketful of some great business cards. And while a good drink in hand always helps, be wary of doing the food and drink juggle! Always keep a hand open for shaking hands, and use a table if you’re going to be eating and drinking at the same time.

3. Take advantage of Different Networking Environments

At the National Charter Schools Conference, we provide a lot of different spaces and styles of networking so that you can achieve your goals. Here’s a quick run-down of what we have going this year:

Big, Formal Networking: This includes our welcome reception and happy hour with exhibitors. These opportunities are great for you to float around and meet people extremely different from you—learn about what’s going on in their worlds and be open and curious.
Mealtime Networking: Breakfast networking sessions, lunch breaks, dine-arounds in DC, people love to get together and share ideas over food. Sharing a table with someone instantly creates a sense of congeniality and relaxes the atmosphere. So don’t be a wallflower at lunch, find the busiest table, sit down, and say "hello!"
Breaks: I bet you didn’t know that we make the breaks between sessions a little longer so that you can meet people? Go out into the hallway and see who is loitering. Don’t beeline for the next room, take your time and introduce yourself to a couple of people instead.
Spaces: We’re excited to have the Steelcase Collaboration Lounge at this year’s conference, and the exhibit hall is always a place to go to meet up with people. Skip a session and go see who is around in these places. Sit down, strike up a conversation, and see what you learn.

4. The Pass-On

Sometimes you meet someone who can’t help you with your goal, but don’t despair! Find out what his or her goal is and do a pass-on. Find someone else who will benefit from meeting that person and make sure to provide an introduction. Even if you’re not interested in dropout recovery, maybe you know someone who is. And who knows? Maybe they’ll return the favor and connect you with exactly who you were looking for.

5. Follow-up

Definitely the hardest and most rarely done part of networking is the follow-up. You’ve gone home to your pile of business cards and now need to sort through them. Don’t just file them in your rolodex, cement those relationships! Pick the top ten most important contacts you made and send them a quick message thanking them for talking with you and saying how you’d love to keep in touch. And then, when you have a question that they might be able to help you with, send them an email! Or maybe you’ve met someone who would get along with a contact—make use of it and send that person along. Your network gets stronger through use, so make sure to exercise that muscle!

I hope to see you networking away at this year’s National Charter Schools Conference this summer. If you see me, make sure to introduce yourself and share your goal! Don’t forget that registration rates go up at midnight tonight, so head over to our site to sign up.

Click here for more information.

March-Madness:-Player-of-the-Year-attended-a-Chicago-public-charter-high-school

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

University of Kentucky star Anthony Davis has won the Naismith Trophy for men's college player of the year. Davis, who is the second freshman to earn the Naismith Trophy, has another unique line on his resume; he attended a Chicago charter high school that didn’t have a gym.

Perspectives Charter School is an award-winning Near South Side school designed by Chicago architect Ralph Johnson. The absence of a gym is one of many ways that Johnson and his clients kept costs down. In an interview, Davis explained why he chose Perspectives despite its notable absence of athletic facilities: “I didn’t go there for basketball. The academic program was great. They have a 95 percent rate of kids graduating and going to college, so my dream was always to go to college, so I decided to go there.”

We wish Davis and the Wildcats the best of luck tonight. We love to see successful charter graduates (and a KY win will give me official bragging rights for my bracket)!

Click here for more information.

Mississippi-Officials-Named-2013-Charter-Champions

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Throughout National Charter Schools Week, the Charter Blog will announce the 2013 Charter Champions! This year’s Charter Champion awards recognize five outstanding public officials for their service to the students and parents of the public charter school movement.

Given annually during National Charter Schools Week, the Charter Champion awards are presented to the very top federal, state and local public officials who lead the most impactful public charter school initiatives, who serve as the most visible charter school advocates and who—throughout their career in public service—have tirelessly supported charters as a high-quality public school option.

This year’s state Charter Champions are Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves (MS) and State Senator Gray Tollison (MS).

Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves (MS)
Elected in 2011 as Mississippi's Lieutenant Governor, Tate Reeves leads the 52-member state Senate. Lieutenant Governor Reeves made it a priority to enact legislation to improve the state's public charter school law. Through numerous speeches, op-eds and interviews, he made the case to the state's citizens about why Mississippi's students needed to have the option of attending high-quality public charter schools. In the 2012 and 2013 legislative sessions, he fought hard for major changes to Mississippi's charter school law, as evidenced by the fact that the Senate passed several charter school bills during this time period. Those efforts paid off when Mississippi enacted sweeping reforms to its charter school law in April 2013. These reforms would not have happened without the strong leadership of Lieutenant Governor Reeves.

"I thank the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools for this honor and their support in our efforts to provide school choice,” said Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves. “I truly believe that improving the educational attainment level of our citizens is fundamental to improving our economy. Every child in Mississippi deserves an opportunity for success, and public charter schools are an essential ingredient to achieving that goal.”

State Senator Gray Tollison (MS)
State Senator Gray Tollison is a member of the Mississippi Senate, representing District 9 since 1996. In January 2012, Tollison was appointed Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Senator Tollison has been a strong supporter of public charter schools throughout his time in the Mississippi Senate and has sponsored several charter school bills over the course of his tenure. In the 2012 and 2013 legislative sessions, he served as the primary sponsor of the major charter school bills passed by the Senate. He was a passionate and forceful advocate for charter schools during the floor debates on these bills and worked with his colleagues in the House and the Senate to pass a bill to make major improvements to Mississippi's charter school law in April 2013.

"Public charters across the country, and soon in Mississippi, are giving parents faced with failing schools a choice – the choice to give their child a high-quality public education that prepares them for college and careers,’ said Senator Gray Tollison. “I am honored to be selected as a 2013 Charter Champion, but the true champions are the parents in Mississippi who this year fought tirelessly to pass legislation to build a high-quality public charter school sector in our state.”

Click here for more information.

NAPCS-Announces-2013-Charter-Champions

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This year’s federal Charter Champions are Senator Richard Durbin (IL) and Congressman John Kline (MN).

Senator Richard J. Durbin (IL)
Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Springfield, is the 47th U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois, the state’s senior senator, and the convener of Illinois’ bipartisan congressional delegation. Senator Durbin is one of the strongest proponents of public charter schools in the United States Senate. In 2010, he introduced a bipartisan bill, the All STAR Act, to replicate and expand the most successful of charter schools across the country. In addition, he was instrumental in the establishment of the first charter school in North Chicago, the LEARN Public Charter School. Located on the edge of the Great Lakes Naval Station in Lake County, IL, the charter network partnered with the United State Navy to open this school.

Congressman John Kline (MN)
Congressman John Kline proudly represents the men and women of Minnesota’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives since first being elected to Congress in 2002. As Chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Congressman Kline skillfully forged a bipartisan compromise on legislation to reauthorize the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP), which passed the House of Representatives in September 2011 with 365 votes – the strongest showing yet in the House for public charter schools. This Congress, Chairman Kline will lead efforts to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including the CSP.

Click here for more information.

NAPCS-Shares-Public-Charter-School-Knowledge-with-Thai-Delegation

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Members of the NAPCS staff facilitated a tour of Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy for a delegation of education reformers from Thailand. The Thai delegation, which included members of the government and academia, visited public charter schools in New York City and Washington, D.C. to learn more about autonomous school models. NAPCS took the delegation to the Cesar Chavez Prep campus, ranked in the top tier of public charter schools in D.C. according to the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board’s performance management framework. During the tour of the Chavez Prep campus, the delegation visited middle school classrooms and learned about their college prep curriculum that infuses civic knowledge, critical thinking skills, and experiential learning. The delegation was particularly interested in building school culture, community involvement, and the school-level decision-making freedom afforded through the public charter school model.

Following the tour, the delegation met with NAPCS staff members to discuss national education policy and public charter school history and performance. We were proud to engage in cross-cultural learning opportunities and share best practices in chartering from the school and national levels to inform Thailand’s education reform efforts.

Members of the Thai delegation pose questions to Chavez staff

Members of the Thai delegation, Chavez and National Alliance staff
Click here for more information.

Nashville-Mayor-Honored-as-2013-Charter-Champion

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Given annually during National Charter Schools Week, the Charter Champion awards are presented to the very top federal, state, and local public officials who lead the most impactful public charter school initiatives, who serve as the most visible charter school advocates and who—throughout their career in public service—have tirelessly supported charters as a high-quality public school option.

This year’s local Charter Champion is Mayor Karl Dean of Nashville, TN.

Mayor Karl Dean (Nashville, TN)
Karl Dean is the sixth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. He was first elected in September 2007 and re-elected in August 2011. As part of his agenda for strengthening public education in Nashville, Mayor Karl Dean has been an active supporter of creating more high-quality public charter schools for the city's families. He has recruited successful charter school operators from across the country to come to Nashville and was instrumental in the creation of the Tennessee Charter School Incubator, the first state-wide charter school incubator in the country. He has also championed improvements to the state's charter school law to make the environment in Nashville more supportive of high-quality charters.

“We have several excellent public charter schools in Nashville where students are being given the tools to write their own destinies, irrespective of zip codes or family circumstances,” Mayor Dean said. “That is one of a city’s most important responsibilities to its young citizens, and I am proud to play a role in helping make that happen. Quality charter schools can – and should – play a big role in reforming our education system and in providing our students with the excellent education they deserve.”

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National-Charter-Schools-Week-2013-Highlights

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

During this year’s National Charter Schools Week (NCSW), NAPCS hosted 16 of our key state association leaders (from AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IL, IN, MD, MA, MI, NJ, OH, SC, and TX) in Washington, D.C. to advocate for greater support for public charter schools.

Our goal was to both influence the discussions around the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by focusing on ways within the statute to enhance charter school quality and to ask for greater funding for charter schools – to support the creation of new schools and replicating effective models.

NCSW highlights included:

Charter Champions Award Reception: The reception honored the leadership of this year’s Charter Champions: House Education and Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mississippi Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, Mississippi State Senator Gray Tollison, and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. We were also joined by many Members of Congress, including House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Greg Harper (R-MS), Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-MS), and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ).

U.S. Rep. Hoyer, Nashville Mayor Dean, and U.S. Rep. Kline at the Charter Champions reception

NAPCS President Nina Rees presents Charter Champion award to Miss. Sen. Gray Tollison

Meeting with Senator Durbin (D-IL): Because the Senator could not attend our reception in person, Andrew Broy, President of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, presented the Senator with the Charter Champion award in the Senator’s Capitol office and spent time discussing the state of the movement in Illinois, with a particular focus on the Senator’s interest in East St. Louis and North Chicago.

Illinois Network of Charter Schools President Andrew Broy presents Senator Durbin with his Charter Champion Award

Meeting with Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA): Tony Roberts, President of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, met with Rep. Kingston, who is the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education and gave him an update on the high level of demand for charter schools in the wake of the passage of Georgia’s Constitutional amendment.

Georgia Charter Schools Association President Tony Roberts and U.S. Rep. Kingston

Meeting with Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO): Congressman Polis met with state leaders and NAPCS staff to discuss his All-Star Act, which will make improvements to the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP).

Congressmen Polis and Kline at the Charter Champions reception

Meeting with Nadya Dabby, Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education: The meeting was both informative about the Department’s priorities, and allowed for state leaders to articulate their priorities for the CSP and its administration.

Finally, there were a number of meetings with Congressional staff who will play an instrumental role in the writing of ESEA. State leaders met with staff representing: House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH); House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Kline (R-MN); Senior Democrat, Rep. George Miller (D-CA); Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA); Ranking Member Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN); and Chairman Harkin’s Appropriations staff.

Katherine Haley with Speaker Boehner’s office meeting with state leaders

In addition, the NAPCS State Leaders Council members met with a dozen more offices from their state delegations, updating members of Congress and their staffs about the charter school movements in their respective states and districts, and the importance of increasing funding for the federal CSP.

We look forward to building on the NCSW momentum as we gather in Washington, D.C. again in July for the National Charter Schools Conference!

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New-Keynote-Speaker-Announced-for-2011-NCSC!

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The NAPCS is thrilled to announce that President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, has just been added to the star-studded keynote speakers lineup at the 2011 National Charter Schools Conference (NCSC).

For some background on his charter-related activities, the Clinton-Gore Administration supported the growth of public charter schools, which increased from only one charter school in in 1992, to over 2,000 schools in President Clinton’s second term! While in office, President Clinton commemorated National Charter Schools Week, increased funding for the Charter Schools Program, and released an Executive Memorandum directing the Secretary of Education to develop guidelines for businesses and faith-based organizations to help charter schools succeed.

If you haven’t already signed up for the NCSC in Atlanta, from June 20-23 (What are you waiting for???), register here.

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Presidential-Quotes-on-Public-Charter-Schools-and-U.S.-Education

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In honor of Presidents' Day, here is a collection of our favorite quotes from our current and past Presidents about the importance of education in our nation.

“Whether created by parents and teachers or community and civic leaders, charter schools serve as incubators of innovation in neighborhoods across our country. These institutions give educators the freedom to cultivate new teaching models and develop creative methods to meet students' needs. This unique flexibility is matched by strong accountability and high standards, so underperforming charter schools can be closed, while those that consistently help students succeed can serve as models of reform for other public schools. In an economy where knowledge is our most valuable asset, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity -- it is an imperative. Our children only get one chance at an education, and charter schools demonstrate what is possible when States, communities, teachers, parents, and students work together.” —Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States

"Charter schools encourage educational entrepreneurs to try innovative methods. They break up the monopoly of one-size-fits-all education. These diverse, creative schools are proof that parents from all walks of life are willing to challenge the status quo if it means a better education for their children. More competition and more choices for parents and students will raise the bar for everyone." —George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States

"The idea behind charter schools is that not all kids are the same—they have different needs; they have different environments—but there is a certain common level of education that all kids need, no matter how different they are, and that it would be a good thing to allow schools to be developed which had a clear mission, which could reach out to kids who wanted to be a part of that mission, who could achieve educational excellence for children who otherwise might be left behind..." —Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States

"Think about every problem, every challenge, we face. The solution to each starts with education." —George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States

"Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity." —Lyndon Johnson, 36th President of the United States

"Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation." —John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future." —Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States

"Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people may be engaged in. That everyone may receive at least a moderate education appears to be an objective of vital importance." —Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

"Learned institutions ought to be favorite objects with every free people. They throw that light over the public mind which is the best security against crafty and dangerous encroachments on the public liberty." —James Madison, 4th President of the United States

"The best means of forming a manly, virtuous, and happy people will be found in the right education of youth. Without this foundation, every other means, in my opinion, must fail." —George Washington, 1st President of the United States

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Public-Charter-School-Alum-Will-Swim-for-Olympic-Gold

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Have you succumbed to Olympic fever? We certainly have. So we were excited to discover that Andrew Gemmell, who will be representing the USA in the Men’s 1500 meter freestyle race (a.k.a. the marathon of swimming), proudly hails from a public charter high school. Gemmell graduated from the Charter School of Wilmington—which has been recognized as one of the Best High Schools on the U.S. News & World Report rankings—in 2009. The Men’s 1500-meter freestyle has heats on Friday, August 3, and the medal round is on Saturday August 4 at 2:36 p.m. ET. Best of luck to Andrew!

Photo: Andrew Gemmell, via USA Swimming National Team Bios
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Sandra-Bullock-Named-Favorite-Humanitarian-for-Work-at-New-Orleans-Public-Charter-School

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

When Sandra Bullock was honored with the first ever People’s Choice Award for Favorite Humanitarian, she highlighted her 8-year commitment to a New Orleans public charter school. Bullock adopted the school, rebuilt as Warren Easton Charter High School after it sustained millions of dollars’ worth of damage in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Since then, she has been a constant presence and financial supporter at the school.

During her acceptance speech, here’s how Bullock described Warren Easton Charter High School:

“You will not find a student there that doesn't know that they are loved and cared for under that roof. Half the senior class is attending college classes in their free-time. We have 100 perfect graduation rate. The students and faculty go to school on Saturdays to either study or to help others. I would so never make it in that school!" she laughed. "They compete, but they never cut each other down. And all that happens not because it's easy, but because they do not allow themselves any other option than to succeed, even when life outside of those walls gives them no indication of support and hope."

Actress Sandra Bullock with students at Warren Easton Charter High School. Image via peopleschoice on YouTube.

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Spelling-out-Success:-A-Wyoming-Public-Charter-Student’s-Path-to-the-Scripps-National-Spelling-Bee

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

When you ask the average twelve year-old, ‘what’s the hardest word you’ve ever had to spell?’ most probably couldn’t give you an answer. Then again, Lia Eggleston isn’t your typical twelve year-old. After a moment’s reflection, the poised 8th grader, who attends Snowy Range Academy—a public charter school in Laramie, Wyoming—definitively responds, “koan.” Not only do I have no idea what this word means, I have to ask Lia to spell it for me.

Lia is the winner of the 2012 Wyoming State Spelling Bee. With that accomplishment comes a next step that has been a dream for Lia: being a competitor in the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee. The event, which has captivated audiences and Hollywood (fiction and nonfiction films), will be held in National Harbor, Maryland on May 29-31, 2012.

Lia’s path to becoming a spelling bee champion was inspired at home: her brother participated in a state spelling bee, so she decided to give it a try. She admitted that her first year of competition included a few lucky guesses, such as Japanese-rooted word “koan,” and Lia ended up placing 2nd in the 2010 Wyoming State Spelling Bee. From there, she became more dedicated in pursuit of the state title. She began studying and memorizing words from Spell It!, a list of a approximately 1,150 words created in cooperation with Merriam-Webster as a study aid for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. In her second attempt, Lia placed 3rd in the 2011 Wyoming State Spelling Bee.

Photo: Lia Eggleston's official headshot for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

With her mantra “the only place left is 1st” keeping her motivated, Lia began working with a coach, University of Wyoming student Jen Black, who was a former Scripps Spelling Bee competitor. Together, they study word origins—Lia notes that the Greek and Latin derived words are easy once you have roots memorized, Spanish and Japanese-based words are more phonetic, but words with Germanic and Slavic bases are really hard—and practice the most challenging words on the Spell It! list. Lia estimates that she spends at least a few hours on the weekend and an hour after school with Jen once or twice each week practicing, adding in a half hour a day before school doing computerized spelling tests over the past month. The study limit permitted by Scripps is four hours a day, but Lia’s eighth grade schoolwork at Snowy Range Academy Charter School, and her other extracurricular activities—cello, dance, and theater—mean that she has to make tough choices about how to spend her time.

With the support of her Snowy Range Academy and dance school classmates (see picture below), who Lia says are “pretty excited” for her, and teachers (“they already knew I had won the state bee before I could tell them”), Lia has her eye on the prize. She will just have time to finish her school year (classes end on May 25th) before flying to the East Coast for the competition on the 27th. As a representative of the public charter school movement, we will “bee” cheering her on. You can follow Lia and the National Bee on www.spellingbee.com, Facebook, or on ESPN during the week of the Bee. G-O Lia! Even I can spell that one.

Photo: Lia Eggleston (bottom row, second from right) spells her favorite word (Pfeffernuss--a German spice cookie) with help from her friends in the Laramie Dance Center's Advanced Irish Step dance class. Photo credit: Anne Brande, photographer at Ludwig Photography.
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Top-Federal-Officials-Support-National-Charter-Schools-Week-2013

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Public Charter Schools and National Charter Schools Week have recently had support from some of the highest elected officials in the country. President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation recognizing National Charter Schools Week, 2013. U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.), co-chairs of the Senate Public Charter Schools Caucus, also expressed strong support for public charter schools and marked the start of the 14thannual National Charter Schools Week, which lasts from May 5 to May 11 this year.

President Obama: “Many charter schools choose to locate in communities with few high-quality educational options, making them an important partner in widening the circle of opportunity for students who need it most.”

Senator Alexander: “Charter schools give principals the freedom to lead, teachers the freedom to exercise their own good judgment and parents the freedom to choose the school that is best for their child. This is the formula to help our children learn what they need to know and be able to do so they can succeed in life.”

Senator Landrieu: “Our future will continue to be shaped by how well we prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges. The freedom charter schools have to innovate has invigorated the public education system in New Orleans and across Louisiana, providing parents with a quality choice for their children. Across the country, they are helping shape the conversation about how to improve our education strategy and outcomes, and they should remain one of the key components of that mission.”

We thank these public officials for their outstanding service to the students, parents and families of the public charter school movement.
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Vote-for-a-Hero

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

People magazine is in the midst of its Readers' Choice Hero Campaign. The campaign identifies nine inspirational stories that were featured in People this year, and gives the public a chance to vote for their favorite. If you've got a minute, check it out; the campaign ends Friday, Oct. 8. These are some awe-inspiring stories about some pretty amazing folks. Many of their stories involve helping children and young people, and one even features an outstanding charter school leader...our very own Tim King of Urban Prep Charter Academy in Chicago.

Of course, we can't tell you how to vote (we would NEVER do that at the CharterBlog, since we're non-partisan!), but we do hope you'll vote for someone. Their causes are all very compelling and worthy, and the cash award will help the winner further his or her work. We've got our favorite, and we sure hope he wins.

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