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Broad-Foundation-Announces-New-Annual-“Broad-Prize-for-Public-Charter-Schools”

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation just announced an annual $250,000 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools which will be awarded starting in 2012. The Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools will mirror The Broad Prize for Urban Education that is awarded to traditional school districts. The prize will be awarded to the public charter school management organization that demonstrates the most outstanding overall student performance and improvement among the country’s largest urban charter management organizations in recent years while reducing achievement gaps among poor and minority students. Check out the Broad Prize webpage for more information about eligible CMOs and the review board. And for one last tidbit: the inaugural Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools will be announced at our 2012 National Charter Schools Conference in Minneapolis, MN!
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Conference-Countdown:-Lessons-from-Veteran-Charter-School-Leaders

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In just one week, National Charter School Conference (NCSC) attendees will have the opportunity to gather lessons learned from leaders some of the most established and highest performing charter networks in the country. Charter School Hall of Fame Inductees Mike Feinberg (Co-founder of KIPP), Yvonne Chan (Principal of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center) and Don Shalvey (Founder of Aspire Public Schools) will share their experiences with issues of school growth, academic performance, engaging families, and working with charter school board and staff. This featured session, which will take place at 10:45 a.m. EST on June 22, should provide valuable takeaways for anyone involved with charter school operations, whether in a new or established school. P.S.—Have you heard about our latest keynote speaker?).

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Congratulations-to-the-first-ever-U.S.-Department-of-Education-Green-Ribbon-Schools!

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Obama Administration honored 78 schools, including eight public charter schools, yesterday as the first ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools. These schools came from 29 different states and the District of Columbia, and all represent a commitment to providing healthy, sustainable, and earth-friendly learning environments.

The Green Ribbon Schools program was developed in 2011 by Secretary Arne Duncan with the support of the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The program recognizes schools for energy and resource conservation, maintaining toxin-free, healthy learning environments, and providing high-quality environmental education on topics like sustainability.

This year’s Green Ribbon Schools encouraged students to reduce waste. Kindergarteners attending the Learning Gate Community School, a public charter school in Florida, created a Waste Free Lunch program. Other recognized public charter schools took advantage of natural resources, such as The STAR School in Arizona , which generates 100 percent of its power from solar and wind generation. And Green Ribbon Schools that didn’t have plentiful access to natural resources created their own. Students at Environmental Charter High School in California worked with permaculture experts to create a natural stream that now runs through the urban campus. An impressive 70 out of the 78 winners have gardens on-site, 17 are EPA Energy Star Schools, and all winners produce 100 percent environmentally literate graduates.

Yesterday’s award ceremony, which was attended by senior Administration officials including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, White House CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, recognized these achievements with a plaque and a banner. The wide diversity of location and student population among winning schools demonstrates that all schools have the ability to provide greener, healthier environments and education to their students.

Congratulations to all Green Ribbon School winners! We look forward to seeing next year’s innovative practices. Applications for 2013-2014 will be due this winter and with 14 states having already indicated their intent to nominate schools, the time to learn about greener schools and this award is now! You can learn more about how to become a Green Ribbon School by registering for the NAPCS Green Charter School Workshop, a series of pre-conference sessions being held on June 19th in Minneapolis as part of the National Charter Schools Conference.

Image credit: www.greenribbonschools.org
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Countdown-to-National-Charter-Schools-Week-%2811-days-to-go%29

Tue, 23 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.

We've designed a toolkit meant to be used as a simple resource for events and activities in states, and provide some examples and templates for promoting NCSW. The toolkit offers suggestions to promote efforts around:

Public Awareness. Spread the word about NCSW by reaching out to the media, elected officials, and others about the successes of public charter schools in your state and community.
State and Local Events. Invite your elected officials to these events to show them first-hand the great things public charter schools bring to their state and communities.
Advocacy. Speak out about public charter school achievements and the benefits they offer to families across the country by writing letters to the editors of your local and statewide newspapers, contacting your elected officials about why they should support public charter schools, and sharing your public charter school’s achievements via social media.

Click here to access the NCSW toolkit.

Click here for more information.

D.C.-Study-Deserves-Cheers-NOT-Jeers

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

On her WaPo blog, Valerie Strauss bemoans the D.C. government’s recent commission of a study by the Illinois Facilities Fund, which examines how D.C. neighborhoods are served by the public education system. According to the related article, D.C. has more than 40 traditional schools with less than 300 students apiece. The study will be used to help officials decide which schools should be closed and where new ones, especially public charter schools, might be opened.

Sounds like an effort toward rational stewardship of public funds, right? But here is the underlying horror, according to Strauss: “The study is the strongest signal yet that Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) is prepared to treat charter schools — which are publicly funded but independently operated — as full partners in a reform effort that was heavily focused on traditional schools during the tenure of his predecessor, Adrian M. Fenty (D).”

After a series of twist and turns that careen around every refutable charge against public charter schools, Strauss comes to this conclusion: “The question is not whether some charter schools are better than some traditional schools. Some are. The real issue is that many fear we are setting up a two-tier public education system.” While Strauss is correct that some charters are better than traditional schools, others aren’t. And low-performing charters should be closed. The goal isn’t a two-tiered system: it’s a good school for every child.

While Strauss may not see this, clearly the Mayor’s team does. According to Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright: “I am very much wedded to quality, and I don’t care where it comes from. We have to right-size the [school system], and we have to be honest about where we’re not providing high-quality schools to our children. And if that ruffles feathers, then so be it.” Chancellor Kaya Henderson agrees: “If it helps us to better deliver on the promise of a great education for every child in every neighborhood in the city, I’m willing to change the game.”

The Mayor’s team understands that quality, accountability and—most importantly—meeting student needs are the goals the D.C. government should be vigorously pursuing. They should be applauded for recognizing that the ultimate goal is to give all children access to a world-class public education system where all schools are great. The “charter” or “traditional” district school label should be beside the point.

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Even-Superheroes-Want-to-Attend-Charter-Schools!

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A three page preview of the upcoming issue of Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1 features the young hero who wants to enroll in a public charter school. Like all students, this rising hero deserves a chance to enroll in a high-performing public school. However, charter school enrollment is based on an explicit number of seats determined by the charter school’s board and authorizer. When more students want to enroll than the school is designed to serve, charter schools are forced to hold admissions lotteries. We don’t recommend radioactive spider bites as an alternative to charter school admission; it would be much simpler for state governments to allow more high-quality charter schools to open to meet parent and community demand.

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Forget-Broadway…Charter-Schools-are-the-Place-for-Great-Performances-in-New-York

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This week, the New York State Education Department released the 2010-2011 school year Mathematics and English Language Arts test results for third through eighth graders. The results are positive for public charter schools, which continue to have a (dramatically!) higher percentage of students that meet or exceed state performance standards than the percentages of their respective school district. According to analysis conducted by the NY Charter Schools Association (NYCSA):

The New York Charter Schools Association compared results of each charter school to their respective districts and found that students in seven out of ten charters exceeded their district percentage in terms of students meeting state English standards by achieving a level 3 or 4 of the assessment; while students in more than eight of every ten charters outperformed in mathematics.

You can see more of the NYCSA’s analysis of the charter school performance results here. And the WSJ agrees, pointing out that this is more proof that public charter schools are working to close the achievement gap between urban students of color and their socio-economically advantaged suburban peers.

Click here for more information.

Happy-National-Charter-Schools-Week

Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Activities for National Charter Schools Week 2011 are well underway! In Washington we’ll be celebrating the announcement of the 2011 Champions for Charters and meeting with the largest group of charter school advocates from schools and charter support organizations ever assembled for this week. On Tuesday May 3rd, we will be conducting an Online Advocacy Day. We will be urging people throughout the day via Facebook, Twitter and SMS text to contact their senators and representatives with a personal message about the difference high-quality public charter schools are making in the lives of kids.

We’ll also be collecting stories from National Charter Schools Week events nationwide and sharing them here on the Charter Blog. Here is a glimpse of some ongoing events:

Arizona: The Arizona Charter Schools Association hosts its Annual Business Conference this Thursday and Friday. They will honor business leaders for supporting high-quality charter schools while helping school leaders to improve business operations.

District of Columbia:

DC Association of Chartered Public Schools recognizes their 2011 Stars, recognizing top performers from among the District of Columbia's charter school students and leaders, with a tribute event on Thursday evening.
DC Public Charter Schools Board will host several activities throughout the week including visits to City Hall, school tours, an evening reception and forum with local stakeholders and an online chat with board members.
FOCUS, City Bridge Foundation, and Charter Board Partners will be hosting Charter First Fridays at Capital City Charter School.

Georgia:
Georgia Charter Schools Association kicked off National Charter Schools Week with “Charter Schools Rock,” an informational session, on Sunday. It was a terrific opportunity to put the charter school community front and center and build awareness for our movement.

South Carolina:
River Charter School in Beufort is celebrating all week long by hosting a Waitinf for Superman screening and conducting school tours all week long.

Texas:
On Wednesday, May 4, Texas will have more than 2,000 charter school parents rallying at the State Capitol in Austin. The Texas Charter Schools Association (TCSA) has helped coordinate parents from Houston, the Valley, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin as well as students and families from KIPP Houston and Austin will have a strong showing, as will YES Prep, IDEA in the Valley and Uplift in Dallas.

Tell us about your Charter Schools Week activities and we’ll highlight them here!
E-mail pressroom@pubiccharters.org

Click here for more information.

Keeping-up-with-the-Joneses:-Charter-Schools-in-Suburbia

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This weekend, the New York Times ran an article about proposed charter schools in suburban areas. While Fordham’s Flypaper blog comments on the choice and financial issues in the article, we’re taking on the “trendiness” issue in the article. The influx of charter schools in suburban areas is framed as such:

Now, educators and entrepreneurs are trying to bring the same principles of choice to places where schools generally succeed, typically by creating programs, called “boutique charters” by detractors...with intensive instruction in a particular area.

But the notion that charter schools are the new kid on the suburban block is false. The NAPCS Dashboard has data on the geographic location of every charter school operating throughout the country since the 1999-2000 academic year. And the data show that charter schools have had a steady presence in suburban areas.[1] The Dashboard data for the four most recent academic years show that the market share represented by charter schools in suburban areas has remained steadily between 21-22% (The highest market share for suburban charter schools was 26.5% in the 2002-03 academic year and the lowest was 21.1% during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years).

The bottom line is that no matter their location or income level, parents want quality options for their children’s education. And instead of putting students into little boxes, suburban parents are, and for more than a decade have been, choosing charter schools.

Number of Charter Schools by Geographic Location*

Academic Year		City		Suburb		Town		Rural
*2009-10*
Charter Schools	2,692 (54.7%)		1,039 (21.1%)		393 (8.0%)		979 (16.2%)
Non-charter Schools	22,830 (24.5%)		25,770(27.7%)		13,404 (14.4%)		30,852 (30.5%)
*2008-09*
Charter Schools	2,553 (55.0%)		978 (21.1%)		362 (7.8%)		747 (16.1%)
Non-charter Schools	22,772 (24.5%)		25,939(28.0%)		13,570 (14.6%)		30,518 (32.9%)
*2007-08*
Charter Schools	2,335 (54.3%)		946 (22.0%)		364 (8.5%)		653 (15.2%)
Non-charter Schools	22,983 (24.9%)		26,028(28.2%)		13,740 (14.9%)		29,680 (32.1%)
*2006-07*
Charter Schools	2,148 (53.7%)		878 (21.9%)		348 (8.7%)		625 (15.6%)
Non-charter Schools	22,797 (24.7%)		25,999(28.2%)		13,715 (14.9%)		29,661 (32.2%)

*Geographic Location. The NAPCS Dashboard Data used the National Center for Education Statistic’s Common Core of Data to code the geographic location charter schools in our database. NAPCS collapsed the following categories to have four main categories: City: city, large; city, mid-size; city, small; Suburb: suburb, large; suburb, mid-size; suburb, small; Town: town, fringe; town, distant; town, remote; Rural: rural, fringe; rural, distant; rural, remote.

[1] It should be noted that the federal data used to populate the NAPCS Dashboard and used for statistics on suburban charter schools in the NYT article defines “suburban” based on distance from a city, not by connotation of income level.

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Let's-Hear-it-for-the-LA-All-Stars!

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We think charter schools are among the best public schools in Los Angeles. Of course, we might be a little biased. But, guess what? The California Department of Education (CDE) thinks so, too. The CharterBlog just learned that five of the seven middle and high schools in Los Angeles invited by the CDE to apply for the 2011 California Distinguished Schools Award are charter schools.

In order to be invited to apply for Distinguished School honors, schools must meet a variety of eligibility criteria including designated federal and state accountability measures based on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and the Academic Performance Index (API) requirements.

Of the 27 middle and high schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District, only seven made the cut. Of those seven schools, five are charters and the other two are highly selective magnet schools. Congratulations to Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy, Granada Hills Charter High School, ICEF Vista Middle Academy, KIPP Los Angeles College Preparatory and Port of Los Angeles High. These outstanding charter schools have done a great job of serving a diverse student population, especially those student groups who statewide have historically underperformed like Hispanic, socioeconomically disadvantaged, English Language Learners and students with disabilities. Way to go!

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National-School-Choice-Week:-A-Governing-Board-Member-Perspective

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This week is National School Choice Week (NSCW), which you can follow on Twitter with #SCW. All of the activities and events around NSCW prompted me to write again about my board experience at Pioneer Charter School in Denver. There have been some big updates since I last wrote about Pioneer.

The last time I wrote about Pioneer, we were in the process of recruiting new board members. I am happy to report that we have three fantastic new board members who bring expertise and years of experience in school leadership, teacher preparation, and education research. Another update since the spring is that our students made some good academic improvements. On the Denver Public Schools’ School Performance Framework, Pioneer moved from Accredited on Watch to Meets Expectations. On the Colorado Growth Model, Pioneer experienced decent growth in math and reading, but our overall proficiency is still lower than where we would like it to be (check out the data here, I’ve highlighted schools in the same neighborhood as Pioneer).

We also organized some great out of state field trips for our middle school students. Check out these photos from D.C., Chicago, and Utah.

Last week Education Week ran a great story exploring the different ways that public charter schools are responding to Common Core State Standards. I read the article with interest because Pioneer spent the past year aligning curriculum, instruction, and formative assessment to the Common Core—and it appears that we are not alone. I would agree with the overall take away from the article that public charter schools may have more flexibility than traditional public schools to transition to the Common Core, but there are still significant barriers to implementation given resources, time, and capacity.

The board, school leadership, and teachers at Pioneer believe that aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment to the Common Core is critical to improving students’ overall performance, especially our students at Pioneer who are primarily English Language Learners. We also recognized that alignment wouldn’t just happen by relying on teachers and leadership to volunteer their free time. As a result, the board approved funds to pay for faculty and staff to use time during their summer break to work in grade level and subject area teams to map out the standards. The teams organized the standards by six, six week blocks, which we call Assessment Periods. And faculty developed interim formative and summative assessments aligned to each Assessment Period to provide information about mastery of the standards and point to areas that need to be retaught. There is evidence from other charter schools that have developed their own formative and summative assessments, that they can be good indicators of how students will perform on annual assessments.

I imagine that every time I write about Pioneer, I will add the caveat that it is a work in progress. (The next big project on our board agenda is making sure that our facility meets the instructional needs of our students!) We have high expectations for what our students can do, but there is a lot of work to be done to create a learning environment that makes it possible. Fortunately, we have strong leadership and dedicated faculty and staff who are committed to the students of Pioneer.

Image: Students from Pioneer Charter School on a field trip to Washington, D.C.

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NCSC-Countdown:-What-Sessions-Do-You-Plan-to-Attend003F

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

I am getting excited for the National Charter Schools Conference here in Washington, D.C. at the end of the month. The conference is packed with great content and networking opportunities. Here are couple of sessions I plan to attend. I suspect they will be packed!

Implementing Blended Learning: Lessons Learned and Successes - July 1st at 10:45AM
Blended learning concepts are often over-simplified to “teaching with computers and books,”resulting in narrow, unsuccessful implementations. The promise of blended learning to capitalize on technology, engage students to take ownership of their education, and optimize instructional time is enormous. Distinguished presenters Liz Arney of Aspire Public Schools, Woody Paik of Curriculum Associates, Inc., Ben Rayer, CEO of Touchstone Education, Inc., and Caitrin Wright from the Silicon Schools Fund will share about their successes and lessons learned.

The Critical Role of Nutrition in Education – July 1st at 2:00PM
It’s clear students cannot learn if they are hungry. While some government supported nutrition programs have been around for years, they have not led to measurable improvements in children’s health. This panel will address what schools can and must do to ensure their students eat healthy. Moreover, it will address how to ensure students learn about the value of nutrition and how to eat well for their lives. Presenters include: Debra Eschmeyer of FoodCorps, Jeffrey Mills of Genuine Food Lab, Joyal Mulheron formerly of the Partnership for a Healthier America, and Kirsten Tobey co-founder of Revolution Foods.

Image: Revolution Foods co-founder Kirsten Tobey (left) via Bloomberg Businessweek
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Nearly-20-Percent-of-the-Top-100-U.S.-Public-High-Schools-are-Charters

Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Washington Post on Monday released a list of the highest-performing public high schools in the nation based upon a special index that measures how effective a school prepares its students for college. The “High School Challenge” index named the top 1900 public high schools in the nation—we’re proud to announce 18 public charter schools were among the top 100:

Rank (High School Challenge, Washington Post)	Public Charter School	City, State
#3	Corbett Charter School	Corbett, Oregon
#4	BASIS Tucson	Tucson, Arizona
#8	Signature Evansville	Evansville, Indiana
#10	North Hills Prep	Irving, Texas
#11	Peak Preparatory School	Dallas, Texas
#19	Westlake Academy	Westlake, Texas
#24	Preuss School UCSD	La Jolla, California
#27	Sonoran Science Academy - Tucson	Tucson, Arizona
#36	University High	Fresno, California
#37	Eastwood Academy	Houston, Texas
#41	Sturgis Charter	Hyannis, Massachusetts
#42	American Indian Public Charter	Oakland, California
#50	Peak to Peak Charter	Lafayette, Colorado
#54	Raleigh Charter	Raleigh, North Carolina
#57	Benjamin Franklin	New Orleans, Louisiana
#60	MATCH Charter	Boston, Massachusetts
#62	Harding Charter Prep	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
#83	Summit Preparatory Charter High	Redwood City, California

Read how the Post used academic indicators such as AP-course enrollment and graduation rates to compile the list. Congratulations to all of the school leaders, teachers, administrators, families and students that are affiliated with these public charter high schools.

Be sure to notify us of any press you garner so we can share news of your media spotlight in our social network spaces and advocacy e-blasts. Please send us pictures of any recognition ceremonies you may coordinate as well: NAPCSpressroom@publiccharters.org.

Click here for more information.

NYC-Charter-Schools-Show-Gains-on-2011-12-State-Tests

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This week, New York released its state test scores, revealing that for the seventh straight year, charter schools on average are beating their local school districts. Even more impressive is the finding that charter schools are outperforming statewide averages in every key high-need demographic and subgroup. In a press conference about the test scores, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg congratulated the city’s charter schools stating, “I think they demonstrate again and again and again that that model gives superior results.”

For more information, check out the press release, interactive data tool, and data analysis by the New York City Charter School Center and op-ed by the president of the New York Charter Schools Association.

Image: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, via Google Images
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Phoenix-Charter-Academy's-Alternative-School-Model-Meets-Student-Needs-and-Fosters-Academic-Success

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Being involved in charter schools at the policy level, it sometimes becomes all about the data—how many charters are on the U.S. News Best High Schools list; the number of students on waitlists; the ratio of English Language Learners as compared to their district counterparts. The numbers are without question important, but visiting a school in person can remind you that behind all these numbers are people.

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of visiting Phoenix Charter Academy in Chelsea, MA. At the school door I was greeted by Rosa, a student who gave me a tour. Rosa proudly told me that she is going to University of Massachusetts, Boston campus for college next year. As we walked through the school, she told us about how every student receives an hour of tutoring every day to help prepare for the MCAS, the state standardized test.

She pointed out the signs on students’ lockers, wishing them luck on the test. She pointed to pictures of former students on the walls—if they made it through graduation, then she can too. These photos inspired her, and reassured her that she could get through this.

As we walked through the building she pointed out various classrooms—science, math, humanities—and we paused at a door. The instant it opened, a head popped up from behind a bookshelf. “Mama!” The little girl ran straight towards Rosa, reaching out. Rosa held out a hand and gave those tiny fingers a hard squeeze. “Welcome to our nursery.”

Phoenix is outside of the norm even for a public charter school. Considered an “alternative” school, it focuses largely on students who have been unable to succeed in any other kind of academic setting. Their students range in age from 14 to 22 and generally have very little support at home.

Every student who walks through their doors receives an individual course plan. There are no class cohorts, no sophomores or juniors. You’re given a personalized route to graduate high school that isn’t a set time period, but instead lastas as long as it will take you to master the material. If you come in needing remedial math or if English isn’t your first language, you spend some extra time in the introductory classes. If you’ve already had a few years of high school, maybe you can skip ahead to some of the second or third level courses. Only once you reach the last year of your program can you proudly bear the title of “Senior.” Everyone is expected to graduate at their own pace, once they demonstrate knowledge mastery.

This comes with a lot of challenges. It takes resources for teachers to design such an individualized plan for every student. Classroom management can be even more difficult when the students are nearly ten years apart in age. However long it takes, and no matter how many times the students may drop out again, a remarkable number make it to graduation day. Considering that the district had given up on that dream long ago, this is truly an amazing school.

Rosa had her child three years ago, and had been attending the district school. Faced with the challenges of teen pregnancy, she eventually moved over to Phoenix. It’s clear that the nursery has been a huge help to her—her daughter had a half-dozen playmates, and the infants were sleeping in the room next door. She’s taking AP Physics, chemistry, and pre-calculus. As she said “the support is incredible.” Phoenix takes pride in providing help to the students, no matter what kind they need—academic or personal.

How do you compare Phoenix to a regular district school? Last fall, I saw a fantastic school leader talk about how her school had to be reborn as a public charter because the district thought that since her school’s pregnant teenagers weren’t graduating high school in four years, they were failing. These alternative schools are being held to the same accountability standards as their district counterparts. It’s a travesty to assume that since these students can’t graduate at the same rate as their less challenged peers, they won’t ever succeed. Schools like Phoenix insist that no matter what, they won’t give up.

We need a serious conversation on alternative schools and how we can fairly hold them accountable. They have high expectations for their students, and are getting students into college who would have otherwise been considered lucky to get a GED. This is why, at the National Charter Schools Conference, we’re hosting a preconference conversation on the subject. Please come join us for this—we need all our minds working together to figure out the best solutions to these policy challenges. If you’re already signed up for the conference, you can register for the preconference through our reaccess site. For those who still need to sign up, it is an option during the registration process.

This school might not be hitting AYP every year, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t creating amazing opportunities that didn’t exist before for these students.

This Sunday, Rosa celebrated Mother’s Day with her husband and daughter. On Monday, her husband headed off to work and she went to take her AP Physics exam. Thank you Phoenix, for introducing me to her, and to Rosa, if you’re reading this—I hope you scored high!
Click here for more information.

Public-Charter-High-Schools-Measure-Up-on-National-Ranking-Lists

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As a nation, we sure do love a rankings list. Three major news outlets annually rank public high schools: US News & World Report, the Washington Post, and Newsweek. Even though public charter high schools make up only 6% of the total number of public high schools nationwide, they are well represented on each of the lists of the best high schools nationwide.

In case you missed the lists this year, in the table below, we list the charter schools that made it onto at least one of the lists (in the top 100 for the first three). Six charter schools were listed in the top 100 on all three major lists: BASIS Tucson, Pacific Collegiate Charter, Preuss School UCSD, Signature School, Sturgis Charter Public, and Westlake Academy.

Charter schools make up 17 percent of the top 100 schools on the US News & World Report’s Best High Schools list, 25 percent of the top 100 schools on the Washington Post’s High School Challenge Index list, 19 percent of the top 100 schools on Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools list, and 60 percent of the top 25 schools on Newsweek’s Transformative High Schools list.

As the charter sector convenes in Minneapolis to celebrate its 20th Anniversary and highlight exemplary practices in the field, let’s commend these high quality charter high schools and continue the hard work to improve student learning.

School Name	State	US News & World Report, Best High Schools	Washington Post, High School Challenge Index	Newsweek, America’s Best High Schools	Newsweek, 25 Transformative High Schools
BASIS Scottsdale	AZ		#5	#3
BASIS Tucson	AZ	#6	#1	#5
Northland Preparatory Academy	AZ	#70
Sonoran Science Academy - Tucson	AZ		#59	#57	#20
American Indian Public High School	CA		#11	#32	#2
Hawthorne Math & Science Academy	CA	#65
Lennox Math, Science and Technology Academy	CA	#45
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy	CA	#18	#21
Pacific Collegiate Charter	CA	#8	#26	#70
The Preuss School UCSD	CA	#44	#25	#30	#1
Roseland University Prep	CA	#40
Stockton Collegiate International Secondary	CA				#15
Summit Preparatory Charter High School	CA	#81
University High School	CA	#46		#80
Peak to Peak Charter School	CO		#53	#43
The Charter School of Wilmington	DE	#47		#85
International Studies Charter High School	FL	#50
Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy	ID			#67
North Star Charter School	ID		#82
Signature School	IN	#35	#9	#7
Benjamin Franklin High School	LA			#76
MATCH Charter Public High School	MA		#65
Sturgis Charter Public School	MA	#15	#72	#46
Raleigh Charter High School	NC		#88	#34
Woods Charter School	NC			#73
Harding Charter Preparatory High School	OK				#9
Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science at UNM	NM		#50
Corbett Charter School	OR		#2		#14
Eastwood Academy	TX		#23	#72
Hampton Preparatory	TX		#41
Harmony School of Advancement	TX		32
Harmony Science Academy (Bryan/College Station)	TX				#10
Harmony Science Academy (Dallas)	TX				#23
Harmony Science Academy (El Paso)	TX				#18
Harmony Science Academy (North Austin)	TX		#30
Harmony Science Academy High School (Houston)	TX		#68		#19
KIPP Houston High School	TX				#17
North Hills Preparatory	TX		#24	#14
Peak Preparatory	TX	#66	#34		#16
Summit International Preparatory	TX		#29	#59	#3
Westlake Academy	TX	#37	#36	#18
Williams Preparatory	TX		#71		#8
YES Prep - North Central	TX	#56			#21

Source: Compiled by NAPCS

Ranking Lists’ Methodology:

US News & World Report: Schools were ranked on the following requirements: a) School has 12th grade enrollment; b) School has sufficient performance data from 2009-10; c) All students in school perform better than statistically expected for average student in state; d) Students in subgroups (Black, Hispanic, low-income) perform better than average for similar students in state; e) College readiness index, based on the school's AP or IB participation rate (the number of 12th-grade students in the 2009-2010 academic year who took at least one AP or IB test before or during their senior year, divided by the number of 12th graders) and how well the students did on those tests.

Washington Post: The number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2010 is divided by the number of graduating seniors.

Newsweek, America’s Best High Schools: Self-reported survey results by principals and superintendents (2,300 schools submitted). Rankings based on the following categories (weight in parentheses): a) Four-year, on-time graduation rate (25%); Percent of 2011 graduates accepted to college (25%); AP/IB/AICE tests per student (25%); Average SAT and/or ACT score (10%); Average AP/IB/AICE exam score (10%); AP/IB/AICE courses offered per student (5%).

Newsweek, Transformative High Schools: Same methodology as above, but rankings also take into account: a) Percentage of students who qualified for free- or reduced-price lunches; and b) Schools that restrict admissions based on academics were ineligible.

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Public-Charter-School-Performance-Tops-New-Study-on-Global-Competitiveness

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In his New York Times column, Thomas Friedman shared the results of a new study. Rather than just comparing themselves to others in the United States, some schools signed up to see how they stack up relative to the international average. The America Achieves’ “Middle Class or Middle of the Pack?” report goes through this data to better understand exactly how our schools are underperforming.

Both Friedman and the report debunk the myth that it’s America’s poverty rate that keeps our schools uncompetitive on a global scale. America Achieves’ report formally shows what numerous other studies have already demonstrated: that the highest-performing schools are not always filled with well-to-do students. Several schools across the country, including two public charter schools, demonstrate that poverty is not to blame for our low rankings on the international test.

The report mentions two schools in particular which stand out: North Star Academy in Newark, N.J. and BASIS Tucson North in Ariz. Both schools have been on my radar for years as very high-performing public charter schools, and I’m thrilled to see that not only are they knocking it out of the park here in the U.S. but are also excelling on a global scale. North Star Academy outperforms the average student in all but nine countries in reading—impressive for a school with 80.3 percent of students eligible for free and reduced price lunch.

However, BASIS Tucson North took the prize with performance that beat the global competition, outperforming the average school in every country in the world in math, science, and reading. It is with great pleasure that we will welcome Craig Barrett, President and Chairman of BASIS schools, to participate in a keynote panel at the 2013 National Charter Schools Conference. His schools set high expectations for all students—six AP classes is the norm—and the students step up and achieve. Dr. Barrett will share why this matters in terms of making sure that children are not only college and career ready but able to step up and become leaders in future generations.

Congratulations to both of these schools!

Craig Barrett, President and Chairman of BASIS schools

Image via North Star Academy website
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Public-Charter-Schools-Comprise-60-Percent-of-Newsweek’s-Top-25-Transformative-High-Schools,-Including-the-Top-Three-Slots

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Newsweek recently released its list of the Top 25 Transformative High Schools, and public charter schools represented exactly 60 percent of the list, including the top three highest ranked schools. Within the Top 25, the charter schools hold the rankings of: #1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 23.

In terms of its methodology, Newsweek notes:
“It’s no secret that schools in poor neighborhoods often struggle. But some achieve a remarkable amount in relation to the poverty of their communities. Newsweek calls these Transformative Schools, and for the second year in a row, we have created a list of the top 25.

“To compile the Transformative list, we took the scores from Newsweek’s top 1,000 schools and factored in the percentage of students who qualified for free- or reduced-price lunches—the most reliable measure of socio-economic status in American high schools. Schools that restrict admissions based on academics were ineligible; the purpose of the list is to highlight schools where enthusiasm is the only defining metric.”

NAPCS commends the tremendous impact these public charter schools are making in the lives of its students. This is another proof point for what can happen when great leaders are given the flexibility to be innovative. You can more about the #1 ranked Preuss School UCSD in our newest issue brief.

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Public-Charter-Schools-Engage-Students-and-Empower-Teachers

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Anyone who is serious about improving the quality of public education should support the incredible contributions of public charter schools, which are proving in community after community that all kids can learn and achieve.

Some of the most vocal critics of charter schools don't seem to understand what public charters actually are or how they work. Charter schools -- which are disproportionately located in low-income communities -- are public schools where all of the students have proactively made a choice to enroll. Similarly, teachers at charters proactively choose to teach in these schools, which often have far less red tape and more freedom to innovate.

Read the complete entry on the Huffington Post.

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Seeing-is-Believing

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Across the nation, more than 5,600 high-quality public charter schools are providing 2 million students with revolutionary educational opportunities. While many people know that charter schools are working to close the achievement gap and transform children’s lives, some have never seen these inspiring public schools in action. NAPCS, joined by numerous charter school advocates nationwide, want to change that!

Today is National Visit a Public Charter School Day, an event that corresponds with National School Choice Week. Charter schools across the country have invited legislators, reporters and community business leaders to tour high-quality public charter schools. These visits are designed to familiarize visitors with the charter school model and demonstrate the benefits of high-quality public charter schools. It is our hope that because of this experience, participants will be more likely to engage in the charter movement as advocates, board members, and financial supporters to help ensure that all students have high quality education options.

In addition to charter school visits, state charter support organizations (CSOs) are providing members of the media and state representatives preparing to kick off their legislative sessions with information on the role of charters in education reform. More than 14 states and the District of Columbia are participating in National Visit a Public Charter School Day activities. To learn more about National Visit a Public Charter School Day, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see highlights from events across the country.
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The-Indy-1,000,000

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Mind Trust is looking for teams of great people to start public charter schools in Indianapolis, and they're offering up to $1 million for folks who can make it happen! For more information, check out The Mind Trust’s Charter School Incubator page. If you’re interested in learning more about charter schools in Indiana (or nationally), you can find detailed information about network operators, school performance, growth and more on our data Dashboard.
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The-Quest-for-Quality

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A recent op-ed by Douglas Thaman, Executive Director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association (MCPSA), makes a strong call for the enforcement of quality in public charter schools operated by Imagine Schools Inc. While the issues generally facing Missouri charter schools—and those specifically perpetuated by Imagine Schools—are extreme, they are problems universally faced by charter schools: high facilities costs, the need for a strong governance body to set policies for sound business operations, and authorizer enforcement of quality and accountability. MCPSA is right to call for a state auditor investigation of the Imagine Schools practices that shortchange its students of a superior education. As a sector, we are only as strong as our weakest link. Whether it is through additional support or ultimately the closure of underperforming schools, or setting a new performance bar for high achievers, the public charter school sector must be vigilant when it comes to enforcing quality. And as MCPSA’s demand demonstrates, enforcement of quality starts in our own back yard.
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Two-BASIS-Schools-Top-U.S.-News-Best-High-School-Rankings

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

As we noted yesterday, public charter schools represented 28 percent of the Top 100 on the U.S. News Best High School Rankings. Three public charter schools held spots in the Top 5—and two of those three top public charter schools are part of the BASIS Schools network. Our president and CEO remarked that BASIS Schools' incredible academic performance "is a sign that there is something in their formula that needs to be replicated as quickly as possible, because it seems to be producing great results." You can learn more about BASIS schools at the National Charter Schools Conference, where BASIS board chair Dr. Craig Barrett, who was fromerly Intel's president (in 1997), CEO (in 1998) and chairman of the board (in 2005), will be part of a keynote panel on “Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders.”

Dr. Craig Barrett
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U.S.-ED-Awards-Green-Ribbon-Schools-on-Earth-Day

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Today is Earth Day, and in conjunction with this event, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 2013 winners of their Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) award. GRS honors schools that are exemplary in reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education, which incorporates STEM, civic skills and green career pathways. This year’s winners were 64 traditional public, public charter, and private schools and 14 districts.

Among the seven public charter schools honored in the GRS award, here are some highlights:

Journey School (Aliso Viejo, CA) offers a comprehensive eco-education program; has a partnership with Tanaka Farms, which delivers baskets of fresh organic produce weekly for faculty, students, and parents; and the school has established five gardens in its community.
Redding School of the Arts II (Redding, CA) was the first school campus worldwide to be certified LEED Platinum in 2009 and is a national model of sustainability. In addition to being a visual and performing arts school, RSA has a Mandarin language immersion program that includes outdoor learning, and maintains a relationship with a sister school in China.
Common Ground High School (New Haven, CT) was the nation’s first environment-themed charter school; composts 100 percent of its organic waste onsite; and its campus is a 20-acre demonstration farm at the base of a state park.
Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School (Washington, D.C.) was the first public charter school in D.C. explicitly dedicated to being a green school. All of the school’s furniture is always certified as 100 percent recycled, sustainably made, and non-toxic, and students enjoy activity through yoga, physical education classes, and enjoy an hour of outdoor time each day.
Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School (Washington, D.C.) has a new permanent campus on three wooded acres of land, a unique and treasured setting for an urban school. The school lunch vendor, Revolution Foods, is committed to providing clients with healthy, unprocessed food, and adheres to the school’s “no junk food” policy.
Ivy Academy (Soddy-Daisy, TN) takes advantage of its location near state-protected land, and its students spend 30-50 percent of the school day outside—including academic classes commonly held outside. Students are also required to participate in at least one year of service learning courses which focus partly on environmental projects.
Jefferson Elementary-Fox River Academy (Appleton, WI) has integrated sustainability topics to the academic curriculum, and uses a Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) with rewards such as basketball, dance, and open gym.

Congratulations to all the GRS winners recognized for their exemplary efforts to make their schools healthier, safer, more cost efficient, and sustainable.

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Urban-Prep-Achieves-100%-College-Acceptance-Rate

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We write a lot about education reform and charter school policy on this blog. It’s our bread and butter at NAPCS; we advocate for better policy support at all levels of government. Why? So we’ll see more schools like Urban Prep. For the third straight year, Chicago-based Urban Prep is sending 100 percent of its kids to college. And, equally as important, it’s keeping them there. For the class of 2010, the first graduating class at Urban Prep, 83 percent of the students are still enrolled in 4-year schools. The Chicago Tribune gave Urban Prep some prime real estate on Friday’s editorial page, and we’re proud to showcase the their accomplishments on our blog too. Congratulations to Urban Prep, it’s teachers, leadership staff, and most importantly, its 2012 graduating class. You keep doing what you’re doing, and we’ll keep fighting for you in Washington.
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Welcome-to-National-Charter-Schools-Week-2013!

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

On behalf of the public charter schools movement, welcome to National Charter Schools Week 2013!

National Charter Schools Week – May 5-11, 2013 – celebrates the great work accomplished by public charter schools, which now serve more than 2.3 million students and provide parents with high-quality public education options. This week gives us, as a community, the opportunity to highlight and share in our successes, lessons learned and achievements, and raise awareness of what public charter schools can offer.

This week the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools will join together with representatives from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas in our nation’s Capitol. We will be walking the halls of Congress to advocate on behalf of public charter schools everywhere, while meeting with many of our elected leaders and supporters.

We are also excited to announce the 2013 Charter Champions on Tuesday, May 7. Given annually during National Charter Schools Week, this year’s Charter Champion awards recognize five public officials for their outstanding service to the students, parents and families of the public charter school movement. Stay tuned to @Ninacharters on Twitter as we reveal this year’s champions.

How can you support National Charter Schools Week?

Check out our toolkit for ways you can participate, take part in one of the many events planned across the country or contact your state charter school association to see what events and activities are planned in your area. You could also write your local newspaper editor to help raise awareness that research shows public charter schools are improving student outcomes, or call your local elected officials and ask them to support more favorable policies and equitable funding for charter schools.

Most importantly, remember that this is a week to celebrate the fantastic accomplishments we have achieved during the last year. With more than 6,000 schools serving over 2.3 million students, there is a lot to be excited about this year!

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What-Can-We-Learn-from-the-Best003F

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

With the Olympics in full swing, perhaps you spend a little time each day checking in on the medal counts. The Olympics, without a doubt, inspire and entertain. It’s hard to not get swept up by the stories, the drama, the spectacle. The athletes are at peak performance, and there are regular displays of spectacular individual and team feats. The medals are a proxy for the tremendous amount of training, preparation, commitment, talent, and resources devoted to each sport.

While there aren’t many medals given out in the education reform field, we do regularly point out when public charter schools are honored for best practices and exceptional performance. While we like to highlight the rankings, there are also lessons that can be learned from exceptional schools. Here are resources that compile the experiences of high performing schools:

U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Profiles: Check out the profile of the North Star Academy Charter School of Network, honored with a Blue Ribbon in 2010.
EPIC Gold and Silver Gain Charter Schools: EPIC catalogued more than 50 case studies from charter schools with the highest achievement gains, which can be accessed here.
Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools: YES Prep Public Schools was the inaugural winner of the prize in 2012 and in the upcoming academic year, researchers will visit the schools and document best practices.

Photo: 2012 London Olympic Medals, via Google Images

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What-Works-in-U.S.-Charter-Schools-Translates-Across-the-Pond

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Former head of the New York City Charter Schools Office Michael T. Duffy, recently wrote an article comparing similarities between the models and challenges faced by British Free Schools and U.S. charter schools. Free Schools, a policy centerpiece of the Conservative-Liberal coalition in the UK, enable parents, teachers, charities and businesses to set up schools in England. The first free schools are slated to open in September 2011. These schools will be taxpayer funded, free to attend and have open enrollment, but are not administered by local authorities.

Sound familiar? The UK Department for Education has been doing its homework on U.S. charter schools, especially on the quality front. Its webpage about applying to open a free school states, “We want to ensure only high-quality applications are approved. We know from the United States that the best charter schools are in states with a rigorous approval process.”

Drawing upon his extensive experience as a charter school leader, Duffy offers lessons learned from the U.S. charter school movement that can apply to the Free Schools model.

He observes:

1) Parental choice, properly harnessed, is a driver for change and better schools
2) Given effective schools, children from poorer communities can succeed academically
3) Those that benefit from the status-quo will be fierce in defending it
4) Developing suitable premises is a challenge: be adaptive and recognize the spill-over effects
5) Newly formed schools can be laboratories of innovation

As the free schools movement begins in the UK, time will tell if the U.S. charter model can be successfully adapted to the British context or gets lost in translation.

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YES-Prep-Awarded-the-Inaugural-Broad-Prize-for-Public-Charter-Schools

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The winner of the inaugural Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools was announced yesterday at the National Charter Schools Conference (NCSC). The winner is YES Prep Public Schools, a charter management organization in Houston. The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation will award YES Prep Public Schools $250,000 for college readiness efforts for low-income students. You can read more details about YES Prep and the Broad Prize in their official press release.

U.S. Deputy Education Secretary Tony Miller and Broad Foundation Senior Policy Director
Lydia Logan announced the award.

Jason Bernal, President of YES Prep, and Chris Barbic, founder of YES Prep, react to the award announcement.

NAPCS congratulates YES Prep for its tremendous contributions to the public charter school movement.
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