GreatSchools.net K-12 Schools Nationwide Elementary, middle and high school information for public, private and charter schools nationwide private and charter schools in all 50 states and detailed school profiles for California, arizona, Texas, Florida http://rdre1.inktomi.com/click?u=http://www.greatschools.net/&y=02AB09D22504
Arizona Schools - AZ Elementary, Middle And High School Information Robert Maranto, author of School Choice in the Real World Lessons from arizona Charterschools, visited many schools and interviewed teachers in the course of http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/az/265/improve
Extractions: New to the school system in the Phoenix area? Looking for alternatives you may not have considered before? Sign up for GreatSchools Insider premium content and get advice on how to find the best school for your child. Access descriptions of charter schools as well as high-achieving and award-winning schools. As a subscriber to GreatSchools Insider , you'll get access to the following articles: Getting the Best Education for Your Child in the Phoenix Area
EPAA Vol 3 No. 13 Charter Schools 1995 College of Education, arizona State University,Tempe AZ 852872411. charter Schools1995 A Survey and Analysis of the Laws and Practices of the States. http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v3n13/
Statutes In Title 15 Use of school district or charter school resources or American institutions and historyof arizona 15711 and Textbooks 15-721 - Common schools; course of study http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ars/15/title15.htm
Goldwater - Arizona's Charter Schools - A Survey Of Parents arizona s charter schools A Survey of Parents. The Goldwater Institute willcontinue to chronicle the development of charter schools in arizona. http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/article.php/124.html
Extractions: April 1, 1996 This study of charter school parents is the first in a series to be conducted by the Goldwater Institute with the assistance of many supporters, most notably, the Dial Corp., Motorola Inc., and Bank of America. This body of research provides fresh insights into who attends charter schools and why. Until now, no statewide survey of charter schools had been undertaken. Several case studies and limited surveys have been conducted, but this is the first major progress toward developing population parameters for charter schools. The Goldwater Institute study also reveals information about charter schools that is contrary to popular opinion and may have considerable impact on future study and development of charter schools. The study reveals that the majority of charter school students (69 percent of respondents) previously attended public schools and of this group, 57 percent of the parents were either very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with their child's educational experience. Overall, half of the charter school parents were very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with their child's previous school. Ninety-two percent of these same parents say they are very satisfied or satisfied with their child's charter school and 94 percent plan to send their child to the same charter school next year. We were also interested in why parents and students elected to leave a previous school and why they selected a specific charter school. The main reason charter school parents elected to remove their child from a previous school was curriculum. Teacher attitude and class sizes were the next most popular choices. Parents considered these same three reasons when selecting a specific charter school. As with most survey questions, there was great variety among responses based on where the child attended school last year.
Goldwater - Arizona's Charter Schools: A Survey Of Teachers arizona s charter schools A Survey of Teachers. by Mary Gifford and Timothy KellerAugust 1, 1996. Please click on the PDF link below to read this study. http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/article.php/312.html
Extractions: Growing Education System - Charter Schools - Online SAT Help Arizona's Charter Schools Arizona tops nation in number of charters. If you've never heard of charter schools, you haven't lived in Arizona very long. The Grand Canyon state has about 270 of these publicly funded, privately run schools, more than any other state in the nation. From high-tech to back-to-basics to performing arts, charter schools offer parents and students a wide range of classes, learning methods and discipline styles. And it's all free because charter schools are public. "Because charter schools are a new animal, people assume they must be very different from other public school" said Mary Gifford, director of the Goldwater Institute's Center for Market-Based Education. "But they have some big similarities: They are free and they have to take all kids." Charter schools were designed to give parents more choices for their child's education. By law, charters, unlike other public schools, also are required to improve student achievement. "Charter schools were created to bring more accountability to public education," Gifford said. "The way to be more accountable is to say they will increase pupil progress or they won't exist."
Arizona's Charter Schools arizona s charter schools. arizona leads the nation in both the number of operatingcharter schools and in the percentage of students who attend these schools. http://www.nasbe.org/Educational_Issues/SII/8_4.html
Extractions: Arizona leads the nation in both the number of operating charter schools and in the percentage of students who attend these schools. The state's charter school legislation was first passed in 1994, making Arizona the tenth state to do so. The two declared purposes are to provide learning environments that will improve pupil achievement, and to provide additional academic choices for parents and pupils. There are a reported 467 charter school sites operating in the 2002-2003 school year, enrolling about 7.5 percent of all Arizona public school students.
Charter Schools Must List Goals arizona s charter schools will be required to turn in a list of academic goalseach year and details of how they will achieve those goals. arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1118charter18.html
Education: Charter Schools education. Nearly one quarter of all the nation s charter schools arein arizona, where 270 charters serve about 30,000 students. Four http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/charter/0307charter.shtml
Extractions: March 7, 1999 Flagstaff offers full-day kindergarten. Mesa now enrolls pupils who turn five late in the year. Queen Creek tossed aside its superintendent and is pumping more phonics into the classroom. From the Navajo Nation to Nogales, public school districts are taking extraordinary and some say long-overdue measures to keep students from defecting to Arizona's charter school explosion. No longer are traditional public schools a monopoly their charter-school siblings, who emerged nipping at their heels in 1995, are now major players in Arizona education. Nearly one quarter of all the nation's charter schools are in Arizona, where 270 charters serve about 30,000 students. Four years ago, some 50 charters in Arizona housed 7,000 children. Public school districts are still way ahead, enrolling 750,000. Both charter schools and district schools are free to students and get an average of $4,800 in state aid for each student in their desks.
Extractions: Teacher Accountability in Charter Schools Monday, March 1, 1999 Charter schools are public schools that operate with a great deal of autonomy, free from many of the regulations of traditional public schools. One difference is that teachers in charter schools generally have less job security - by design. They have no tenure, work under year-to-year contracts and risk dismissal if they fail to contribute to student achievement as judged by the school. In return, however, they usually have more teaching flexibility, less paperwork and participate more fully in decision making. If Arizona's charter school experience is typical, they also often earn more than their public school counterparts. Because of their autonomy, charter schools' personnel policies, including salary administration, differ greatly among schools and among states, and only meager information is available nationwide. More data are available about Arizona than any other state, thanks to an extensive charter school survey by the Goldwater Institute, an Arizona public policy research institute. Arizona, a stronghold of the charter school movement with 271 charter schools in operation and a sympathetic state administration, is in its fourth year of charter school experience. Determining Teacher Quality.
Tucson Charter Schools 1113, K8, 350, 120, Open registration; waiting list for some classes, David L.Jones, Above-level education for every child, arizona State Board for charter schools. http://www.azstarnet.com/education/altschools/charter.html
Extractions: Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader Download Now Tucson Charter Schools School Address Phone Grades Enrollment Student-Teacher Ratio Enrollment Deadlines Administrator Focus Affiliation Academic Success 2200 N. Dodge Blvd. K-5; 6-8 by invitation in 2001-02 Waiting list; call for information Susan H. Boyer Individualized academic mastery Peach Springs School District Academy of Tucson 2300 N. Tanque Verde Loop Road Registration deadline: April 2001; waiting list Bud Stewart College preparation No.C.A. Accelerated Learning Center Lab 5245 N. Camino de Oeste K-8 Open registration; waiting list for some classes David L. Jones Above-level education for every child Arizona State Board for Charter Schools ACE Charter High School 1901 N. Stone Ave. Open enrollment; waiting list Mary Melton Improvement of basic skills and preparation for world of work Arizona State Board for Charter Schools AmeriSchools Middle Academy 225 N. Country Club Road Open enrollment Beth Wisniewski Multi-aged, skills based IdeaBanc Inc.
Arizona's Message To Oregon: Charter Schools Now! arizona s message to Oregon charter schools Now! by Lisa Graham Keegan Currently,there are 273 charter schools in arizona. That s more than any other state. http://www.cascadepolicy.org/..\pdf\edref\keegan.htm
Extractions: Charter Schools Now! by Lisa Graham Keegan President Clinton issued this challenge to the states in his State of the Union address. Arizona has been an active part of the charter school movement since 1994 and is doing its part to make that dream a reality. Arizona's law is flexible, providing maximum opportunities for parents, teachers and the community to build schools that address the needs of their children. Currently, there are 273 charter schools in Arizona. That's more than any other state. This has given Arizona a unique opportunity to learn what works and refine the charter school process. As Arizona Superintendent of Education, I work hard with legislators, teachers, business leaders and parents to improve education in Arizona. Charter schools are one tool we use in Arizona. And they work. Since 1994, only six charters have been closed. Those closings demonstrate that when a charter school isn't filling the educational needs of the children they serve, it will be closed. Either the students will leave or the state will close the school. It also demonstrates the necessity of strong accountability measures for charter schools as well as other public schools. Together the Governor's Office, State Board of Charter Schools, the State Board of Education and the Charter School Association are tackling accountability concerns. Here are a few lessons we have learned that may be helpful as Oregon considers charter legislation:
Extractions: Moving forward with charter schools By Thomas C. Patterson Oregon officially threw its hat in the charter school ring two years ago when the legislature passed Senate Bill 100. Debates over this particular education reform are far from over, however. During this session and in years to come, Oregonians will face proposals to alternately limit or expand charter schools in the state. Oregon can look to Arizona for an example of what charter school expansion could mean for students. Arizona's charter schools have been controversial from the start. The system was designed to give maximum autonomy to the schools, and, needless to say, many in the education establishment have objected to their massive loss of authority. Even some reform advocates worried about Arizona being the "wild, wild West." There have been ceaseless attempts to inject more regulation back into the system, while advocates maintain that reliance on the market, rather than bureaucratic controls, should yield a positive, dynamic result. So what are Arizona's charter schools really like? After five years, we can now form a reasonably clear image. A recent report from the Goldwater Institute reveals that charter schools have experienced steady growth. Today there are 249 approved charters in Arizona, operating schools at 401 sites. Over six percent of Arizona's public school students have chosen to attend a charter school. Much of this growth can be attributed to the high approval ratings from parents. A 1999 survey found that 66 percent of charter school parents rated their schools overall as "A" or "A+", while 37 percent of parents in district schools awarded them the same ratings. Moreover, charter parents tend to select and rate schools based on academic criteria rather than amenities like buildings, extracurricular activities, demographics or class size. Charter schools tend to be niche schools, responding to specific needs and interests. About one-half of charter schools target "at-risk" students, making them the most served group. Many offer a specific curriculum, such as Montessori, Waldorf, Back-to-Basics or fine arts. Charter school management is marked by ingenuity, innovation and diversity. Most, but not all, hire certified teachers; others seek people with professional expertise in a certain field or those with a certain philosophical makeup. Many charter school teachers earn more than their other public school counterparts; most report choosing charter schools because of the relative freedom and the teaching environment in charter schools. Charter schools are not experiencing a shortage of teachers. Charter schools are specialized to a degree that makes it difficult to compare their academic achievement with district schools. Testing results are mixed, but hopeful. Though charter schools have more than their share of top-performing students in reading, math and language, they are also over-represented among the lowest performing schools. This is most likely due to the population these niche schools serve. Charter school operators frequently comment on the poor achievement levels of the students who transfer into them, yet they welcome these students and express great determination to help them improve. Charter schools can fail, of course, but fewer than 5 percent have done so. This is expected and probably even healthy. More distressing is the ever-growing load of regulatory and reporting requirements that all operators describe. The resources necessary to comply with rules of non-educational bureaucracies such as those for zoning, health, environmental and labor law has become so onerous that many consider them a possible obstacle to the future success of these small schools. The lesson for Oregon? When given the freedom to flourish, charter schools can provide new educational opportunities for the students who need them most. Like Arizona, Oregon must be prepared to protect its embryonic charter school movement from re-regulation proposals. The assault in Oregon has already started. A bill in the legislature would require all teachers in charter schools to have a state license. This proposal runs contrary to the very nature of charter schools; it would undermine their autonomy and limit their ability to serve students' diverse needs in the best possible manner. In order to facilitate more charter expansion, Oregon should consider allowing someone other than school districts to sponsor charter schools, as is the case in Arizona. Oregon could allow public universities to sponsor new schools or create a state-level chartering board to which charters can apply for sponsorship if the local district is not encouraging. At five years, Arizona's charter schools are hardly a perfect product, but they are a significant asset to the state. Oregon should follow Arizona's lead by allowing the expansion of charter schools, and then see how greater freedom can translate to innovation and excellence in education. Thomas C. Patterson, M.D., is the former Senate Majority Leader in Arizona, and sponsor of Arizona's charter school legislation. He is chairman of the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix, and an adjunct scholar to Cascade Policy Institute, a Portland, Oregon think tank.
Extractions: Home Find By Category Frequently Asked Questions The following questions are only applicable to school district-sponsored charter schools. Questions relating to charter schools sponsored by the Arizona State Board of Education or the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools should be directed to the applicable state board. See USFRCS Memorandum No. 24 for more information. Chart of Accounts How should schools record the return of unused grant monies and interest earned in excess of $100? Procurement Are charter schools required to follow the School District Procurement Rules? What does the USFRCS require for competitive purchasing below the sealed bid threshold? Where can the current procurement thresholds for charter schools be found? Where can charter schools obtain a copy of the School District Procurement Rules? ... Can a charter school make multiple awards on a bid? A multiple award is defined as an award of an indefinite quantity contract for one or more similar materials or services to more than one bidder or offeror. Travel Do charter schools have to use the Arizona Department of Administration (DOA) reimbursement rates for travel expenses like school districts do?
Extractions: Country: United States Despite the rapid expansion of charter schools, the teachers unions and their nonprofit allies continue to advocate state and local regulations that would strangle the schoolsÂ’ creativity and limit competition with regular public schools. (12/00) KIPP charter school principal talks about challenges and success Country: United States "I think the best thing we do is offer a structured approach. We have a structured approach to planning lessons and a structured approach to instruction and managing discipline. It all depends on the people, though. We're blessed with a group of incredibly talented people...." (04/01) The ABCs of charter schools
School Tax Credit Information PUBLIC charter schools To obtain a Department of Education sponsored listing ofthe public and charter schools within arizona click HERE This link is being http://www.revenue.state.az.us/sto_list.htm
Extractions: The Arizona Department of Revenue is publishing the following list of Private School Tuition Organizations as a public service. This list may not be all encompassing. If your organization qualifies and you would like to be added to the list, please contact Georganna Meyer via e-mail or call (602) 542-4641. Alternative Schools Scholarship Fund, Inc.
Archived: The Charter School Roadmap, Introduction In states such as arizona, charter schools are granted maximum autonomy and are consideredlegally independent entities with a blanket waiver from district and http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Roadmap/intro.html
Extractions: A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n The Charter School Roadmap, September 1998 Introduction Since the enactment of charter school legislation in Minnesota in 1991, the number of states with laws supporting charter schools has reached 32 plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Advocates believe charter school legislation provides a new, effective means of improving the education system by expanding the choices available to parents and students. Skeptics, however, question the promised effects and fear charter schools may lead to the demise of regular public schools. Regardless, charter schools are one of the fastest-growing reform movements in education, thanks in large part to political support across party lines. Research is under way by the U.S. Department of Education and others to determine the effect of charter schools on student achievement, but it is too early for any definitive findings. Early studies, however, demonstrate that students, parents and teachers are satisfied with the charter school experience and that charter schools are serving a population with roughly the same racial composition and percentage of low-income students as other public schools.