Accountability And Equity In Charter Schools standards; exams that mirror those standards; timely, understandable Reform reportedthat Bowling Green Elementary charter school in california, for example http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/pbriefs/97/97-1acct.htm
Extractions: Look at Chicago's Plans by Heidi Hulse Mickelsen, NCREL Heidi Hulse Mickelsen has worked on research and evaluation projects for NCREL and provided technical assistance to the Chicago Public Schools. She has an M.A. in educational policy from Stanford University and has worked in a teaching and training capacity in France. She began teaching at the Triumphant Charter Middle School in Chicago, Illinois, in the fall of 1997. Seven new charter schools with designs and missions as varied as their students opened this fall in Chicago, Illinois, joining 428 other charter schools nationwide (RPP International and University of Minnesota,1997). Legislation passed in Illinois in 1996 allowed for 15 charter schools in Chicago, 15 in the surrounding suburbs, and 15 in the rest of the state. Proposals for 38 charter schools were submitted in the city of Chicago, and 10 were approved. Three schools will not open this year due to obstacles such as a lack of resources, difficulty procuring a site, and resistance from surrounding communities. The seven schools that opened in the fall of 1997 are the Academy of Communications and Technology (ACT), ACORN, Built Environment, Chicago Prep, Perspectives, SABIS International (two school sites), and Triumphant. Charter school proponents see these new schools as opportunities for educational innovation, which they believe is desperately needed in Chicago. Opponents of charter schools, however, are concerned with the issues of accountability and equity. They fear that charter schools will not be required to meet the same standards as traditional public schools, while supporters of charter schools argue that new performance standards must be developed for these new types of schools. Opponents also warn that charter schools may attract a disproportionate number of students from a higher socioeconomic background, while leaving low-income students, at-risk students, and students with disabilities behind in the regular public schools.
Charter Schools: Student Achievement Higher At California Charter Schools Source charter schools Development Center. The API is a public school ranking systembased primarily on the california standards Tests and the california High http://www.iedx.org/article_1.asp?ContentID=EN569&SectionGroupID=WHAT_WORKS
Doc Prototype that school district s standards 4 (and applicable standards of the california educationalsystem), the school district may approve a charter that ordinarily http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/programs/ori/advisory95/95-11a.htm
Extractions: 4(b)(1) Dear Mr. Gilbert: This is in response to your correspondence concerning applicability of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to the California State Teachers' Retirement System (hereinafter, the CSTRS). Specifically, you requested the views of the Department of Labor (the Department) as to whether the status of CSTRS as a "governmental plan" within the meaning of section 3(32) and section 4(b)(1) of Title I of ERISA would be adversely affected by accepting contributions pursuant to state law from a certain "charter school" operation (i.e., Charter School No. 17), assuming those contributions were made on behalf of its employees for the limited period that the school's charter was in effect and were made so as to allow its employees to participate in CSTRS for only that same period. Your correspondence and the materials you enclose contain the following facts and representations. You represent that CSTRS is a defined benefit pension plan that was established and is administered pursuant to California statute.
CALIFORNIA'S CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT OF 1992 to meet generally accepted accounting standards of fiscal Article IX of the CaliforniaConstitution, with be apportioned to any charter school, including, but http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/ender/sb1448.html
Extractions: Title 47600. This part shall be known, and may be cited, as the "Charter Schools Act of 1992." Legislative intent 47601. It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this part,to provide opportunities for teachers, parents, pupils, and community members to establish and maintain schools that operate independently from the existing school district structure, as a method to accomplish all of the following: (a) Improve pupil learning. (b) Increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for pupils who are identified as academically low achieving. (c) Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods. (d) Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the school site. (e) Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system. (f) Hold the schools established under this part accountable for meeting measurable pupil outcomes, and provide the schools with a method to change from rule-based to performance-based accountability systems.
USCS: Menu Of Sample Documents program and accountability standards, recruiting and a charter school and school districtis provided by the california charter schools Development Center. http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/sd/menu.htm
Extractions: Charter School Accountability Tool Kit, 4th Edition Charter Schools Development Center Created primarily for California charter school developers and authorizers, this extensive tool kit provides sample documents from charter and other schools nationwide. Documents include a sample charter and Memorandum of Understanding (a.k.a. Annual Operating Agreement), student performance materials, governance, legal, and financial documents, annual reports, and renewal documents. Charter School Governance Toolkit Charter Schools Development Center This 300+ page technical assistance guide offers a wide range of sample materials showing how to establish clear and grounded charter school governance structures. These materials were compiled from actual samples shared by existing California charter schools. Some of the resources include: sample articles of incorporation and bylaws; strategic and business plans; school performance accountability documents; and, resources regarding effective boardsmanship.
Charter School Accountability california. Yes; charter schools must prepare an annual report card and undergo anannual a material violation of any of the conditions, standards or procedures http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/24/17/2417.htm
Extractions: StateNotes Charter Schools Education Commission of the States 700 Broadway, Suite 1200 Denver, CO 80203-3460 Fax: 303.296.8332 www.ecs.org Charter School Accountability Most Recently Updated in April 2003 This ECS StateNote examines policies across the states dealing with charter school accountability and answers the following questions: Does the state require charter schools to submit annual reports? Does the state list grounds for terminating a schools charter? Does the state specify the specific renewal terms for charters? Does the state provide an appeals process in the charter school renewal process? Does the state require the state education agency or another entity to report to the legislature on the effectiveness of charter schools? Thirty-seven states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico require charter schools to submit annual reports. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia list grounds for terminating a schools charter. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia specify the specific renewal terms for charters. These terms vary from up to four years, as in Mississippi, to 15 years, as in Arizona. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia provide an appeals process in the charter school renewal process.
Charter Schools educational entrepreneurialism to high academic standards, teacher professionalism training,and resources to california charter school developers, operators http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/school_choice/charter_schools/
Extractions: Downloads ... Professional Development Enter your email address for FREE weekly teaching tips! Home Current Trends School Choice Charter Schools ... 4Choice - A workable school choice plan - Common sense School Choice objectives, International Test Scores, John Gatto's shocking origins of public education, links to simple model legislation. About Charter Schools - The Center for Education Reform tracks charter school grassroots efforts, legislation and laws, research, and how charter schools are improving academic standards and educational choices for students and parents. Academic Choices - YES; Vouchers - NO - Vouchers are a bad School Choice delivery system similar to standing in line for food stamps, or filing a tax return. - Argues against any interference by government in education. Center for Education Reform - Advocacy, statistics, resources and guidance on education reform issues and action at the school, district, state and national levels, from School Choice, charter schools, and educational entrepreneurialism to high academic standards, teacher professionalism and local control.
Extractions: REFERENCES American Federation of Teachers. Charter School Briefing Packet . Washington, D.C.: American Federation of Teachers. 1995. American Federation of Teachers. Making Standards Matter 1996: An Annual Fifty-State Report on Efforts to Raise Academic Standards. Washington, D.C.: American Federation of Teachers. 1996. American Federation of Teachers. National Education Standards and Assessments . American Federation of Teachers Convention Resolution, Washington, D.C. August 1992. American Federation of Teachers. Resolution on Charter Schools. Adopted AFT National Convention, Anaheim, Calif., July 1994. American Federation of Teachers. U.S. Education: The Task Before Us . American Federation of Teachers Convention Resolution, Washington, D.C. August 1992. Avenoso, K. "Charter School's Hopes Collide With Reality," The Boston Globe.
Extractions: State-By State Analysis CALIFORNIA California meets most of the criteria for good charter school legislation. However, it does not extend collective bargaining for employees to new charter schools and does not require teacher certification. Admissions policies: Charter schools must be open to all students. Admission cannot be according to place of residence, unless a school converts to a charter and in that case students in the former attendance area of the public school are given preference. Charter school applications must include a plan for how the school will achieve a racial and ethnic balance among pupils that is reflective of the general population residing within the school district and outline the school admission requirements. Preference in granting charters will be given to schools serving low-achieving students. State standards apply: Yes. Charter schools must meet the statewide performance standards.
Charter School Web Sites california Network of Educational Charters CANEC is and concerns about the charterschool movement, including rigorous learning standards, decentralized and http://www.nwrel.org/charter/national.html
Lighthouse Community Charter School from two primary sources the california State standards War) and the New standardscomprise the from the Lighthouse Community charter school, students must http://www.lighthousecharter.org/ioc/acheivement.html
Extractions: School-wide Graduation Outcomes have come from two primary sources: the California State Standards and the New Standards published by the National Center on Education and the Economy and the University of Pittsburgh. The state standards comprise the bulk of our content-based outcomes (i.e. students will understand the cause, major players, and resolution of the Civil War) and the New Standards comprise the bulk of our process-based outcomes (i.e. students will produce a report that develops a controlling idea that conveys a perspective on a subject). In order to graduate from the Lighthouse Community Charter School, students must achieve mastery of the Graduation Outcomes in eight separate academic areas. The eight academic areas of focus are often integrated as teachers take on the role of generalists, rather than specialists in a particular area. In the middle and secondary grades, although the teachers become more specialized, they continue to integrate the process and content of the other areas as well. The areas of academic focus are:
Charter Schools - Serious Reform Or The Latest Fad? In california, for instance, one charter school was de for the principal; anothercharter school attempted to has identified a set of standards for evaluating http://www.nysut.org/research/bulletins/9706charter.html
Extractions: June 1997 In his report to NYSUT's 1997 Representative Assembly, President Thomas Hobart warned delegates: "We need to stand guard against fads. If charter schools are to be done at all in this state, we must make certain they are done well, so that they don't distract from the hard work of real reform or disappoint the public as yet one more failed experiment in school reform." Now Governor Pataki has unveiled his proposal to bring charter schools to New York State. How does his proposal measure up? What has been the experience in other states? Nightmares in Phoenix Charter schools are still too new to draw any firm conclusion about their effectiveness. Reviews tend to be mixed. But there have been some notorious failures. For example, Arizona has been known as the state that has granted the greatest latitude to its charter schools and provided the widest range of prospective proprietors. It is not surprising to those concerned with the Arizona system that they are experiencing problems. The Citizen 2000 K-12 charter school developed financial difficulties in its first year of operation and by the end of the first year it dropped its high school. Last November, the entire school closed, dislocating some 200 students. The financial problems were investigated and a state grand jury indicted the director on 31 counts of theft, fraud, and misuse of public money. It was alleged that the director had intentionally inflated attendance figures to garner more state aid and that she had used school accounts to repay personal debts and purchase such items as jewelry and swimming pool supplies.
Charter Schools Clinton continued, raising academic standards and empowering of a representativeof the california Staff Organization had attended a charter school conference http://home.earthlink.net/~mantonucci/strangeplaces/Charter_School.html
Charter Schools and/or federal laws, Title 5, california Code of Hold the charter school accountablefor meeting measurable to the same accountability standards as traditional http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/iss/charter/howto.html
Extractions: California Education Code Sections 47612.5 and 51747.3 Charter schools provide one opportunity to implement school-level reform and to support innovations which improve student learning and enable students to become self-motivated, competent, and lifelong learners. These schools shall operate under the provisions of their charters, specific state and/or federal laws, Title 5, California Code of Regulations adopted by the State Board of Education, and general oversight of the chartering authority. Purpose Improve pupil learning. Increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for pupils who are identified as academically low achieving. Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods. Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the schoolsite. Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system.
Charter Schools public schools to raise their standards and become more californiabased RAND corporationhas observed a RAND scientist noted that charter school operators may http://www.sharingsuccess.org/code/bv/charter.html
Extractions: Westchester Institute For Human Services Research WHAT ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS? Charter schools are legally independent public WHY ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS IMPORTANT? Charter schools are one of the fastest growing reforms in education. In 1992, only two states had passed charter school legislation. By April, 1997, more than two dozen states had charter school laws in place. With the number of charter schools across the country approaching 500, it is clear that this reform movement is not about to fade away anytime soon. WHAT DO CHARTER SCHOOLS LOOK LIKE IN ACTION? No two charter schools are alike, and there are vastly different expectations for what they can accomplish. This diversity is largely due to variations in state law. Stronger charter school laws are more likely to encourage innovation and produce a successful system of independent schools, while weaker laws limit school independence as well as innovation. Louann A. Bierlein, a national expert on charter schools, suggests seven criteria that define strong charter legislation: the possibility of a non-local board sponsor
Crossroads High Academic standards. Crossroads charter school will provide acurriculum that meets or exceeds california Content standards. http://www.kings.k12.ca.us/armona/crossroads/CRWelcome.htm
Extractions: Crossroads Charter School Accepting Applications for 2003-2004 School Year Grades 3, 4, 5, 6 in the Armona Union Elementary School District Crossroads Charter School Raising Expectations Non-Traditional Approach Education delivery has not changed much in the last 100 years. Traditionally, students have been put into neat rows of desks, instruction has been directed by a teacher from the front of the room, and all students have been expected to learn the same things at the same time in the same way. Crossroads Charter School endeavors to change that paradigm of learning with an instructional setting that is driven by a curriculum that is standards based, directed by on-line computer programs, facilitated by a credentialed teacher in the classroom and assessed according to what a student is able to know and do. Students are encouraged to make meaning in their own way and at their own speed. Technology Centered Support High Academic Standards Crossroads Charter School will provide a curriculum that meets or exceeds California Content Standards. Every student will have a curriculum that states what they are expected to know and be able to do in Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Reading, and Technology. Students will be assessed individually through grade level curriculum and collectively through the California Achievement Test 6 norm referenced/ standards test.
Charter Resources of charter education in california and the education topics such as charter schools,school choice, governance for dramatically higher standards;; an education http://csi.boisestate.edu/icsn/charter_resources.htm
City Schools: Sherman Elementary Petitions To Go Charter the fact that it is not aligned with the california State standards. teachers andcommunity members who are against Sherman becoming a charter school. http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/april12-02/sherman.htm
Extractions: During the week the national education community will celebrate charter schools (April 29 through May 3), the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) board will have the chance to turn the dreams of the majority of the teachers, parents and students at Sherman Elementary School, located at 450 24th Street in Sherman Heights, into reality. As outlined in the charter petition, the curriculum for SSTCS will be based on California State Standards, a rigorous set of standards to which all California students are now held and on which they are tested annually. Technology and science will be em-phasized,and study field trips and hands-on learning encouraged. Although a charter gives a school the power to oversee its own operation and frees the school from regulations that other public schools must follow, the level of accountability that these schools face is high. These schools are responsible for achieving the goals originally set out in the charter, and they must improve student performance.
