NEA: Charter Schools in New York, Massachusetts, and california. The National Education Association supportspublic charter schools that have the same standards of accountability http://www.nea.org/charter/
Extractions: For and About Members Help for Parents Press Center Legislative Action Center ... Vouchers Updated: May 26, 2004 Research NEA Resources Other Resources NEA policy embraces high standards, accountability and strong local control for charter schools. It also offers guidance in the form of various criteria that can significantly improve the chances for success of these programs, which after 10 years are still in the experimental stage. Among other things, NEA firmly believes that all affected public education employees must be directly involved in the design, implementation and governance of these and other educational programs. Charter schools are part of the landscape of public education. According to the Education Commission of the States, as of August 2001 there were more than 2,300 public charter schools serving more than 500,000 students nationwide. The Commission reported that 37 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have laws providing funding and permitting charter schools to operate. However, many of those statutes are being revisited and revised in light of a number of charter school failures, some with disastrous consequences for students. NEA's position on charter schools is necessarily general. State laws and regulations vary widely, and NEA state affiliates have positions that are appropriate to the situation in their states. For example, accountability for meeting high academic standards is an essential component of successful charter schools. But not all state charter laws have strong accountability requirements. In addition, not all state laws require charter schools to develop programs conforming with state or local academic standards, and many charter laws do not require charters to participate in the state accountability system.
6/10/98 - News: Charter Schools Struggle With Accountability In california and other states where districts are the are negotiated on a schoolby-schoolbasis charter schools are right to question whether they should be http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-17/39chart.h17
Extractions: By Lynn Schnaiberg Pauline McBeth says she has no problem being held accountable for how well her students perform. It's just part of the deal: Charter schools receive flexibility and freedom from cumbersome regulations in exchange for accepting greater responsibility for student results. But for Ms. McBeth, the coordinator of the 4-year-old Community Involved Charter School in Lakewood, Colo., figuring out just how that formula works is proving far from easy. The 260-student school is decidedly unconventional. Children learn in multiage classrooms. They do not receive letter grades or credits. Portfolios chart student learning. In Colorado and many other states with charter laws, such innovations and individualized curriculawhich some see as the very essence of the charter movementare having to contend with accountability systems based on standards and performance goals set at the state or district level. About This Series This is the eighth in an occasional series that will explore the push for accountability in public education.
The Center For Education Reform: California's Charter Law CER Grade BCalifornia (1992; last amended in 2001). Accountability. charter schoolsshall meet all statewide standards and conduct the pupil assessments http://edreform.com/charter_schools/laws/California.htm
Extractions: Profile of California's Charter School Law Note : The following ranking and analysis reflects the state's law as of 2001. For the most recent state law profile, please contact the Center for Education Reform or order Charter School Laws Across the States: Ranking Score Card and Legislative Profiles from our Publications page California (1992; last amended in 2001) The 11 th strongest of the nation's 38 charter laws General Statistics Number of Schools Allowed 550; increases by 100 each school year Number of Charters Operating (As of Fall 2001) Approval Process Eligible Chartering Authorities Local school board or state board of education (if first denied by local school board) Eligible Applicants One or more persons Types of Charter Schools Converted public, new starts, home-based schools Appeals Process Applications denied by the local school board may be appealed to either the county board or state board of education. Applications denied by the county board may be appealed to the state board of education. The board that ultimately approves the application becomes the charter's sponsor. Formal Evidence of Local Support Required 50% of teachers at school must support for conversions; 50% of teachers and 50% and parents/guardians must support for new start.
Charter School Websites: California charter school Websites. california. A Touch of Love Academy school, Tracy, CA, Opened 2002, Serving Grades K8, Enrollment 18. Academia Semillas del Pueblo, Los Angeles, CA, Opened 2002, Serving Grades K-8, Enrollment 140 Leadership charter High school, Palermo, CA Einstein Academy charter school, San Diego http://edreform.com/charter_schools/websites/california.html
Extractions: California A Touch of Love Academy School , Tracy, CA, Opened 2002, Serving Grades K-8, Enrollment: 18 Academia Semillas del Pueblo , Los Angeles, CA, Opened 2002, Serving Grades K-8, Enrollment: 140 Academic Leadership Charter High School , Palermo, CA, Opened 2003, Serving Grades 9-12, Enrollment: Academic Vocational Charter Institute , Watsonville, CA, Opened 1999, Serving Grades 11-12, Enrollment: 50 Academy for Academic Excellence , Apple Valley, CA, Opened 1997, Serving Grades K-12, Enrollment: 717 Accelerated School, The , Los Angeles, CA, Opened 1994, Serving Grades K-8, Enrollment: 261 Albert Einstein Academy Charter School , San Diego, CA, Opened 2002, Serving Grades K-3, Enrollment: 80 Alianza Charter School , Watsonville, CA, Opened 1998, Serving Grades K-6, Enrollment: 699 Animo Inglewood Charter High School , Inglewood, CA, Opened 2002, Serving Grades 9-12, Enrollment: 130 Animo Leadership Charter High School , Inglewood, CA, Opened 2000, Serving Grades 9-12, Enrollment: 280 Antelope View Charter School , Antelope, CA, Opened 2000, Serving Grades K-12, Enrollment: 184 Arundel School , San Carlos, CA, Opened 2000, Serving Grades K-4, Enrollment: 308 Aurora High School , San Carlos, CA, Opened 1999, Serving Grades 9-12, Enrollment: 86 , Los Angeles, CA, Opened 1999, Serving Grades PreK-5, Enrollment: 745 Bay Area School of Enterprise (The BASE) , Alameda, CA, Opened 2001, Serving Grades 9-12, Enrollment: 70 Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter School , San Luis Obispo, CA, Opened 1995, Serving Grades K-8, Enrollment: 164
About Charter Schools - A To Z Home's Cool Homeschooling In California From california Network of Educational Charters important issues affecting the charterschool movement nationally New Policy Raises standards, Accountability for http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/CaliforniaCharters.htm
Julian Charter School to help school districts establish standards for content areas not adopted by theCalifornia State Board Julian charter school K12 State Content standards. http://www.juliancharterschool.org/3/standards/menu.php
Extractions: * San Diego California K-12 State Standards For the complete versions of the standards, please go to the California Department of Education Page on Standards The Challenge Standards are provided as a resource to help school districts establish standards for content areas not adopted by the California State Board of Education. Topics include: Applied Learning, Career Preparation Overview, Foreign Language, Health Education Standards, Physical Education Standards, and Service Learning. Document Title PDF Files WORD Files Quick Checks
CSUN: California Academic Content Standards Site The california standardsBased Tests (NEW! API) The california High school Exit Exam californiaCharter schools, Governor s Professional Development Initiatives http://www.csun.edu/~hcbio027/k12standards/
Extractions: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington, D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Extractions: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington, D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Extractions: March 19, 2004 The following is a statement by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell regarding the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools recommendation yesterday that the California Department of Education begin an investigation and audit into the statewide operations of the California Charter Academy that operates four schools and more than 50 satellite sites. "As a strong and longtime proponent of charter schools, I recognize that the only way charters will succeed in helping us improve learning for all students is to ensure every school is held to the same high standards and accountability as other public schools. My goal is to guarantee that all schools do what is best for their children. "I appreciate the Advisory Commissioners' unanimous and serious concerns over California Charter Academy's handling of its operations over the past several years. Therefore, I am opening an investigation and audit today based on the Commissioners' recommendation."
Developing Educational Standards - California california Instructional Technology Clearinghouse The california Instructional Technology prominenteducational issues as charter schools and standards. http://edstandards.org/StSt/California.html
California Charter Schools Association The california charter schools Association is pleased to announce comes very highstandards, said Marc director of the Massachusetts charter school Association http://www.charterassociation.org/
Charter Schools. ERIC Digest individual attention from teachers, curriculum, discipline, parent involvement,and academic standards. 1. charter schools in california, Colorado, and http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-2/charter.htm
Extractions: Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management Eugene OR. Charter Schools. ERIC Digest, Number 118. In seven short years, the U.S. charter-school movement has produced about 800 schools in 29 states and the District of Columbia, enrolling over 100,000 students. Charter schools reflect their founders' varied philosophies, programs, and organizational structures, serve diverse student populations, and are committed to improving public education. Charter schools are freed of many restrictive rules and regulations. In return, these schools are expected to achieve educational outcomes within a certain period (usually three to five years) or have their charters revoked by sponsors (a local school board, state education agency, or university). WHAT EXPLAINS CHARTER SCHOOLS' GROWING POPULARITY? Some members of the public are dissatisfied with educational quality and school district bureaucracies (Jenkins and Dow 1996). Today's charter-school initiatives are rooted in the educational reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, from state mandates to improve instruction, to school-based management, school restructuring, and private/public-choice initiatives. Many people, President Clinton among them, see charter schools, with their emphasis on autonomy and accountability, as a workable political compromise and an alternative to vouchers. The charter approach uses market principles while insisting that schools be nonsectarian and democratic. For founders, starting a brand-new school is an exhausting, yet exhilarating experience that "stirs the creative and adaptive juices of everyone involved" (Ray Budde 1996).
Charter Schools A 1998 UCLA study of california charter schools found that charter schools rarelyhad clearly defined goals or standards and none was doing more with less http://www.cfepe.org/charter_schools.htm
Extractions: Charter schools are supposed to allow parents and teachers to develop publicly funded schools with the flexibility to be innovative and free of rules and regulations that stifle creativity. The charter school movement has grown from one school in Minnesota in 1992 to about 1,100 charter schools across the country today. Currently, 36 states and the District of Columbia have legislation authorizing the creation of charter schools. The notion of what constitutes a charter school continues to evolve. The original idea for charter schools envisioned a group of teachers, perhaps with the help of parents, developing a plan for a school and applying for a charter from the local school board. Charter schools might have a specific academic focus (e.g., math and science or the arts) or employ specific teaching techniques or target a specific group of students (e.g., at-risk). These charter schools would operate as part of the local public school district, supported by public education funds. However, many charter schools depart from this original vision. If the goal is improved student achievement, students in some charter schools are not faring very well. Studies of charter schools in Texas and Arizona show that there has been no evidence of improved student performance among charter school students. A 1998 UCLA study of California charter schools found that charter schools rarely had clearly defined goals or standards and none was "doing more with less" money. In addition, the charter schools exerted considerable control over the types of students they serve. Unlike other public schools, they’re not taking all comers. In Michigan, researchers found that because of weak monitoring efforts, poorly performing charter schools are not likely to be closed.
Extractions: Legislative Update* Charter School Legislation. Charter schools are a growing phenomenon in American education. The first charter school law was passed in Minnesota in 1991; the second, by California in 1992. By June 1998, 33 states and the District of Columbia had passed charter school legislation. (See Figures 1 and 2.) Four of these states (Idaho, Missouri, Virginia and Utah) passed charter school laws during the 1997-98 legislative session. Puerto Rico also has charter school legislation. The purpose of this legislative update is to provide information on the four states that enacted charter school laws during the 1998 legislative session, as well as to provide information on legislative changes occurring in other states with charter school legislation. The report updates information in A National Study of Charter Schools (1998), which provides details on charter school legislation passed through the 1997 legislative session.
Extractions: Archived Information Charter Schools and Students with Disabilities: Review of Existing Data - November 1998 A 1996 report by the American Federation of Teachers noted with concern that only 17 of 25 states with charter school legislation required that charter schools use the same tests as other public schools to document student learning and called for all states to require that charter schools participate in state accountability systems. According to the report, the absence of comparison data in some states is "highly problematic" because charter schools promise greater accountability for results in exchange for increased autonomy. In contrast, charter school directors in Colorado expressed concern to researchers that state standards and assessments could result in curriculum uniformity and limit charter schools' flexibility to innovate (McLaughlin, Henderson, & Ullah, 1996). A study of California charter schools by SRI International (Powell et al.
California's Charter Law california s charter Law. As early as 1983, the california legislature mandated higherstandards, revamped curriculum frameworks, lengthened the school day and http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/pbriefs/93/93-2ca.htm
Extractions: Pathways home page Contents Previous section ... Next section As early as 1983, the California legislature mandated higher standards, revamped curriculum frameworks, lengthened the school day and year, established mentor teacher programs, improved textbooks, and set up teacher accountability systems. In recent years, the state also has passed laws to create more school-based management systems and teacher career opportunities and to promote school restructuring. Yet, legislators and educators were dissatisfied with student learning progress resulting from these changes. The charter originally was proposed in 1987-88 by California public school educators frustrated by bureaucracy and eager to have real freedom with accountability. A year after Minnesota enacted its charter law, California passed legislation authorizing up to 100 Charter Schools beginning in 1993. California's charter law seeks to: improve student learning increase learning opportunities for all students, particularly for academically low-achieving students
