The fourth critical element for the success of a charter schools law is autonomy.
4) We should give public charter schools the freedom to innovate. We do this by providing approved schools an automatic waiver from most state and local laws, rules, and regulations.
What does this mean? It means that while public charter schools must adhere to the same policies regarding enrollment and accountability as traditional public schools, they should not be bound by bureaucratic processes or agreements that prevent innovation, hinder growth and change, or prevent teachers and administrators from making the best decisions for their schools.
Teachers are the front-lines in education, and their ideas, concerns and solutions should not be tempered by a massive bureaucracy that has to look at every school in the district as if it the same as the rest. Teachers should be able to communicate with principals with the knowledge that they have the ability to act. School principals should have the authority to make decisions in the best interest of the school.
Public charter schools allow teachers to teach; they encourage leaders to lead; they free children to learn.
There are those rare leaders in education who work around the system to benefit the kids they are charged to educate. I will have a story soon about one such leader here in Kentucky. But for now, suffice it to say that we cannot expect great leaders to emerge consistently from under a system that would stifle them. We must change the system to encourage and engage great leaders, and a well-crafted public charter school law will do just that for Kentucky.
May 31, 2011
May 27, 2011
Public Charter Schools are as Bipartisan as an Issue Can Get
What do President Obama, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Reverend Al Sharpton have in common? They all support public charter schools!
From the President's campaign:
An excellent interview with Jeb Bush on Morning Joe:
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan with Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton on Meet the Press:
From the President's campaign:
An excellent interview with Jeb Bush on Morning Joe:
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan with Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton on Meet the Press:
May 25, 2011
What Makes Charter Schools Work? Part 3
The third critical element for public charter schools to work well may not be as exciting to talk about, but it makes this list for a reason. Here, we focus for a moment on the process of obtaining a charter and holding its operators accountable.
We call those that evaluate and approve charter schools applications, and later hold them accountable to the terms of their contracts (their charters), charter school authorizers. Authorizers are responsible for maintaining quality in charter schools. This infinitely important task includes providing monitoring and oversight of their financial, operational and performance goals, and it is critical to their long-term success of public charter schools in Kentucky.
Local school boards will certainly be an authorizer for charter schools, but they cannot do it alone. As we have seen in many other states around the country, leaving authorization solely in the hands of the local school boards severely limits charter school options for students and parents.
So who else should be allowed to authorize public charter schools? Some might suggest that we should allow as many authorizers as possible, but this can be dangerous as well. In some states, the large number of authorizers set the bar too low and allowed poorly designed schools to apply repeatedly, until someone approved them. Further, as described above, authorizers have a broad array of responsibilities, and must have the resources to handle their tasks. Given all this, a select group of alternate authorizers with the capacity to fulfill the role's requirements should be allowed to do so.
3) We should allow multiple paths to approval for charter applicants: public charter schools should be allowed to apply to either their local school board or another entity (e.g., state board of education, colleges and universities, state public charter school commission).
By providing multiple paths to approval, we will provide the public charter school option to those local school boards who want to incorporate it into their public school offerings, while also giving a fair hearing
through another entity to educators, parents, and community members in districts whose school boards are less interested in public charter schools. This will set a high bar to obtain a charter while allowing for as many qualified schools as will benefit Kentucky's students.
We call those that evaluate and approve charter schools applications, and later hold them accountable to the terms of their contracts (their charters), charter school authorizers. Authorizers are responsible for maintaining quality in charter schools. This infinitely important task includes providing monitoring and oversight of their financial, operational and performance goals, and it is critical to their long-term success of public charter schools in Kentucky.
Local school boards will certainly be an authorizer for charter schools, but they cannot do it alone. As we have seen in many other states around the country, leaving authorization solely in the hands of the local school boards severely limits charter school options for students and parents.
So who else should be allowed to authorize public charter schools? Some might suggest that we should allow as many authorizers as possible, but this can be dangerous as well. In some states, the large number of authorizers set the bar too low and allowed poorly designed schools to apply repeatedly, until someone approved them. Further, as described above, authorizers have a broad array of responsibilities, and must have the resources to handle their tasks. Given all this, a select group of alternate authorizers with the capacity to fulfill the role's requirements should be allowed to do so.
3) We should allow multiple paths to approval for charter applicants: public charter schools should be allowed to apply to either their local school board or another entity (e.g., state board of education, colleges and universities, state public charter school commission).
By providing multiple paths to approval, we will provide the public charter school option to those local school boards who want to incorporate it into their public school offerings, while also giving a fair hearing
through another entity to educators, parents, and community members in districts whose school boards are less interested in public charter schools. This will set a high bar to obtain a charter while allowing for as many qualified schools as will benefit Kentucky's students.
May 24, 2011
What Makes Charter Schools Work? Part 2
Last time we talked about the need to allow for both conversion and start-up public charter schools. The very notion of conversion charter schools evokes the image of a failing school that is being converted. These schools, and the student populations in these areas, are in the most dire need of an alternative to the current system. So, for these conversions, and for start-ups as well:
2) We should give preference to charter applicants in areas with low-performing schools.
While the benefits of educational choice should be available to all, granting preference to these charter schools will serve two purposes.
First, it will help to close the achievement gaps that we see across the state of Kentucky. Our poorest performing districts correlate to many of our most impoverished districts, and working to even the playing field for educational opportunity will benefit all of Kentucky.
Second, where schools are performing poorly, the benefits of charter schools will be seen most clearly. These successes will help to erase any doubts about the benefits of innovation in the public educational environment, and will help the growth of an array of educational options for parents throughout Kentucky.
We should certainly encourage the development of charter schools throughout the state, but serving those with the greatest need first has always been at the core of the public charter school movement.
2) We should give preference to charter applicants in areas with low-performing schools.
While the benefits of educational choice should be available to all, granting preference to these charter schools will serve two purposes.
First, it will help to close the achievement gaps that we see across the state of Kentucky. Our poorest performing districts correlate to many of our most impoverished districts, and working to even the playing field for educational opportunity will benefit all of Kentucky.
Second, where schools are performing poorly, the benefits of charter schools will be seen most clearly. These successes will help to erase any doubts about the benefits of innovation in the public educational environment, and will help the growth of an array of educational options for parents throughout Kentucky.
We should certainly encourage the development of charter schools throughout the state, but serving those with the greatest need first has always been at the core of the public charter school movement.
May 18, 2011
What Makes Charter Schools Work? Part 1
Charter schools are each very different, and should be. They are designed to meet the needs of their communities.
Charter school laws are just as different. Some of them work well, and others do not. With 40 laws and nearly 20 years of experience to look to for advice, we can create the best possible charter school law for Kentucky's children.
What should it look like? There are 7 key components that are critical to the success of charter schools in Kentucky. Let's discuss the first one now.
1) We need to allow both conversions and start-ups.
Conversions are just what they seem to be: existing schools, usually failing to adequately serve their students' needs, are converted to charter schools in order to better meet the needs of the student body.
Start-ups are charter schools that present their ideas to one of the state's authorizing organizations and, upon approval of a charter contract, are allowed to open. Start-up charters are often started by groups of educators, parents, and community members. No students are ever forced to attend these schools, but students and parents may elect to attend them if they choose.
Nationally, about 90% of charter schools are start-ups. These include some of the best schools in the nation, like the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Schools.
Charter school laws are just as different. Some of them work well, and others do not. With 40 laws and nearly 20 years of experience to look to for advice, we can create the best possible charter school law for Kentucky's children.
What should it look like? There are 7 key components that are critical to the success of charter schools in Kentucky. Let's discuss the first one now.
1) We need to allow both conversions and start-ups.
Conversions are just what they seem to be: existing schools, usually failing to adequately serve their students' needs, are converted to charter schools in order to better meet the needs of the student body.
Start-ups are charter schools that present their ideas to one of the state's authorizing organizations and, upon approval of a charter contract, are allowed to open. Start-up charters are often started by groups of educators, parents, and community members. No students are ever forced to attend these schools, but students and parents may elect to attend them if they choose.
Nationally, about 90% of charter schools are start-ups. These include some of the best schools in the nation, like the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Schools.
May 3, 2011
Welcome!
What is a charter school?
Charter schools are public schools.
Charter schools are free to attend and allow for open enrollment by any student in the district.
Charter schools are encouraged to innovate; they may differ from traditional public schools in some of these ways: length of the school day, length of the school year, curriculum, grade-level integration, dress codes, school culture, and more...
Charter schools are held accountable to performance measures that meet or exceed those of the traditional public schools in the state.
Charter schools operate under a contract; they must fulfill their missions and meet their goals, or else face closure.
Charter schools are a proving ground for educational ideas that will improve educational opportunities for all our children.
40 states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws on the books. Now is the time to pass a strong charter schools law in Kentucky!
Charter schools are public schools.
Charter schools are free to attend and allow for open enrollment by any student in the district.
Charter schools are encouraged to innovate; they may differ from traditional public schools in some of these ways: length of the school day, length of the school year, curriculum, grade-level integration, dress codes, school culture, and more...
Charter schools are held accountable to performance measures that meet or exceed those of the traditional public schools in the state.
Charter schools operate under a contract; they must fulfill their missions and meet their goals, or else face closure.
Charter schools are a proving ground for educational ideas that will improve educational opportunities for all our children.
40 states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws on the books. Now is the time to pass a strong charter schools law in Kentucky!
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