Search Results for: Charter school
Nevada Charter School Tension
State, local moratoriums on new applications have education officials, lawmakers butting heads
Nevada parents want the option of sending their children to charter schools.
State and local education officials say they won’t approve charter schools unless they can ensure the schools meet standards.
That’s all good, right? Well, it has educators and lawmakers in the bureaucratic equivalent of a schoolyard shoving match.
Following the Clark County School District’s lead, the State Board of Education in November said it was suspending approval of new charter school applications. The education officials said they did not have the staff to handle the workload. So, they said, until they can handle new charter schools properly, they aren’t going to handle them at all.
There were some tense exchanges among state board members and lawmakers in the days leading up to and following the moratorium vote.
Some lawmakers were infuriated, alleging the motives had more to do with turf protection than logistical challenges. A few legislators suggested the vote had violated the state’s open meeting law.
LA Charter School Settlement
More Los Angeles campuses will have to make room for charter schools, even if some teachers are forced to give up their classrooms and become roving instructors, under a litigation settlement approved by the Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday.
The agreement requires the school district to inventory all properties and work directly with charter schools to find space on or off campus. Charter advocates say finding and paying for facilities is their No. 1 challenge.
The settlement signals “new cooperation” toward serving all students — whether they attend a charter or a traditional school, supporters said.
“We share the pain of overcrowding equally,” said Caprice Young, president of the California Charter Schools Assn., a party to both suits. “We in the charter school movement recognize that the Los Angeles Unified School District has a space crunch, and we all have to work together to create great facilities for all kids.”
Agreeing to the possibility of roving instructors, called “traveling teachers,” was perhaps the major — and most controversial — concession by the school district. Because of classroom shortages, these teachers move from room to room with cartloads of materials throughout the day, an intensely unpopular assignment.
The school district could provide no figures on how many teachers travel, but their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years with the construction of new schools and declining enrollment.
Wisconsin Charter Schools Qualify for Grants
Ten new and 40 existing charter schools will share $5.8 million in federal funding awarded by the state Department of Public Instruction after new scrutiny over whether the schools meet federal requirements for what constitutes a charter school.
Omitted from the list of grantees, which the agency plans to release today, is the Waukesha School District’s latest charter school, the Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy.
Among those that have received charter school grants are Milwaukee Business High School, Academia de Lenguaje y Bellas Artes (ALBA), Hmong Peace Academy and Humboldt Park Charter School in Milwaukee; Tosa School of Health, Science and Technology in Wauwatosa; and Academy of Learning, 21st Century Skills Model, in West Allis.
Green Charter Schools Meeting
You’re invited to an important discussion about “green” public schools with environment-focused educational programs and practices.
Date: February 11, 2008 (Monday Afternoon)
Time: 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Site: U.W.- Madison Arboretum
Join this facilitated discussion among educators, students, environmental leaders, policymakers, green charter school friends, news media, school officials, and founding directors of the new Green Charter Schools Network.
Discussion & Reception
Facilitator: Doug Thomas, Director, EdVisions
Share your opinions about:
Green Charter School Choices in Public Education
Student Experiences at Green Charter Schools including River Crossing Charter School Students
What’s It Mean to Be an Educated Person?
Creating the Capacity for Change
Young People and the Environmental Legacies of:
Aldo Leopold
Gaylord Nelson
Sigurd Olson
Innovating with School and Schooling — “Innovating” linked at Education / Evolving
VICTORIA RYDBERG and STUDENTS from River Crossing Charter School will join us at the February 11 discussion along with TIA NELSON, Gaylord Nelson’s daughter; JEFF NANIA, Director, Wisconsin Waterfowl Association; SARA LAIMON, Teacher, Environmental Charter High School, L.A., California; JIM McGRATH, JULIE SPALDING, & JIM TANGEN-FOSTER, Educators & Founders of Green Charter Schools; STEFAN ANDERSON, Headmaster, Conserve School, and many other environmentalists and educators.
Please RSVP to sennb@charter.net or 608 238 7491
1/28/2008 Charter School Policy & Youth Options Discussion
Madison School Board: Performance & Achievement Committee Video.
The Long Range Planning Committee also met and discussed the proposed west side boundary changes (video). More on the boundary changes here.
Wave of the Future: Why charter schools should replace failing urban schools
In a decade and a half, the charter school movement has gone from a glimmer in the eyes of a few Minnesota reformers to a maturing sector of America’s public education system. Now, like all 15-year-olds, chartering must find its own place in the world.
First, advocates must answer a fundamental question: What type of relationship should the nascent charter sector have with the long-dominant district sector? The tension between the two is at the heart of every political, policy, and philosophical tangle faced by the charter movement.
But charter supporters lack a consistent vision. This motley crew includes civil rights activists, free market economists, career public-school educators, and voucher proponents. They have varied aspirations for the movement and feelings toward the traditional system. Such differences are part of the movement’s DNA: a National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) study found that the nation’s charter laws cite at least 18 different goals, including spurring competition, increasing professional opportunities for teachers, and encouraging greater use of technology.
Because of its uniqueness, chartering is unable to look to previous reform efforts for guidance. No K–12 reform has so fundamentally questioned the basic assumptions—school assignments based on residence, centralized administrative control, schools lasting in perpetuity—underlying the district model of public education. Even the sweeping standards and assessments movement of the last 20 years, culminating in No Child Left Behind, takes for granted and makes use of the district sector.Rotherham has more.
St. Louis Mayor Invites Charter Schools
Mayor Francis Slay has laid the groundwork for a new system of hand-picked public charter schools, meant to rival the city’s sinking school district and draw families back to the city.
Today, Slay’s office will send roughly 70 letters to local educators, Midwest nonprofit education groups, and big charter school companies across the country.
Those letters will invite each of them to start a school here.
His goal is to open quality schools. How many? Realistically, he thinks two or three a year, adding as many as 30 in the next 10 years.
The schools would steer thousands of kids away from the St. Louis Public Schools.
“Our city is cleaner, safer and more beautiful than it has been in a long time,” Slay wrote in the letter. “In short, St. Louis has it all — except enough quality public schools.”
But some say the plan would create a cycle disastrous to the city school district.
“It sounds like a plan, then, to abandon half the children in St. Louis,” said Peter Downs, president of the elected St. Louis School Board. “It’s like setting up two fire departments, two police departments. If you try to do it at the same cost, you have a lot more impoverished schools.”
Video/Audio: Madison United for Academic Excellence Meeting on Charter Schools 10/29/2007
Paula Sween and Dory Witzeling from the Odyssey-Magellan charter school for gifted students in grades 3-8 in Appleton and Senn Brown of the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association participated in a recent Madison United for Academic Excellence event. Ms. Sween was one of the founders of the Odyssey-Magellan program. She is currently the TAG Curriculum Coordinator for the Appleton school district. Ms. Witzeling is a teacher and parent at the school.
Click on the photo to view the video.
Wingra School proves that progressive education works. Could it be a model for a public charter school?
Inside Wingra School, the day is just beginning, and already Lisa Kass is commandeering a discussion about violence sparked by storyboards written by her fourth- and fifth-grade students.
“Why do you play violent videogames?” she asks. “Do you think the violence affects you?” This leads to a 45-minute discussion that temporarily pushes back a math lesson.
“It’s cartoon violence, it’s not real violence,” says one boy. “Well, really the goal is to kill people,” admits another. That, says a third student, is why he plays mostly strategy videogames.
The students at Wingra are articulate, reflective and eager to share their opinions. They refine their thoughts as Kass prods them to be more specific or clearer.
Kass, a 19-year veteran Wingra teacher, says later: “I don’t want to censor them, but I want them to think about what’s appropriate and what effects violence might have on them and others.”Related:
Parents prove charter schools work
The magic of charter schools isn’t so much the innovation they strive to achieve. The magic is the effect these schools have on parents.
At the Nuestro Mundo charter school on Madison’s East Side, you have to win a lottery to get your child into the program. This is true even for parents like me who live just a few blocks from Allis Elementary School, where Nuestro Mundo (which means “Our World ” in Spanish) is housed.
Imagine that — parents flooding a city school with enrollment applications for their kids. This is the opposite trend that Madison fears and must avoid.
Though rarely discussed in a frank way, Madison is increasingly nervous about middle- to upper-income parents losing faith in city schools and moving to the suburbs. As so many Madison leaders love to say: “As the schools go, so goes the city. ” Madison doesn ‘t want to become Milwaukee.Related: Where have all the students gone?
Madison’s charter schools offer unique options
n its fourth year, the Madison school district’s Spanish-English charter school is so popular that the parents who helped found the East Side school are having trouble getting their children in and there’s talk of expanding the program.
The district’s other charter school, Wright Middle, is one student above capacity and this year has a waiting list for the first time.
A growing number of residents say Madison needs more places, like charter schools Nuestro Mundo and Wright, that offer unique options to students. In response, the School Board has begun probing possibilities.
“The critical issue is, ‘What do we need to do to engage a broader range of students in what’s happening in school?'” board member Carol Carstensen said at an Oct. 22 Performance and Achievement Committee meeting that examined ways the district could create programs or schools.
In Dane County, charter schools operate in the Madison, Verona, Middleton-Cross Plains, Monona, Marshall and Deerfield districts.
Madison United for Academic Excellence Meeting on Charter Schools
Please join us at the next Madison United for Academic Excellence meeting on Monday, October 29, at 7:00 p.m. in the Wright Middle School LMC, 1717 Fish Hatchery Road [Map]. Our guests will be Paula Sween and Dory Witzeling from the Odyssey-Magellan charter school for gifted students in grades 3-8 in Appleton and Senn Brown of the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association. Ms. Sween was one of the founders of the Odyssey-Magellan program. She is currently the TAG Curriculum Coordinator for the Appleton school district. Ms. Witzeling is a teacher and parent at the school.
All are welcome!
The Defense Of Public Education, Democratic Change And Charter Schools
Leo Casey: The defense of public education is not the defense of the status quo in public schools. This is an important and essential truth that teacher unionists and other advocates of public education need to grasp. With very real enemies targeting education of, by and for the public, the temptation is to treat every […]
Union Orders, on Ohio Charter Schools
The Wall Street Journal: The concept of charter schools is popular enough that even most liberals won’t attack them openly. Yet the national political assault continues behind-the-scenes, most recently in Ohio, where unions have now been caught giving orders to Attorney General Marc Dann, who has duly saluted. Last week the Columbus Dispatch published emails […]
Tough School Propels Inner-City Kids
Charter School’s Long Hours Pay Off With Some of the Best Test Scores in the State
Via a reader’s email, ABC News: At age 13, Luis Sanchez’s mother kicked him out of the house — permanently — for misbehaving. “She just brought me to court and was just, like, you know, ‘I don’t want him,’” Luis explains. The memory hurts. For two weeks he lived on the streets. A year later, […]
Do Charter Schools Improve Behavior?
Jay Matthews: More than 1.2 million students are attending more than 4,000 charter schools in 40 states and the District, up from 200,000 students in just 600 charter schools a decade ago. Charters are hot commodities, the public school equivalent of hybrid cars or left-handed relief pitchers. But many people are puzzled why that is […]
Have you read “HANDS ON, FEET WET,” a fascinating story about River Crossing Environmental Charter School and its students?
Jen McCoy: They proclaim to hate textbooks, but River Crossing Environmental School students now have a soft spot for at least one, because they are featured in it. The “Hands On, Feet Wet,” book chronicles the five-year history of the charter school through stories, photographs and a DVD. Publication was made possible through the Department […]
Five Ways to Boost Charter Schools
Jay Matthews: Sara Mead and Andrew J. Rotherham, two of my favorite educational researchers, have inspired me to save the charter school movement with five brilliant if perhaps too far-sighted suggestions for reform. The Washington-based think tank Education Sector www.educationsector.org has just published their paper, “A Sum Greater Than the Parts: What States Can Teach […]
Pro / Con on Appleton Charter Schools
Tim Maylander: As a former charter school student, I can attest to how valuable they can be to a child’s education. When they’re properly planned, a charter school can give a student exactly what he or she needs to succeed later on in life. I feel I owe many of my present successes to my […]
Watts Riot (Green Dot Charter School)
Peter Beller: On a sunny Los Angeles afternoon in early May, Steve Barr gathered with parents, teachers and other supporters across the street from Alain Locke Senior High School in the Watts neighborhood. He proudly declared to the news media that the 2,800-student school, one of the state’s worst, was seceding from the Los Angeles […]
“The Peyton Manning of Charter Schools”
David Skinner: And now his successor, Bart Peterson, a Democrat, has laid down a bold challenge to the city’s troubled public school system: improve or see your students migrate to the city’s growing roster of impressive charter schools authorized by the mayor himself. This is no idle threat. In the 2006–07 academic year, the mayor […]
Six Myths About the Financial Impact of Charter Schools
Matthew Arkin and Bryan Hassel [2.33MB PDF]: School districts across the country are having financial problems, and charter schools are increasingly getting blamed. Charters are accused of taking money from “the public schools,” although they are public schools themselves. Charters are even taking the blame for rising taxes. These assertions certainly paint a clear picture […]
An “Honest Look at Charter Schools”
Jay Matthews: Charter School City, otherwise known as Washington, D.C., has 25 percent of its public school students attending those independently run, taxpayer-supported schools. That is more than any other American city except New Orleans and Dayton, Ohio. Given their unique political location, the D.C. charters have gotten the most publicity, including surveys showing that […]
Appleton’s Charter Schools have Developed A “Wow Factor”
Kathy Walsh Nufer: Appleton’s Board of Education hopes to maintain momentum — or what one member calls the “wow factor” — the school district has built in attracting outsiders, especially in an increasingly competitive landscape. In tight budget times, the district’s financial health and survival depends on it. John Mielke said the school cannot rest […]
Patrons’ Sway Leads to Friction in Charter School
David Herszenhorn: The Beginning With Children Charter School, housed in a former factory in Brooklyn, landed on the state’s list of high-performing schools this year, thanks to rising English and math test scores among black and Hispanic students. But its founders and wealthy patrons, Joseph H. and Carol F. Reich, who have poured hundreds of […]
Dayton Charter School Faces Budget Cuts
Bob Driehaus: The 32 students who graduated from the Dayton Early College Academy on Wednesday evening were mostly from low-income families. Few of their parents went to college. But every member of the graduating class, the school’s first, will attend college in the fall on the strength of their academic achievements and $2 million in […]
Wisconsin Charter School Update
2007 Wisconsin Charter Schools Conference WEBCAST Support for Construction Careers-Focused Charter School & Successful Evolution of RENAISSANCE School for the Arts and ODYSSEY-MAGELLAN Charter School Links to 40+ Green Charter Schools Green Charter Schools in Wisconsin www.GreenCharterSchools.org New Financing Helps Milwaukee Charter School Expand HOWARD FULLER, President of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning, […]
Workshop on green charter schools
From the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association: You’re invited to join educators, environmentalists and others at the Environmental Charter Schools Workshop. Date: May 2, 2007, Wednesday Time: 9:00am to 2:30pm Site: MADISON, UW Arboretum Workshop Program: Unique features of “green” charter schools, integrated environmental curriculum, standards and accountability, charter partners supporting sustainable schools, and implementing a […]
2007 Wisconsin Charter Schools Conference
From the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association: The 7th annual Wisconsin Charter Schools Conference, co-sponsored by the WCSA and DPI, will be attended by educators, parents, students, school officials, university people, community leaders, state officials, and many other charter friends. Conference Flyer (PDF). Dates: April 15-17, 2007 (Sunday afternoon through Tuesday) The Sunday afternoon (4/15) Wisconsin […]
$65M for 42 Houston Charter Schools
Jay Matthews: The charter school movement, begun 16 years ago as an alternative to struggling public schools, will today make its strongest claim on mainstream American education when a national group announces the most successful fundraising campaign in the movement’s history — $65 million to create 42 schools in Houston. The money, which comes from […]
Sheboygan Oks 7 Charter Schools — DPI grants info webcast on Friday
Sheboygan School Board Approves Seven (7) Charter Schools DPI Charter School Grant Info Webcast on Friday, March 23, at 10:00am Beloit Considers Project-Based Charter School Environment-Focused Charter School Meetings at Stevens Point (March 30), Madison (May 2) and Oshkosh (May 10) Portage Charter School & Aldo Leopold Green Lake Charters Course for School Coulee Montessori […]
Wisconsin Charter School News
Appleton’s Odyssey – Magellan Charter School captures state MathCounts championship Environment-Focused Charter School Meetings at Stevens Point (March 30), Madison (May 2) and Oshkosh (May 10) Appleton Superintendent & WCSA President TOM SCULLEN Honored Lake Country Academy Wants Charter School Status Portage Charter School & Aldo Leopold Green Lake Charters Course for School Coulee Montessori […]
Sparks Fly as the Madison Studio Charter School is Voted Down
The Madison School Board voted down the proposed Studio Charter School Monday night in a 4-2 vote (Against: Carstensen, Kobza, Silveira and Winston; For Mathiak and Robarts with Vang away). Sparks flew when Lucy Mathiak asked Nancy Donahue about their interaction with the attempts to talk with principals and teachers about the proposed charter school […]
District Cool to Third Charter School
Danya Hooker: A proposal to open a third charter school in Madison is too costly and lacks educational research support, the Madison School District administration said, even as it announced a projected $10.5 million shortfall in next year’s budget. “We (the administration) believe the proposal is not complete enough and does not contain enough detail […]
Wisconsin Charter School Update
“Green Charter Schools” in Wisconsin Trails Magazine 2007 Wisconsin Charter Schools Conference Co-Sponsored by WCSA & DPI. Overview Speakers Register Why Public Charter Schools [PDF]? Links to 34 “green” charter schools
Madison Studio Charter School: A Final Push – You can Help
Dear Supporters of The Studio School: As you probably know, we met with the MMSD Board members last Wednesday and are satisfied with how the Board meeting went. Many individuals took the opportunity to speak at the meeting and each of them did a fantastic job! THE OUTCOME OF THE MEETING IS THAT WE NEED […]
Lessons from Charter Schools
Chester Finn, Jr: Charter schools have taught us much. Since Minnesota enacted America’s first charter law in 1991, 39 states have followed suit and eager school reformers have created some 4,000 of these independent public schools. About 3,600 are still operating today, enrolling approximately a million kids, 2 percent of all U.S. elementary and secondary […]
Charter Schools Lag, Study Finds
Jay Matthews: Fourth-graders in traditional public schools nationwide did somewhat better on average than those in charter schools in reading and mathematics in 2003, a long-awaited federal report said yesterday. Earlier versions of the data have been used as weapons in a lively political and academic war between charter school advocates and opponents, but the […]
Wisconsin CHARTER SCHOOL NEWS: Week of August 21
DPI Awards $4 Million in Charter School Grants WCSA’s New Office — The WCSA is now located in a new office in downtown Madison. The WCSA’s new address, phone, fax and email is — Wisconsin Charter Schools Association, P.O. Box 1704, Madison, WI 53703 & Tel: 608-661-6946 & Fax: 608-258-3413 & Email: info@wicharterschools.org WCSA website: […]
Wisconsin Charter School News
Wisconsin Charter School NEWS Sheboygan Considering 6 New Charter Schools Twelve Charter Schools in Appleton Wisconsin Embraces Charter Schools Proposed Charter School of Architecture & Urban Design Wauwatosa Explores Charter School Options New Horizons for Learning Charter School WCSA’s Strategic Growth Plans Charter Schools BLOG
“Controversy Aside, State Embraces Charter Schools”
Sandy Cullen: School used to be a struggle for seventh-grader Justin Fobes, who said he was getting “straight F’s” before enrolling at the River Crossing Environmental Charter School in Portage last fall. “I just couldn’t sit still,” said Justin, 13. At River Crossing, Justin is now getting A’s and B’s. And he no longer has […]
California’s Charter School Performance
EdSource: This second annual analysis of charter school performance in California compared how well charter schools did versus noncharters, as measured by the percentage of schools that met their 2005 Academic Performance Index (API) growth targets. The 20-page report also looks at charter school performance by grade level (elementary, middle, and high schools) and by […]
Reining in Charter Schools
NY Times Editorial: The charter school movement began with the tantalizing promise that independently operated schools would outperform their traditional counterparts — if they could only be exempted from state regulations while receiving public money. It hasn’t quite worked out that way. With charter laws now on the books in about 40 states and thousands […]
Charter Schools?
In light of the planning grant application approval for the proposed Studio School Charter yesterday, I’m curious about how others view public charters and what their roles should be. Here are some different conceptions that I’ve heard or read (I’m sure there are many more and I’d be glad to hear about those): Charters as […]
Charter Schools in Wisconsin
Madison School Board OK’s charter school of arts applying for DPI planning grant. See The Studio School Website Converting to Healthy Living Charter School Governor Proclaims May 1 – 6, 2006 as Charter Schools Week in Wisconsin Charter Schools about Social Justice, says Fuller What is Chartering and Where Did It Come […]
Waukesha Charter Schools
Amy Hetzner: The Waukesha School District already operates four charter schools. In addition to the two proposed schools discussed at Wednesday’s meeting, La Casa de Esperanza has expressed interest in opening a charter school as well. Under Wisconsin law, however, charter schools outside Milwaukee and Racine have to get the approval of their local school […]
Wisconsin Charter School Update
Governor Doyle Proclaims May 1 – 6, 2006 as Charter Schools Week in Wisconsin Charter Schools about Social Justice, says Fuller What is Chartering and Where Did It Come From ? DPI’s NEW 2005-06 Charter Schools Directory (Under “Charter School Information” on right side of page, click “2005–06 Directory” (pdf)
Wisconsin Charter School News
You’re invited to the WISCONSIN CHARTER SCHOOLS FAIR. The FAIR is a FREE public event in Appleton on April 2, Sunday afternoon (1:00 to 4:30 pm). HURRY APRIL ! DISCOVER NEW CHOICES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION Learn about the Performance of Public Charter Schools in Wisconsin from UW-Madison Professor John Witte. View 20 charter school displays […]
Charter School Evidence from California
RAND Corporation [pdf file]: This “Occasional Paper” from the RAND Corporation assesses the state of charter schools in California. The results show that test scores for California’s charter school students are keeping pace with comparable students in traditional district schools. Researchers found that the state’s charter schools have achieved comparable test score results with fewer […]
“Black Flight: Minneapolis Exodus to Charter Schools”
Katherine Kersten: Something momentous is happening here in the home of prairie populism: black flight. African-American families from the poorest neighborhoods are rapidly abandoning the district public schools, going to charter schools, and taking advantage of open enrollment at suburban public schools. Today, just around half of students who live in the city attend its […]
Charter Schools And Healthful Foods
School Lunches 101. The Chicago Magazine article refers to the partnership by Natural Ovens Bakery with Perspectives Charter School. Natural Ovens Bakery, Manitowoc, collaborated also with Appleton Central Alternative (Charter) School in a significant healthful foods initiative that was featured a year ago on Good Morning America and in the film Super Size Me. The […]
Help Create a Public Charter School of Arts and Technology – in Madison
Are you interested in helping to create a public charter school of arts and technology in Madison? You’re invited to attend a planning meeting of local parents, educators and others at: Date: January 18 ( Wednesday ) Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm Site: MADISON Library – Sequoya Branch 513 South Midvalle Blvd. [map] Please help […]
“Charter School Confidential”
Jay Matthews: I don’t think there is a more important story in this new year of 2006 than what happens to the country’s growing charter schools. But no matter what happens to the federal law, we are going to continue to try to improve schools in this country, one way or another. I would prefer […]
Indianapolis Charter Schools: Mayor’s Role
Governing Magazine’s Buntin takes a look at what Indy Mayor Bart Peterson is up to in Indianapolis with public charter schools. Background on Peterson’s initiative here. Via Eduwonk
MMSD opposes charter school
An article by Joe Quick on MMSD’s Web site lists the MMSD as one of the organizations opposed to legislation that would allow the UW-Madison to support a charter school in Dane County. Quick wrote: Two Milwaukee-area legislators have proposed allowing the UW System to operate or contract for the operation of a charter school […]
“Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2005”
Robin J. Lake and Paul T. Hill, Editors: The report is in two parts. In the first, the National Charter School Research Project (NCSRP) provides new data that inform questions such as: Is the charter school movement growing or slowing down? Do charter schools serve more or fewer disadvantaged children than regular public schools? Are […]
Wisconsin Charter School News (11/26/2005)
New charter school in Kiel Proposed charter school in Monroe Health professions charter school Call for Conference Proposals (Wednesday Deadline) — This is a final reminder to submit your presentation proposal by Wednesday for the 2006 Wisconsin Charter Schools Conference (scroll down beyond criteria for online submittal form). UW System as charter school authorizer? Proposed […]
Wisconsin Assembly Passes Two Bills Expanding Charter School Opportunities
This week the Wisconsin Assembly passed two bills that could expand charter school opportunities in this state. The Legislative Committee of the Madison School Board will review these bills on December 5. Assembly Bill 730 proposes to amend current law to allow 5 UW-System 4-year universities, in addition to UW-Milwaukee and UW-Parkside, to each sponsor […]
Charter School Bills Advance
The state Assembly Committee on Education Reform acted today (11/2/05) to recommend passage of three bills to expand charter school authorizing in Wisconsin. The bills may be scheduled for a vote next week by the entire State Assembly. On a vote of 7-Ayes (Reps. Vukmir, Nass, Towns, Wood, Nischke, Pridemore & A. Williams) and 2-Noes […]
Arts & Technology Charter School
The Capital Times: The initial steps toward creation of an arts and technology charter public school in Madison will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Madison Gas and Electric Co. Innovation Center in Research Park. The target date to begin such a program is the fall of 2007, according to Nancy Donahue, a […]
Charter School Proposal Being Met With Resistance
WISC-TV reports: A tug of war over students and state aid could be shaping up in Dane County. News 3’s Toni Morrissey has been looking into plans for a charter school that’s making waves in the public school community. . . “We agree with the concept of charter schools,” said Joe Quick, legislative liaison for […]
Mathews on Charter School Bias?
Jay Mathews: But I have learned that both my newspaper and I have been, in at least one instance, treating them as if they did not exist — a bad habit shared by many across the country. Nobody likes to be ignored for no good reason, but that is what has been happening to charter […]
Growing Green, High Performance Charter Schools
Senn Brown forwarded these links and information: Eco-charter schools with environment-focused and project-based programs are springing up throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and other states. Environment and sustainability are the integrating qualities of learning in “green,” high-performance charter schools. See website links (below) to several “green” charter schools. Earlier this summer, a group from Wisconsin and Minnesota’s […]
Wisconsin DPI Receives a $17M Charter School Grant
Wisconsin DPI (PDF): The grant will support the planning, design, and implementation of charter schools in areas of the state with a large proportion of schools that have been identified for improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Additionally, it will support increased collaboration among educational partners to enhance the charter climate […]
Jallon Brown: Annapolis Charter School Principal
Tyler Currie: Still, when Jallon showed up in Annapolis last August with her proposal to create KIPP Harbor Academy, she was not received with open arms. For months, the Anne Arundel County school board appeared poised to reject Annapolis’s first charter school, which would be publicly funded but independently operated. School board members worried that […]
Sam Dillon, NY Times: For Parents Seeking a Choice, Charter Schools Prove More Popular Than Vouchers
CLEVELAND – When Ohio enacted a pilot program of school vouchers here a decade ago, David Brennan, an Ohio businessman, quickly founded two schools for voucher students. Three years later, with voucher programs under attack, Mr. Brennan closed the schools and reopened them as charter schools, another educational experiment gaining momentum at the time.
Madison Mother Wants in to Virtual Charter School
Channel3000: A Madison mother is threatening to go to court if necessary to get Madison schools to transfer two of her children to a virtual charter school. The transfers were denied based on race, and the family says that’s discriminatory, reported News 3’s Linda Eggert. Two years ago the Madison Metropolitan School District allowed the […]
Scullen on Wisconsin’s Thriving Charter Schools
Tom Scullen (Scullen is superintendent of the Appleton Area School District, which has 10 charter schools. He also is president of the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association.): Charter schools are playing an increasingly important role in that success story. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster, at a recent state charter school conference, said charter schools […]
Dave Bing Wants a Charter School in Detroit
Former Detroit Piston Star Dave Bing is trying to get a charter school off the ground in Detroit. Rochelle Riley has more: The group is mad because Bing decided to partner with white philanthropist Bob Thompson, whose offer to build $200 million worth of charter high schools was rejected two years ago for fear it […]
Washington State Charter School Battle
Sam Dillon: In Seattle, at a recent debate on charter schools at the University of Washington, sparring was intense. “How long do I have to allow my kids to go to the public schools?” asked Henterson S. Carlisle, a teacher whose two children attend his school in the Seattle public system. “At what point can […]
Charter Schools Test Scores/Commentary
Barb Williams forwarded this article by Diana Jean Schemo: The data shows fourth graders attending charter schools performing about half a year behind students in other public schools in both reading and math. Put another way, only 25 percent of the fourth graders attending charters were proficient in reading and math, against 30 percent who […]
Charter school meeting – July 7, Madison
“Charter Schools: A New Vision of Public Education in Wisconsin.” Date: July 7, 2004 (Wednesday morning) Time: 9:00 am to 11:30 am Site: Madison – Concourse Hotel (Capital Ballroom A – 2nd Floor) Concourse Hotel Purpose: Discuss the significance of the evolving charter schools sector as an institutional innovation within Wisconsin’s public education system. You […]
Tuesday’s Milwaukee Public Schools board agenda is whether to boot the MPS charter Carmen @carmen_schools from their current buildings
Quinton Klabon:
Apples to Apples; Comparing Wisconsin public, charter, and private voucher schools
Will Flanders: It’s an unfortunate reality that demographic factors historically play a large role in student performance; any honest assessment of how schools and school sectors are performing must take those factors into account. Much of the reporting on school performance, though, ignores this reality. This report endeavors to incorporate these factors through rigorous statistical […]
Curious (false claims) reporting on legacy k-12 schools, charter/voucher models and special education
Wisconsin coalition for education freedom: Wisconsin Watch has released its third article in a series attempting to discredit the great work choice programs do in Wisconsin. Their latest article misrepresents admission policies of choice schools while ignoring the fact that public schools often engage in admission practices that would be illegal for schools participating in […]
Notes on growth in charter and voucher schools amidst decline in traditional “government” schools (who spend far more)
Olivia Herken: Enrollment in Wisconsin’s traditional public schools has continued to decline since the start of the pandemic. There isn’t a single answer as to where students are going and why. A nationwide declining birth rate and changing trends in where families live are big contributors. But there’s clearly a growing appetite in Wisconsin for […]
A Federal Court Ruling Imperils the Charter-School Movement
Baker A. Mitchell and Robert P. Spencer: The Fourth Circuit’s finding appears to have been based on little more than the convention of calling charters “public charter schools” and their being mostly funded by public sources. But hundreds of American cities contract municipal services out to private companies, which generally aren’t considered state actors. The […]
Why urban charters outperform traditional public schools
Michael J. Petrilli David Griffith: High-quality studies continue to find that urban charter schools boost achievement by more than their traditional-public-school counterparts—an advantage that has only grown larger as the charter sector has expanded and matured. For example, a 2015 analysis of charter performance in forty-one urban locations, conducted by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes […]
Gov. Youngkin gets funds for new schools in a state that restricts charters.
Wall Street Journal: Virginia Republicans hope that lab schools will replicate the success of charters, which face an unusual barrier in the state. The Virginia constitution requires each new charter to gain sign-off from the local school board, most of which are politically aligned with the unions. The fast-growing state had a mere seven charter […]
One city (charter) schools changed teacher work week: 4 days
Chris Rickert: The free charter school is required to meet minimum instructional hour requirements contained in state law, which Davis said the school exceeds because its school day runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and its year from Sept. 1 to July 31, longer than most traditional public schools. The school will continue to […]
Teachers unions sue to block new NYC charter high school
Selim Algar: The city and state teachers unions are suing to block a charter high school from bringing a prestigious international diploma program to the Bronx. The New York State United Teachers and United Federation of Teachers assert that the establishment of the Vertex Partnership Academies would violate the current state cap of 290 city […]
Bloomberg’s $750M Grant Is the Jolt the Charter Sector Needs — and a Litmus Test for White Democrats Who Claim to Back School Choice
Andrew Rotherham: If education reform were a religion, then professing to just “follow the evidence” and “listen to communities” would anchor the liturgy. Charter schools, however, are a curious case that tests the faith. Urban charters have proven to be an effective reform, at scale, and parents in many communities are clearly demanding them. Raise […]
Few say that local schools are doing a good job, and most support school choice and charters. Additionally, just over half of those in America’s fastest-growing metros are wary of critical race theory (CRT) in school curriculum.
Michael Hendrix: Six out of ten say that crime is increasing in their area—including a majority of all racial and ethnic groups. Among those who live in urban cores but who express an interest in moving to a less dense area, crime rates are a top-three motivator. More than two in five respondents also see […]
Pandemic Learning: Large Increase In Virtual Charter And Homeschooling Enrollment Raises Questions
Steven Potter: A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found huge increases in student enrollment in virtual charter and homeschooling last year. We discuss what that means for students, parents and school districts. Related: Catholic schools will sue Dane County Madison Public Health to open as scheduled Notes and links on Dane County Madison Public Health. (> 140 employees). Molly […]
Mission vs Organization: Milwaukee’s taxpayer supported K-12 Schools vs successful charters
Alan Borsuk: So why does the education system — especially Milwaukee Public Schools — treat them the way it does? Each of these schools has a long and discouraging history of getting hassled (or worse) by the system. You want to know what’s wrong with Milwaukee’s overall response to its education crisis? Start with looking […]
“But it is the height of hypocrisy for Miller to attack the relatively straightforward agreements required in some charters while ignoring that far stricter rules exist at some schools under MPS’s purview.”
Will Flanders and Libby Sobic: As is typical of those who oppose school choice, Miller’s piece is full of misconceptions and outright falsehoods that distract from the important goal of ensuring that more kids have access to high quality schools. Below, we highlight three of the biggest problems with his piece. Admissions Requirements: “In fact, once […]
Milwaukee’s taxpayer supported K-12 schools resist charters
Will Flanders: Recently, Milwaukee College Prep (MCP) charter schools and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) failed to make an agreement for continued authorization. This ends a ten year relationship between MCP and MPS, and once again highlights the horrific environment for public charters in the city of Milwaukee due largely to the power of teachers unions. […]
Commentary on federal redistributed taxpayer funds for K-12 school districts and charters
Libby Sobic: As Congress doles out billions of dollars for K–12 schools, charter schools already receive a much smaller portion of the education-funding pie. Currently Congress appropriates $440 million for the CSP, which is just 1 percent of U.S. Department of Education spending on K–12. However, the CSP has been critical to the growth and sustainability of charter […]
One City Schools expands – in Monona (Governor Evers’ proposed budget would once again abort this school, by eliminating the UW charter office)
Logan Wroge: With a $14 million donation from American Girl founder and philanthropist Pleasant Rowland, One City Schools announced plans on Tuesday to purchase an office building in Monona that will become a new home for the fast-growing independent charter school. One City will use the donation to buy a 157,000-square-foot office building on the […]
Indianapolis Public Schools Swears In New Board Members, Strengthening Support For Charters, Reforms
Aaricka Washington: Indianapolis Public Schools swore in two new board members and two incumbents Monday night, strengthening support for the district’s controversial charter-friendly partnerships. All four of the new and reseated board members have the backing of pro-school choice political action committees. The addition of Kenneth Allen and Will Pritchard, the return of Diane Arnold […]
Charter-school networks are outperforming traditional public schools
The Economist: NEW YORK CITY’S schools may be closing, but the pupils at Success Academies, a network of charter schools which has placed all of its 20,000 pupils in remote learning, will still be wearing their uniform (vivid, pumpkin-orange shirts with navy trousers) every day of the week. Unlike traditional public schools in the city, […]
Independent Madison charter Milestone Democratic School designed ‘by youth, for youth’
Logan Wroge: In 2017, Anderson and a partner approached the UW System’s Office of Educational Opportunity about starting an independent charter. The school’s design team was formed the next year, and Milestone received approval from the System in 2019 to open as Madison’s third independent charter. Independent charters are tuition-free, public schools authorized by government […]
New Study: Charter, Choice Outperform Public Schools in Growth, Test Scores
Will Flanders: Here are 5 findings for our upcoming report on school performance: 1. Milwaukee: Choice Schools Lead in Student Proficiency (even more significantly than DPI data suggests) Wisconsin’s private and charter schools, much maligned by Governor Evers and other leaders on the left, continue to succeed for Wisconsin students. Once schools are put on […]
Eau Claire school board considers LAND School charter, reorganizes
Samantha West: The Eau Claire school board on Monday discussed a proposal to open a new charter school for high school students that is focused on project-based learning in the 2021-22 academic year. The grass-roots nonprofit organization Initiatives for New Directions in Education (INDE) presented its revamped proposal for a school they’re calling LAND, an […]
A crack in Madison’s non diverse K-12 governance model: independent charter One City Schools
Logan Wroge: In a previous attempt at a charter school, Caire proposed the Madison Preparatory Academy, which would have served a similar population as One City Schools, but would have been for grades 6-12. The Madison School Board rejected the idea in December 2011. Caire sought to bring his “change-maker” approach to the Madison School […]
Rush to pass ‘backroom’ deal banning charters would be bad for L.A. students — transparency calls should be for all public schools
Seth Litt, Katie Braude and Ben Austin: Despite the fact that parents and students were on the outside looking in when it came to the high-stakes contract negotiations in Los Angeles, the teacher strike drew much-needed attention to public education and secured small but meaningful steps toward providing schools and teachers with more resources, including […]
Opposition and legal challenges don’t deter Washington’s new charter-school leader
Claudia Rowe: A longtime advocate for public education has taken the reins of the state’s charter-school association, weathering vigorous opposition and bitter legal challenges — all in his first seven months on the job. After a long career advocating for traditional public education, Patrick D’Amelio recently stepped up to lead the Washington State Charter Schools […]
New Orleans plans to turn one of its few remaining traditional schools to a charter
Steve Myers: Last year, Mahalia Jackson was part of a push to turn the few remaining traditional schools in New Orleans into charters. When that fell through, Orleans Parish schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. announced he wanted to close it. In April, a school board committee agreed, but the full board did not, which put […]
Finding Brave New World of District/Charter Collaboration in Rebirth of Newark Elementary School
Richard Whitmire: Against all odds, a dowdy elementary school with bright blue doors located in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in one of America’s most beleaguered cities has become a beacon of hope — and not just for Newark. Think of the North Star Academy Alexander Street school as the little charter school that […]
Chicago’s Charter High Schools: Organizational Features, Enrollment, School Transfers, and Student Performance
Julia A. Gwynne and Paul T. Moore : This study—the Consortium’s first in-depth look at charter high schools—examines four key dimensions of charter high schools in Chicago Public Schools (CPS): school organization and policies; incoming skills and characteristics of charter high school enrollees; school transfers; and student performance. It expands the existing research base on […]
