Special education teachers play a vital role in schools, providing essential support to students with diverse learning needs. However, attracting and retaining passionate and dedicated candidates for these roles can be a challenge.

That’s where Ingrid Wulczyn comes in. Ingrid is a former special education teacher and administrator and is the founder and CEO of Project IDEA, an organization focused on providing support and resources to schools. Ingrid shared some great practices for schools looking to hire and support special education teachers. If you missed her webinar Hiring and Supporting Special Education Teachers, you can find it here on-demand or read the recap below.

What’s Unique About Special Education Roles?

Hiring and supporting special education teachers requires an understanding of the unique positions they have at your school. Ingrid shared a brief overview:

1. Specialized Role, Generic Title

While special education roles are all named similarly, they actually encompass a wide range of specific responsibilities and tasks. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to education, and neither do all teaching positions look the same.

2. Multifaceted Responsibilities Extending Beyond Teaching

Special education professionals wear many hats beyond their primary role as teachers. They are responsible for managing paperwork, meeting deadlines, navigating the school premises frequently, and leading meetings with fellow adults.

3. Juggling Relationships and Stakeholders

Special education positions inherently involve collaborating with numerous individuals and stakeholders. These professionals must adeptly manage and nurture relationships with a diverse range of personalities, ensuring effective communication and cooperation.

Write Job Descriptions That Attract Passionate Candidates

In light of the uniqueness of these roles, Ingrid provided tips on crafting job descriptions that accurately represent the nature of special education roles, a practice she says is vital in attracting the right candidates.

She recommends that you:

1. Create Specific Role Descriptions: Provide clear and detailed information about the specific responsibilities and expectations of the role. Highlight the range of tasks; the student population teachers will be working with, and any potential flexibility or choices teachers may have.

2. Highlight Inclusive School Culture: Emphasize your school’s commitment to inclusivity and equity. Illustrate how students with disabilities are valued and included in the school community. A supportive school environment for all students is essential for attracting and retaining special education teachers.

3. Include Perks and Support: Highlight the supports and perks your school offers to special education teachers. This can include professional development opportunities, coaching from a specialized coach, protected time for paperwork, remote paperwork options, and access to tools that facilitate their work.

Design Your Hiring Process to be Special-Education Focused

Ingrid then shared how tailoring the hiring process can reflect an understanding of the unique nature of special education roles.

Schools can:

1. Test Special Education Knowledge: During the interview, incorporate activities or assessments that assess candidates’ basic knowledge of special education practices, laws, and procedures. This can help ensure that candidates have a foundational understanding of the field.

2. Tailor Interview Questions: Include interview questions, activities, and scenarios specific to special education. For example, ask candidates to demonstrate how they plan for a small group that meets twice weekly for 30 minutes. Tailoring questions to the unique demands of special education roles will provide valuable insights into candidates’ skills and abilities while demonstrating an awareness of the role’s nuances.

Support Your Special Education Teachers for Growth

Supporting special education teachers is crucial for their professional development and job satisfaction. Here are two essential tips Ingrid offered:

1. Remove Duties: Special education teachers often juggle multiple responsibilities beyond teaching. They appreciate when administrative duties are reduced, allowing them to focus on providing high-quality instruction and support to students. By removing non-essential tasks from their plates, you can create more time for them to devote to their core responsibilities.

2. Advisory Considerations: Avoid assigning case managers to lead advisories if possible. Special education teachers have unique demands in managing multiple relationships and stakeholders. Allowing them to focus on their primary role and responsibilities without additional obligations can enhance their effectiveness in supporting students.

More Resources

Lastly, Ingrid touched on ways Project IDEA can help support special education. They have a resource library with a wide range of tools, templates, and materials designed specifically for special education teachers. These resources help educators effectively plan, implement, and track individualized education plans (IEPs) and accommodations for students with disabilities. Above all, Ingrid says, “Keep in touch with your special education teachers, and acknowledge and value what they do.”

Miss the webinar and want to learn more? You can access it on-demand here. Hiring and Supporting Special Education Teachers (charterschoolcapital.com)

Starting and running a school is a challenging task, and ensuring financial stability requires careful planning and management. According to The Center for Education Reform, 42% of charter school failures within the first three years were due to finances, making it imperative to establish a solid budget from the outset. Read on to discover best practices that can help you achieve financial stability and create a thriving school.

Best Practice No.1:

Use your “petition budget” as your starting point

Most authorizers require new charter petitions to include a budget and cash flow projections, including startup costs and an operational budget for a given timeframe. The petition budget is the school’s founding financial document and should reflect the goals and priorities outlined in your charter. This means that you’ve already decided on student-teacher ratios, the different levels of professional staff that you want to hire, the expected costs of textbooks, any technology and equipment essential to meeting your mission, and the costs of getting students to enroll in your school.

The petition budget should include expected student-teacher ratios, the professional staff you plan to hire, costs of your facilities, equipment, textbooks, technology, and marketing. Although the petition budget serves as a great starting point, it needs ongoing work since there can be a significant lag time between submitting the petition and starting operations. This interval may have changes in governmental funding as well as costs of goods, benefits, and salaries that contribute to your operating costs and overhead.

Best Practice No. 2:

Make a wish list, then prioritize

When creating or updating the petition budget, include every last item on every stakeholder’s wishlist, no matter how trivial (even novelty erasers!) or unrealistic (baby grand pianos in every classroom!). Most of the time, you’ll end up with a huge deficit—and that’s okay. Your stakeholders (teachers, other staff members, and partner organizations) will feel heard and invested in the process. Then, when you begin to work backward and eliminate items that aren’t high on the priority list, everyone involved in the budgeting process will know that their requests have at least been considered.

Your petition budget should reflect the priorities spelled out in your charter, and spending should always be guided by your school’s mission. For tough decisions, conducting a marginal analysis can help to make the pros and cons more clear.

Best Practice No. 3:

Plan for surprises

Each year, the budgeting and forecasting processes will become more predictable, but expect plenty of surprises and unexpected costs in the first year. Be sure to leave room in your budget for unanticipated costs such as textbooks and supplies that cost more than expected, emergency repairs or maintenance, and changes in enrollment numbers.

The first year of operations will have challenges, and one of your preferred vendors may have been acquired by a large corporation that raised prices, your facility could unexpectedly require major repairs, or your enrollment may be lower or higher than expected. Make sure staff at every level understands this too. Showing staff your school’s monthly “burn rate” is a simple way to show how much you’re spending without overloading them with details.

Want More Budgeting Tips?

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Budgeting is an essential part of running a charter school. From managing operating costs to forecasting cash flow, it can be a complex and challenging task. However, with the right knowledge and understanding of budgeting terminology, you can make informed decisions and set your school up for success. In this blog post, we will explore […]

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According to an article from The Center for Education Reform, 42% of charter school closures are due to funding. It’s well known that charter schools face unique financial challenges, so it’s important to get ahead of these issues as schools grow. Making sure your school has the money to meet operational costs, pay teachers and staff […]

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As the school year draws to a close, it’s time for school leaders to start thinking ahead to the summer and preparing for the fall. Summer can be a great time for school leaders to plan ahead and organize their school’s marketing and social media content. Here are six ways school leaders stay organized and make the most of the summer months on social.

1. Plan your social media content in advance.

Take advantage of the time when students and teachers are still on campus to schedule video and photo shoots for social media content. Use scheduling tools or Facebook’s built-in tools to plan out your content calendar in advance, including topics like back-to-school prep, summer learning loss, and educational summer activities.

2. Stockpile teacher profiles.

Teacher profiles are some of the best-performing content on social media, but it can be difficult to gather this content over the summer. Take advantage of the end of the school year to create profiles of your teachers.

3. Keep your same posting cadence.

Even though website traffic may dip, social media can remain active during the summer. Don’t change your cadence of posting over the summer, as you don’t want algorithms to negatively impact your searchability.

4. Stay focused on the future—but also take a break!

Over the summer, it’s important for school leaders to stay focused on planning for the upcoming school year. Use the summer months to think strategically and prepare for a successful year ahead—but also be sure you take the time to relax and recharge! Scheduling your social posts in advance can give you the much-deserved chance to unplug.

Ready to take your digital marketing strategy to the next level?

Download the free Digital Marketing Guide. You can use these pages to set goals for your school, refine your messaging, set strategic marketing goals, and achieve them through various digital marketing programs.

Digital Marketing for Charter Schools Guide

This is where budgeting comes in. Budgeting is an essential part of running a charter school. From managing operating costs to forecasting cash flow, it can be a complex and challenging task. However, with the right knowledge and team behind you, you can make informed decisions and set your school up for success.

In this article, we will explore 5 essential features of a charter school budget.

Review salary scale changes with the future in mind.

For any school, salaries and benefits comprise the largest ongoing expenses. When considering salary scale changes, it’s essential to plan for the long term, not just next year’s budget. If your school is seeing an increase in funding, keep in mind that this is unlikely to increase at the same rate each year—and it’s likely to plateau during economic downturns. Also, look carefully at budget surpluses, which can be misleading. For example, you may need to use surplus funds to replace computers and textbooks in the next year or two. Raising the salary scale can have non-financial repercussions, too. If your staff comes to expect a 10% pay increase to base salaries each year, it can be very hard to cut back without damaging morale. All this is not to say that you shouldn’t raise salaries—competitive rates are essential for attracting and retaining top-quality teachers and other staff! But it’s important to take a strategic approach.

Use non-financial incentives to maintain a positive culture.

Year-over-year salary increases are expensive. The good news is that while competitive pay is important, it isn’t among the top factors that contribute to employee satisfaction and retention or a person’s decision to leave a job. In particular, a positive and supportive culture makes most employees happy to come to work each day. Make a habit of smiling and greeting staff by name; running meetings efficiently; delivering negative feedback constructively and in private; and setting expectations for positive interactions among all staff. Provide money for career growth and professional development. working with your teachers and other staff members to understand each person’s individual goals and interests. Paying for a professional course isn’t free, but it typically costs less than a permanent salary increase. Lastly, be sure to show impact. Whether by data or individual examples, demonstrate to staff collectively and individually how much they’re making a difference to their students and families. (For more on supporting teachers so they’ll stay at your school for the long term, see our webinar Teacher Retention for 2023 & Beyond: How to Build a Lasting Relationship.)

Set a Target Fund Balance.

Fund balance is a metric of financial viability and financial health. A school’s fund balance, or net assets, is the accumulation of all surpluses and deficits going back to the beginning. To put it another way, if you sold all off the school’s assets for cash and paid off the debts, the remaining cash is the fund balance. Talk to your financial experts and your board of directors about the fund balance that will ensure your school’s viability.

Set a Target Cash Balance.

A school may have a large fund balance but still be strapped for cash—which is how salaries and rent are paid. There is no ideal target cash balance or benchmark for a school; it varies by state, funding levels, and phase of growth. As a general baseline practice, always plan to have at least 90 days of cash on hand at minimum, or about 25% of your annual operating expenses, so that you can continue to pay the bills and operate without a hitch.

Be Strategic About Facilities.

A school’s facility may seem like a budgetary liability due to rent, lease, bond, or mortgage payments. But with some strategic planning, a facility can provide budget safeguards in a few different ways. If your school is looking to acquire a permanent facility, plan to have more space than you anticipate needing. If your school is in a permanent facility, establish a long-term repair-and-replacement fund to cover roof repairs, HVAC issues, and plumbing. If your school already has a facilities reserve (for example, as a requirement for a tax-exempt bond), ensure that it’s large enough to cover a structural emergency. (For more on facilities planning, check out our free guide 5 Steps to Upgrading Your School Building.)

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Texas is the home to a fifth of English learners in the US, and the number of English Learners in the state has grown from 30,000 in 2010 to over 1.1 million. As a result, the English Learner population in Texas charter schools has quintupled over the same period, rising from under 25,000 in 2010 to nearly 120,000 in 2021. These numbers are found in the introduction to “Charter Schools and English Learners in the Lone Star State,” a recent study published with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Researchers Deven Carlson and David Griffith of Oklahoma University set out to look into outcomes for English Learners who enroll in public charter schools compared to those served by traditional public schools.

Based on their data, Griffith and Carlson conclude that:

Charter schools now enroll a disproportionate share of Texas’s English learners.
Compared to their traditional public school peers, English Learners in Texas’s charter schools make more progress in reading but slightly less progress in math.
Compared to their traditional public school peers, English Learners in Texas’s charters are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college, earning more money in the post-college years.
As Texas’s charter sector has expanded, English Learners’ reading gains have remained relatively consistent, but their math gains have fluctuated.

Based on these findings, Griffith and Carlson conclude that English Learners in Texas benefit from attending charter schools. “We have reason to be optimistic about the growing number of English Learners served by charter schools,” they say, with the caveat that “in Texas, as elsewhere, the charter school movement will not meet its goals unless the rapid expansion is paired with appropriate accountability and funding.”

Along with the proper financial support, schools can benefit from sharing what works and doesn’t when serving these students. In the recent “Charter Schools and English Learners” webinar, educators shared what has worked in their schools. The panel also heard from a charter-educated EL student from Brazil, who shared his experience and what helped him most. You can watch that webinar on demand here.

By working together and ensuring the right resources and support, we can continue to improve educational outcomes for English Learners in Texas and beyond.

In a recent survey by ABC News, forty states, along with Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, reported staffing issues in special education. The shortage of qualified teachers in these critical areas has raised concerns among school leaders, who are thinking through obstacles such as recruitment challenges, funding shortages, and how to implement better support.

According to ABC, special education has historically been one of the most vital yet underfunded teaching positions in public schools. The lack of adequate financial support, either at the local or federal level, creates additional challenges. The pandemic further exacerbated the workload of special education teachers, many of whom transitioned to remote teaching and had to adapt their practices and provide individualized education plans (IEPs) and special services remotely. Then there’s the fact that post-pandemic demand for their services has only increased, students with diverse needs saw sharper declines in test scores than their peers during the pandemic.

ABC interviewed Jahsha Tabron, the 2022 Delaware teacher of the year, who emphasized the immense workload that comes with being a special education teacher. While the “winning moments” of student growth provide inspiration and fulfillment, the demanding nature of the job can make it a tough sell for prospective candidates. Special education teaching requires expertise in not only general instruction but also specialized needs and disciplines that some teachers don’t encounter as often. While policymakers may focus on the lack of applicants, experts say schools need to create more targeted recruitment strategies rather than increasing recruitment efforts in general.

According to a monthly survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) School Pulse Panel, a significant portion of K-12 public school principals reported difficulty filling fully certified special education teaching positions at the beginning of the school year. This shortage affects the quality of education provided to students with special needs, particularly those from low-income and minority backgrounds. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has highlighted the importance of collaboration and the need to address shortages in bilingual education, special education, and STEM fields, which disproportionately impact marginalized students.

The shortage of special education teachers is a significant concern affecting education across the United States. To address the issue, schools are turning to better collaboration and increased financial support. By providing special education teachers with better resources, improving their working conditions, and supporting their professional development, schools hope to attract and retain qualified teachers who will make a lasting impact on the lives of students with special needs.

References:

Most of the US is dealing with a teaching shortage, but the data isn’t so simple

Why there’s a special education and STEM teacher shortage, and what can be done

Special Education During the Pandemic, in Charts

What School Staffing Shortages Look Like Now

School Pulse Panel

Want to attract and retain special education teachers?

Watch the free webinar with expert Ingrid Wulczyn of Project IDEA to improve your school’s special education teacher recruitment, hiring process, and ability to provide ongoing support.

Webinar takeaways:

Support your special education teachers so they grow with your school.
Write job descriptions that attract passionate and dedicated candidates for special education roles.
Ensure each step of the hiring process reflects an understanding of special education teachers’ unique roles.

Watch for free here.

This month, schools around the country are celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Some are inviting community members to give presentations that showcase AAPI heritage, traditions, and impact. Others are hosting screenings of movies that highlight AAPI stories, history, or achievements. There have been art exhibitions this month, cooking demonstrations, cultural food fairs, and a plethora of innovative curriculums and projects highlighting this rich cultural heritage.

The TEAACH Act requires public K-12 schools to incorporate a unit on the history of Asian Americans in Illinois and the Midwest, as well as their contributions to civil rights in the United States. The movement is gaining momentum, with other states like New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island following suit. Florida will soon implement a new law requiring schools to teach Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history, mandating the inclusion of AAPI history, contributions, and experiences in social studies classes. A pilot program for teaching AAPI history in schools in New York City was launched this year, which includes lesson plans, resources, and professional development for teachers to effectively teach AAPI history.

The growing support from students, teachers, parents, and education advocates nationwide highlights the importance of inclusive and comprehensive education for all, as well as representing and empowering students who share this heritage. Current studies state that there are more than 6.7 million U.S.-Born Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States, and U.S.-born Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing segment of the fastest-growing minority group in the United States.

If you’re looking to implement this kind of program at your school, here are some resources to get you started:

The Learning Lab APAC

The Learning Lab APAC (Asian Pacific American Center) is an online platform developed by the Smithsonian Institution’s APAC. It serves as a digital resource hub for exploring and learning about the rich history, art, culture, and contributions of Asian Pacific Americans. The platform offers a wide range of educational materials, including lesson plans, videos, images, articles, and interactive activities, designed to engage students and educators in discovering the diverse stories and experiences of Asian Pacific Americans. By providing accessible and engaging content, Learning Lab APAC aims to promote cultural understanding, appreciation, and inclusivity in education.

Teach AAPI

This organization is dedicated to providing educational materials and support for teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in schools. The organization aims to address the lack of representation and knowledge about AAPI history in curricula by offering lesson plans, classroom resources, professional development opportunities, and community engagement tools. TeachAAPI seeks to empower educators with the necessary tools and knowledge to effectively teach AAPI history, promote inclusivity, and foster cultural understanding among students.

Bringing Asian American & Pacific Islander heritage into the classroom • Outschool’s Educator Library

The Outschool Handbook on “Bringing AAPI Heritage into the Classroom” is a resource designed to support educators in integrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage into their teaching. The handbook provides practical strategies, lesson ideas, and recommended resources for creating inclusive and culturally responsive learning experiences. It emphasizes the importance of representation, accurate historical narratives, and cultural appreciation in fostering an inclusive classroom environment. Educators can explore topics such as AAPI history, traditions, contributions, and contemporary issues, and find guidance on how to approach these subjects with sensitivity and respect.

In this blog post, we will explore 5 essential terms you need to know to create and manage your charter school budget.

Cashflow Planning

Cashflow planning is a forecasting tool, updated monthly or quarterly, that includes costs and revenue. It allows you to track actual numbers versus what’s in the budget plan, making changes necessary to finish the year in good financial shape. By understanding your school’s cash position, you can ensure that there is enough money available to cover expenses as they arise. This approach also helps your school prepare for any unexpected expenses, such as equipment repairs or building maintenance.

Capital

Capital refers to the assets a charter school owns that have value and can be used to generate income or help the school grow. These assets can take different forms, including property, buildings, furniture, equipment, computers, textbooks, and other resources necessary for the school’s operations.

In accounting terms, capital is considered a long-term asset, as it is expected to provide value and benefit to the school over an extended period. Capital assets are different from operating expenses, which are shorter-term expenses incurred by the school in the course of its daily operations.

For a charter school, capital assets are essential for providing a safe and effective learning environment. School buildings, for example, are critical capital assets that provide a space for students to learn and teachers to teach. Other capital assets, such as computers, textbooks, and equipment, are necessary to support teaching and learning activities.

Operating Costs

Operating costs are the expenses that a charter school incurs to operate. These costs include everything from salaries and benefits for teachers and staff to the cost of textbooks, learning management systems, equipment, and facilities.

In general, operating costs can be classified into two categories: fixed costs and variable costs. Fixed costs are those that remain relatively constant over time, regardless of the level of student enrollment, such as rent, utilities, and insurance. Variable costs, on the other hand, are those that vary depending on the level of student enrollment or usage, such as supplies and materials.

Your school can manage operating costs to ensure that you have enough funds to provide high-quality education and services to your students.

Closeup of accountant hands counting on calculator and working with diagrams

Overhead

Overhead refers to the ongoing, general operating expenses and fees required to run a charter school that are not directly tied to specific goods or services. These expenses can include items such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, insurance, property taxes, office supplies, and salaries and benefits for administrative staff. Overhead expenses can make up a significant portion of a school’s budget and can affect the availability of funds for other critical expenses such as educational programs, teacher salaries, and student support services.

Unlike direct expenses, which are tied to specific goods or services, overhead costs remain relatively constant over time. These expenses are typically predictable and recurring, making them important for charter schools when budgeting. Charter schools can manage their overhead costs by negotiating better deals with suppliers, finding more cost-effective ways to deliver administrative services, or adopting new technologies or processes that increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Marginal Analysis

Marginal analysis is a decision-making tool used to determine the additional benefits and costs of a decision—whether the benefits gained outweigh the costs.

In the context of charter school budgeting, marginal analysis can help you make decisions about how to allocate resources effectively. For example, if your school is considering investing in a new educational program, you could use marginal analysis to weigh the potential benefits of the program against the additional costs it would require. They could evaluate the expected impact of the program on student outcomes, such as academic performance or engagement and compare it to the additional expenses incurred—such as hiring new staff or purchasing new materials.

Marginal analysis can also be used to optimize existing programs or processes. By evaluating the incremental costs and benefits of small changes or adjustments, charter schools can identify areas where they can increase efficiency, reduce waste, or improve outcomes.

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Important Updates for Charter Schools in Texas!

To help you get where you’re going, we’re sharing legislative and policy matters that affect the Texas public charter school community. By staying up to date with legislation, you can be empowered to advocate for your school.

Here’s what you need to know:

After three sessions of trying, HB 1707, the bill aimed at ending city-level discrimination against public charter schools, has passed the State House with an impressive 101-45 vote. This victory is significant because it sets a positive trajectory for future support.
HB 1707, which would exempt charter schools from local zoning ordinances, has now moved to the Senate Education Committee.
HB 2102, which extends the timeline for charter schools to request new campuses up to 36 months in advance, has passed the House with a vote of 106-39.
Increasing funding for charter school facilities remains a top concern for charter school advocates. Currently, there’s a significant funding gap of $966 per student between charter schools and ISDs, mainly due to facilities funding. HB 100, a bill that enhances school funding for both ISDs and charters, has passed the House. The Senate is now considering what components of the bill they want to keep or change.

Read more about current Texas education legislature here: https://txcharterschools.org/advocate/88th-legislative-session-for-advocates/

Charter schools tend to fall within three main growth stages: start-up, growth, and sustainable maturity. These stages are defined by years in operation and the number of students served, and each phase presents unique challenges and best practices. Schools that have reached sustainable maturity are at 90 – 100% of target enrollment. They are focused on improving academic programs and getting more efficient across the board, from accounting systems to recruitment processes. While this phase comes with certain advantages, such as predictable budgeting and financing, there are still challenges to overcome. You need to adapt your curriculum, upgrade your buildings, and hire and support your staff.

As a leader in this phase, it’s crucial to remain adaptable, budget-conscious, and think strategically about the future of your school. In this blog post, we’ll share six sustainability tips from experienced charter school leaders that can help you navigate the sustainable maturity stage and keep your school on track and thriving.

1. Be Mindful of Pivotal Moments

Every school will face circumstances that can disrupt its operational rhythm and culture. The key is to acknowledge these disruptions when they occur and to have a plan in place to maintain continuity for your students no matter what.

2. Strategic Enrollment = Stability

Mature-stage schools that have already reached their maximum capacity can strategically increase enrollment to ensure financial and operational stability. Recruiting a small number of students to every grade in addition to the incoming class of kindergartners, sixth-graders, or ninth-graders can be an effective way to achieve this.

3. Continue to Cultivate a Data-Driven Culture

Keeping everyone focused on the goals and metrics that matter most can be challenging, but it’s important for ensuring that your school is meeting key benchmarks along the way. Make sure that everyone, including students and families, knows the goals for the academic year and can access school-wide metrics whenever they like.

4. Celebrate Your Successes and View Your Failures as Strategic Opportunities

Celebrate every goal that’s achieved, award that’s won, and staff member that receives recognition. But don’t forget to look at the failures, too. Analyzing failures can be a great way to identify opportunities for improvement and begin next year’s strategic plan.

5. Develop Pillars That Define the Culture That You Want to Have

On some level, culture is always aspirational. Look back at your charter and think about the values at the core of who you are now and who you want to be in the future. Choose four or five pillars that represent these values and give public recognition to anyone who embodies them.

6. Assess All Management Systems Regularly

Faulty and time-wasting systems can undermine your school’s efficiency and effectiveness. Schedule time to review and replace these systems whenever possible, so that your school can continue to operate smoothly.

Want to learn more?

Whether you’re just beginning the process of starting up a charter school, looking to expand, or you’re trying to prioritize your next steps, you can find many more tips like these in the free guide How to Grow Your School.

In this guide, you’ll find tips for you and your team on developing a strong charter, building culture and community support, and boosting your financing and practices to support your growth.

Download it for free here!