Editor’s Note: This article was originally published here on April 4, 2019 by The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and was written by Nathan Barrett, Ph.D, the senior director of research and evaluation at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. The study conducted by the University of Arkansas shows charter school investment is a good bet due to their growth trajectory, academic performance, cost-effectiveness, and return-on-investment comparisons across public charter and traditional public schools.
We think it’s vital to keep tabs on the pulse of all things related to charter schools, including informational resources, and how to support school choice, charter school growth, and the advancement of the charter school movement as a whole. We hope you find this—and any other article we curate—both interesting and valuable.
Why Investing in Charter Schools is a Good Idea
A recent study released by researchers at the University of Arkansas, A Good Investment: The Updated Productivity of Public Charter Schools in Eight U.S. Cities, provides key insights into cost-effectiveness and return-on-investment comparisons across public charter and traditional public schools.
The authors highlight the fact that, on average, charter schools have a positive effect on student achievement and ask what these effects mean in the context of potential resource disparities across sectors. The study looks at charter schools in eight cities (Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, New York City, San Antonio, and the District of Columbia) and found that charter schools outperform traditional public schools on both cost metrics—overall and for in each of the eight cities.
Per-Pupil Revenue is Well-Spent in Public Charter Schools
Researchers calculated the cost-effectiveness of public charter and traditional public schools using math and reading test scores—specifically National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores—compared to cities’ per-pupil revenue to determine how effectively each sector was able to impact student achievement per $1,000.
In all eight cities, public charter schools outperform traditional public schools in both math and reading cost-effectiveness.
The public charter school sector delivers a cross-city average of an additional 5.20 NAEP points per $1,000 funded in reading, representing a productivity advantage of 36 percent for charter schools.
The cost-effectiveness advantage for charter schools compared to TPS regarding NAEP reading scores ranges across the cities from 5 percent (Houston) to 96 percent (Atlanta).
The cost-effectiveness for charter schools compared to TPS in terms of NAEP math scores ranges from 5 percent (Houston) to 95 percent (Atlanta).
Return on Investment in Public Charter Schools
When the researchers compared the return-on-investment (ROI) of dollars spent on students in public charter schools and traditional district schools, charter schools came out ahead for both student achievement and lifetime earnings—concluding that public charter schools in these eight U.S. cities are a good public investment in terms of the comparative amount of student achievement they produce for the funding they receive.
In all eight cities, public charter schools outperform traditional public schools in standardized test scores despite receiving less funding per pupil.
On average, each dollar invested in a child’s K-12 schooling in traditional public schools yields $4.41 in lifetime earnings compared to $6.37 in lifetime earnings from each dollar invested in a child in public charter schools—a 45 percent advantage for students in public charter schools.
A student who attends a public charter school rather than a traditional public school for their entire K-12 education ranges from 7 percent (Houston) to 102 percent (Atlanta).
These results are promising but it should be noted that this study is purely descriptive and, while the study uses a fairly representative sample of charter sectors from across the country, more work needs to be done to analyze these patterns in other areas. Nonetheless, this provides compelling evidence that charter schools are delivering more for our students with less resources.
Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.8 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!
Are Charter Schools Really Hurting Traditional Public Schools?
Editor’s Note: This op-ed article was originally published here on March 22,2019 by Show-Me Institute and written by Susan Pendergrass.
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools. The public funding that follows a child to a traditional public school, also follows that same child to a charter school. The money, therefore does not inherently belong to traditional public schools specifically, but rather to the individual child’s education. This allows for choice in education and supports the right of families to select the best option for their children whether it be a traditional public school or a public charter school. This article shares an enlightening perspective.
We think it’s vital to keep tabs on the pulse of all things related to charter schools, including informational resources, and how to support school choice, charter school growth, and the advancement of the charter school movement as a whole. We hope you find this—and any other article we curate—both interesting and valuable.
DON’T CHARTER SCHOOLS HURT PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Without a doubt, the question that I get most often about charter schools is, “But don’t they hurt the public schools?” Setting aside the fact that charter schools are public schools, the short answer is charter public schools don’t hurt traditional public schools any more than other factors that can affect enrollment. But they may challenge them.
The assertion seems to be that all children who live within the borders of a public school district are the property of that school district, unless their parents can pay to opt them out. If free public charter schools become available and parents choose them, then they’re rejecting, and thereby hurting, their local school district.
When a parent chooses to send a child to a charter school, the state funding that would have been sent to the public school district where that student lives is sent, instead, to the charter school the parent has chosen. Federal funding, such as that for low-income students or students with disabilities, also, theoretically, follows the student. Some, but not all, of the local funding may go with the student. The same is true whether the student chooses a charter school, moves to another school district, or moves to another state. The local public school district is no longer tasked with educating the student, so they no longer get the money to do so.
It’s true that districts with declining enrollment may struggle to downsize, at least quickly. The same is true whether parents are choosing to move out of the district or whether they turn to charter schools. But the solution isn’t to prevent kids from choosing charter schools because the district can’t afford it, any more than it would be reasonable to prevent parents from moving out of the district.
Public school districts have some options when faced with the loss of students to charter schools. They can consider it a challenge and do what’s needed to bring parents back. They can collaborate with the charter school to better serve the needs of all students. They can move away from long-term fixed expenses to a nimbler way of doing business, similar to how many charter schools finance their buildings. Or they can complain that the world’s not fair.
All students are guaranteed a free public education by the state, and the power over that funding should be in the hands of parents, rather than locked into a public school district. And defenders of the status quo should stop calling for protected status for schools that parents don’t choose.
Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.8 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!
Charter Schools Are A Better Investment Than Traditional Public Schools
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published here on April 9, 2019 by the New York Post. It was written by Patrick Wolf, a distinguished professor of education policy and holds the endowed chair in school choice at the University of Arkansas and Corey DeAngelis, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute. It examines which type of public school — traditional or public charter — delivered the most academically cost-effective education.
We think it’s vital to keep tabs on the pulse of all things related to charter schools, including informational resources, and how to support charter school growth and the advancement of the charter school movement as a whole. We hope you find this—and any other article we curate—both interesting and valuable.
Case closed: Charter schools deliver more education ‘bang’ for the buck
Polls show that most Americans think our public schools deserve more funding. Meanwhile, each year, states and school districts make choices about how to spend the education funds that they have. Doesn’t it make sense for them to invest in schools that work — schools that help students learn the most with the lowest burden on taxpayers?
Several years ago, we began researching which type of public school — traditional or public charter — delivered the most academically cost-effective education. In a 2018 report, we examined eight cities: New York City plus Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, San Antonio and Washington, DC.
While their sizes and demographics vary widely, each city has a substantial concentration of students enrolled in charter schools. In every city, we found that charter schools were more productive — that is, they yielded more learning per education dollar spent than traditional district schools.
Students enrolled in New York City’s charter schools scored roughly 12 points in reading on the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, for every $1,000 invested in those schools.
By contrast, students in the city’s traditional public schools produced about 9.5 NAEP reading points per $1,000 invested, generating a cost-effectiveness advantage of 24% for charters in the Big Apple. The results for math were similar: More than 13 NAEP points per $1,000 of funding for charters compared to almost 10.5 points for traditional schools.
We also discovered that Washington, DC, charters were 67% more cost-effective than traditional schools. Indianapolis charters bested their traditional counterparts by 65% on the productivity measure.
This year we revisited the same eight cities to see if the trend had continued. It had. Once again, the charter schools in each city proved more cost-effective. Public charter schools in New York were 25% more cost-effective than the city’s traditional public schools in producing 2017 NAEP reading scores and 26% more cost-effective in generating math scores.
San Antonio charter schools, to take another example, were 29% more cost-effective in math and 30% more cost-effective in reading than traditional schools. Washington charters were 43% more cost-effective in both subjects. The results for each city are detailed in our report, “A Good Investment: The Updated Productivity of Public Charter Schools in Eight U.S. Cities.”
We recognized that NAEP scores represent only a snapshot of academic performance. So we were curious what long-term academic results would reveal.
By calculating the average amount of learning at traditional and charter schools, the economic returns to those learning levels over the average lifetime, as well as each type of school’s total per-pupil funding over the course of a K-12 education, we were able to calculate the return on investment, or ROI, delivered by each type of school.
In all eight cities, we found that charters delivered a greater lifetime ROI. For each dollar invested in a student enrolled in traditional schools, that student secures $4.41 in lifetime earnings. The same dollar invested in a student enrolled in charter schools yields $6.37 in lifetime earnings for that student.
Public charter schools’ ROI exceeded that of traditional public schools by an average of 53%. Atlanta charter schools yielded an ROI that was 102% greater than traditional schools. Indianapolis came in second, with charters’ ROI 73% greater than traditional schools, followed by Washington charters at 58% and Boston charters at 53%.
The ROI for learning generated in New York City charters was 29% higher than the ROI in the traditional public schools in the city.
Elected officials and policymakers have a choice about where to invest educational resources and a responsibility to invest wisely. Charter schools are, simply put, a good investment. Our findings are just one more reason why lawmakers in Albany should raise the cap on charters in New York City and give the more than 53,000 Big Apple families on charter waitlists the chance to get the sound education they deserve.
If you are trying to meet operational expenses, expand, acquire or renovate your school building, add an athletic department, enhance school safety/security, or buy new technology, complete the online application below and we’ll contact you to set up a meeting. Our team works with you to determine funding and facilities options based on your school’s unique needs.
How to Build Positive Charter School Culture: Toolkit for Schools and Network Leaders
Editor’s Note: Building a positive school culture in your charter school can help students achieve more, build morale among both staff and students, and attract and retain exceptional teachers, among other key benefits. This outstanding content is from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and was originally published here on February 5, 2019. If your goal is to implement or improve the school culture in your charter school but don’t know where to start, this toolkit will be an invaluable resource to get the ball rolling.
We think it’s vital to keep tabs on the pulse of all things related to charter schools, including informational resources, and how to support charter school growth and the advancement of the charter school movement as a whole. We hope you find this—and any other article we curate—both interesting and valuable.
SCHOOL CULTURE TOOLKIT: PRACTICAL RESOURCES FOR SCHOOL AND NETWORK LEADERS
CULTURE IS KEY
Positive culture is a key ingredient in any school’s success. A strong culture helps schools hire, develop, and retain more great teachers; avoid challenges with staff morale; and inspire students to reach greater heights. But we’ve found many charter schools are unsure where to begin in understanding or improving their culture.
This toolkit contains practical resources to help school and network leaders build stronger cultures at their schools—starting tomorrow—so that they become places where the best teachers want to build long, rewarding careers. Many of the tools were created and curated by TNTP, a national nonprofit with more than two decades of experience working with public charter schools and traditional district schools.
SCHOOL CULTURE OVERVIEWS
These resources provide a high-level overview of the most important elements of a strong instructional culture.
Greenhouse Schools in Boston: School Leadership Practices Across a High Performing Charter Sector: A case study of charter schools in one city that have successfully incorporated the elements of strong instructional cultures.
RETAINING GREAT TEACHERS
A key part of sustaining a strong school culture is holding on to outstanding teachers who embody it. These resources can help school leaders do just that.
Teacher Retention Roadmap: A overview of retention best practices, with tools to support them (such as a retention planner).
Retaining High Performing Teachers: A presentation that shows how several school systems have implemented best practices for retaining top teachers.
Long-Term Retention Planner: A template that helps school leaders create long-term retention plans for their best teachers.
Teacher recognition email templates: Suggestions for short emails school leaders can send to recognize their high-performing teachers—a simple step that makes them more likely to stay.
Avoiding Teacher Burnout: A guide to help schools create cultures that minimize teacher burnout.
COMPENSATION AND CAREER PATHWAYS
Salaries and career advancement matter to teachers as much as they matter to other professionals—and both are an important part of how teachers perceive their school’s culture. Network and school leaders can use these resources to help ensure their compensation and career pathway policies reinforce strong cultures at the school level, and give their best teachers more opportunities to shape policies and practices beyond their own classroom.
Every teacher hiring decision sends a message about what a school truly values in its culture. Those new hires, in turn, help shape the school’s culture for years to come. Building a selection process around a clear vision and set of expectations can help schools hire the teachers who best fit their culture—and reduce morale and performance challenges over the long run. These resources can help school and network leaders take stock of the standards they want to set when hiring teachers and implement them consistently.
Recruitment and Selection Guide: A sample blueprint for a teacher recruitment and selection process—including resources to help clarify a school’s vision and expectations—that can be customized to fit any charter network and school.
Teacher Recruitment Roadmap: A roadmap for recruiting a pool of highly qualified teacher candidates (with several embedded guides on marketing, job posting, and recruiting in rural areas).
Sample Job Description (Uncommon Schools): An example of a teacher job description from a charter network.
Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We provide growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.8 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!
Do You Know the Four Pillars of Charter School Sustainability?
Editor’s Note: For this CHARTER EDtalk, our own Charter School Capital Advisor, Ryan Eldrige, was honored to be joined by Jeff Rice, Founder and Director of APLUS+, The Association of Personalized Learning Schools & Services, to discuss the Four Pillars of Charter School Sustainability. Jeff is passionate about the charter school movement and because of his dedication, APLUS+ has been a leading voice to raise awareness and understanding of the critical need for parent and student choice in public education, and specifically for a personalized learning option in education for the growing number of students for whom a rigid, classroom-only model is not a good match for success.
To learn more about the Four Pillars of Charter School Sustainability, please watch the video or read the transcript below for the full story.
Ryan Eldridge:Hello and thank you for joining this episode of CHARTER EDtalks. I’m Ryan Eldridge, Charter School Capital Advisor, and I’m honored to be joined today by Jeff Rice, director and founder of the APlus+ Personalized Learning Network Association, and we’re going to be talking about building strong community engagement. So, welcome Jeff. Thank you for joining us. Jeff Rice: Well, thank you. It’s an honor to be here as well. Eldridge:Why don’t we just kick it off. I’ll ask you a couple of questions, and we’ll just dive right into it. So, can you tell us a little bit about APlus+ and the APlus+ network and your theme for this year?
About APLUS+ and Personalized Learning
Rice: APlus+ is the first and currently the only association whose mission and vision is to advance personalized learning and to support all schools, but particularly charter schools whose mission and vision is to personalize learning.
When we talk about personalized learning, because that tends to be a phrase that can be used to represent a wide variety of things, we’re talking about a model of education that provides choice and flexibility in how, what, when, where and with whom each student learns. So, it is incumbent upon every school, who supports that mission and vision, to provide a wide variety of choices. Sort of a buffet menu that can be matched to the needs of each and every student.
We were founded 17 years ago in 2002, so this is our 17th year in operation, and we have built a strong reputation as the pioneers in education for personalizing learning in the 21st century. Our theme for this year is Strengthen That Which We Can Control, and the reason we chose that theme is obviously because of the consequences of the 2018 elections and the choice (of some within the status quo education system) to use charter schools as scapegoats for all of the financial troubles, the academic issues that the district schools are experiencing, and they’re using charter schools as the reason for their fiscal mismanagement and academic failures, of course, all of which is false.
But what we can control is to strengthen our schools in four particular areas, which we call the Four Pillars of Sustainability. If you’d like me to-
The Four Pillars of Charter School Sustainability
Eldridge:That was my next question. Now, I was just going to ask you can you go into the Four Pillars of Sustainability? Rice: I jumped right into it. Eldridge: That’s great. Please do. Rice: Okay. So, the Four Pillars of Sustainability, which are the four primary areas in which we have direct control over are as follows.
PILLAR 1: Accountability and Transparency
Rice: Obviously with the recent signing into law of SB 126 by [California] Governor Newsom, requiring charter schools now formally even though most charter schools were already complying with these requirements, but formally, legally, to comply with the Brown Act requirements, the Public Records Act requirements, the Political Reform Act requirements, and sections of Government Code 1090. It has intensified the requirements for charter schools to be very transparent in those areas. So, with regard to governance, charter schools now really have to step it up to make sure that they are following all the requirements now that are being required of them.
In addition to, of course, what they’ve been required to do all along, and that is make sure that they follow their charter school petition in their administration that they meet their LCAP goals and do their reporting mechanisms as they are required to do to make sure that their finances are in order and that they are fiscally responsible and prudent that they have the required reserves set aside as well as legal compliance to make sure that they are very familiar with charter school law, very familiar with all the areas in which they are required and being scrutinized to follow. As we know, the scrutiny has intensified in the last couple of years. And as a result of the 2018 elections, has intensified even more. That is the first pillar, accountability and transparency.
PILLAR 2: Student Data, Growth, and Achievement
Rice:The second pillar has to do with student data, growth, and academic achievement. Of course, student data is an area in which we can significantly improve, particularly around student intake data. In my nearly 20 years of experience, I hear countless stories about how students who have been struggling in district-operated public schools are coming to charter schools, and their first or second year state testing results, of course, are far below proficient, the reason being because they are inheriting the failures of those district schools with those particular students who upon enrollment with the charter school are several grade levels behind, are credit deficient, are having all kinds of challenges that are not the fault of the charter school at all.
The Importance of Data to Demonstrate Growth
Rice: But the charter schools can do a much better job of documenting that information and translating it into a reportable document that shows that they didn’t start on an even ground when they enroll that student. Well, to use this starting gate analogy, they weren’t at the starting gate. They were hundreds of furlongs behind the starting gate and had to play several years of catch-up in order to bring those students to proficiency in all of the core subject areas. But yet the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) results don’t show that. CAASPP results do not reflect that at least until year three or year four.
If the student stays that long with the charter school, the students’ testing results start to reflect the great work that the charter school is doing. So, we need to do a much better job of documenting data and then recording data and reporting it. In addition to that, we need to do a better job not only on the CAASPP results and the dashboard indicators but also using internal assessment data to show internal growth. There are a number of effective tools out there that every charter school should be using regardless of the type of model the charter school is to be able to document internal growth where a one-year snapshot test by the state does not provide all of the story.
Then in addition to that, we want to make sure to use other types of indicators that demonstrate success, college and career indicators and so forth, some of which the state is finally after all these years adopting formally, but to the degree to which the charter school can show those additional indicators. Even post-secondary placement indicators will help in the mix of demonstrating success.
That is the second pillar. Those are more internal pillars by the way. The other two pillars are more external. I believe that charter schools across the board need to recognize that they assume the role of dual educators.
They are equally responsible for showing positive successful results with their students as they are in educating their greater communities and the public.
PILLAR 3: Brand Identity and Sharing Your Success Stories
Rice: We know that still after 26 years of being a movement in California, that the majority of the public still doesn’t know what a charter school is. When most of you say, “We are from a charter school,” the first question out of their mouth most of the time is, “How much does it cost?” That is a mirror that reflects back to you their lack of knowledge in what a charter school is.
In fact, it tells you that the majority of the public still after 26 years believes that charter schools are private schools because how many people in the public think that there is a tuition fee for a public school?
Unless they’ve been living in a cave, they know that public schools are tuition free. So, for them to say, “How much does it cost?” tells you that they believe that charter schools are private schools.
Unless they’ve been living in a cave, they know that public schools are tuition free. So, for them to say, “How much does it cost?” tells you that they believe that charter schools are private schools.
That is a huge public relations disaster for the charter school movement where the majority of the public still doesn’t recognize that charter schools are part, an integral part, of the public school system. Now, our opposition is taking advantage of that by going out and using false propaganda and talking points to say that charter schools are stealing public school students. Charter schools are stealing public school dollars from the public education system.
Rebranding Charter Schools
Rice: So, they’re using that lack of knowledge in the public to their advantage to use charter schools as a scapegoat and to demonize charter schools and to sway the public against charter schools even though charter schools are an integral part of the public education system. In order to turn that around, not only do we need to educate the public about charter schools being an integral part of the public education system, but charter schools need to adopt a strong brand identity. A brand identity is a way to, in layman’s terms, describe who you are, what you do, and how you do what you do.
What is the end result? The end goal is to create value and distinction in the mind of the public, so they recognize that you are an essential part of a vibrant and healthy public school system in their community that you are serving students whose needs are not being effectively met by other types of public schools. Now, that’s not to say that we should get rid of all district schools and go all charter. This is not about charter schools versus district schools. This is about having a healthy and vibrant and diversified public education system that provides equal access and equal opportunity to all students, to find the school and the program that is best matched to them to ensure their best chance at succeeding and going on to a productive life through career and college pathways.
This is about having a healthy and vibrant and diversified public education system that provides equal access and equal opportunity to all students, to find the school and the program that is best matched to them to ensure their best chance at succeeding and going on to a productive life through career and college pathways.
To establish a brand identity is to succinctly describe who you are, what you do, and how you do what you do in a way that the public understands and recognizes the tremendous value to society and to the public education system that they’re currently not seeing by not even knowing that what a charter school is. So, it’s incumbent upon every charter school to establish a strong brand identity, and from that foundation to then tell your success stories and tell your success stories through a wide variety of avenues, from social media, to traditional media, to developing relationships in the community, which gets, then, to our fourth pillar of sustainability, and that is to develop strong relationships and allies out in the community.
PILLAR 4: Building Community Relationships and Allies
Eldridge:Please elaborate on this one. This is important, I think, for a lot of charter schools. Rice: That’s right. Because charter school leaders wear so many different hats, they tend to really have little or no time to reach out to their greater communities, and yet that is equally as critical as serving the needs of their students, especially in today’s very contentious climate where we’re really facing some of the most anti-charter legislation and anti-charter perspectives and sentiment and downright attacks that we have experienced in 26 years of existence.
So, the heat has been intensified. It is incumbent upon charter school leaders to reach out, not operate in isolation, not operate as separate islands, but to reach out and develop strong relationships with community leaders and community organizations that make a difference.
And in so doing to build allies so that when we are challenged by the status quo system that believes in a monopoly ahead of the best interests of students and ahead of parent and students’ school choice, which should be the foundation that everybody agrees on.
But yet that is not what we’re currently facing. We need to have those local allies to influence decision-makers and elected officials are responsible for making policy at the state level, to remind them that the most important focus is what is in the best interest of students, and how can we together create a vibrant and healthy education system that offers diverse choice and opportunity for all students to ensure that all students succeed? That should be the goal for everybody, but yet it’s not.
So, developing those community relationships by reaching out to individuals, engaging with them, educating them, inviting them to be a part of your school community, of your greater concentric circles of influence, makes all the difference in the world, and that needs to be integrated into the culture of every school as vitally as important as is integrated into the school, the goal of academic excellence. Eldridge:Yeah, can you provide some specific tips on how they can actually engage the community and create those allies? Is that inviting authorizers out to board meetings? Is it holding community events? How do you suggest they do some of those things? Rice: Well, I think first and foremost, it’s to invite them to be part of your interview informational distribution network. Get them on your email distribution list. Develop an email newsletter or other ways of distributing and disseminating information on a regular basis, some of which may include invitations to all school events whether those events are open house events; they’re events that honor and recognize community leaders for their support, which are very important. Community leaders love to come and receive awards, and to find excuses and reasons to honor and recognize their leadership and their support in your school and in what you’re doing is vitally important.
Rice: That also includes events that may showcase student talents and student achievements and student results, everything from theater to spelling bees, to robotics team results and those kinds of things. Use those opportunities to reach out to your community and invite folks to join you. Also, use organizations such as Chambers of Commerce and rotary clubs and Elks lodges and other organizations that are parent-driven, that work with troubled youth and teens, that work with families such as real estate agencies, such as church groups and so on. I have a whole list here. I’m trying to remember off the top of my head what a lot of them are. Eldridge:You’re doing great. Rice: But certainly, elected officials. Go out and meet with elected officials, staff at the regional offices. Go visit them in Sacramento. Bring students along to tell their success stories. In addition to the newsletter, use social media outlets. Use traditional media outlets to talk about your student success stories, to talk about your academic results and how you’re making a difference for students who otherwise would not have been successfully served had you not been in existence.
That is what ultimately creates value and distinction. You are providing a school model and results that other types of public schools and even private schools are not able to offer, which means you are an essential ingredient and component to a, to contributing to a healthy and vibrant public school system. Eldridge: Great. Jeff, always passionate. Really appreciate it, it’s great information. Appreciate you coming again today. Rice: Thank you so much for having me. Eldridge: And hopefully everybody else out there enjoyed it, and that wraps up this episode of CHARTER EDtalks. Thank you.
Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We provide growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.8 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!
Toolkit: How To Prepare Your Charter School For Natural Disasters
Editor’s Note: This post was originally featured here from the National Charter Resource Center at Safal Partners. This comprehensive toolkit and list of resources can help prepare your charter school for natural disasters.
In 2018, the nation saw multiple, unprecedented natural disasters including deadly and devastating hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, winter storms, and wildfires. Preparing your charter school for natural disasters involves assessing risks, readying shelters, setting up effective warning and communication systems, and developing recovery plans — all to get your charter school back to teaching kids as soon as possible after a natural disaster.
We hope you find this—and any other article we curate—both interesting and valuable.
Natural Disaster Preparation and Response: A Toolkit for Charter Schools
More than 25 million Americans—almost eight percent of the population—were affected by natural disasters in 2017. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, supported 59 major disaster declarations, 16 emergency declarations and 62 Fire Management Assistance Grant declarations across more than 35 states, tribes, and territories. Given the catastrophic events of 2017, these natural disasters remind families and communities of the importance of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters.
The National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC) presents this toolkit that provides resources and examples to help charter school leaders and administrators (hereafter referred to as “leaders”) prepare for and respond to the effects of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires. DOWNLOAD THE TOOLKIT HERE
You can download the Excel spreadsheet referenced in the toolkithere.
Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We provide growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.8 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!
Dispelling Myths with These Five Charter School Facts
1. Fact: Charter Schools Are Public Schools
Charter schools are tuition-free, independently run public schools and open to all students. They are granted greater flexibility in operations for greater accountability for performance. Their “charter” is a contract detailing the school’s mission, program, the students they serve, performance goals, and methods of assessment.
2. Fact: Charter Schools Serve All Students
Charter schools do not have selective admission requirements. They accept every student who wish to attend, including English Learners, students with special needs, and students of color. Unfortunately, due to the high demand for charter schools, over one million students are currently on wait lists.
3. Fact: Charter Schools Are Accountable
Charter schools are granted more educational flexibility in exchange for higher accountability. They must meet both state and federal education standards as well as rigorous student achievement, financial, and managerial standards to retain their charter.
4. Fact: Charter Schools Are Diverse
Charter schools are incredibly diverse, providing unique learning opportunities for students. Some cater to children with special needs, some to students who require credit recovery, while some have specific educational focusi such as math, science, art, or the performing arts.
5. Fact: Charter Schools Get Results
By meeting students exactly where they are and tailoring the educational experience to their particular needs, charter schools allow kids to reach their full potential. Studies show that charter schools often outperform their district traditional school counterparts. They are also graduating ready for college and careers at higher rates.
Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We provide growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.8 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!
Starting a charter school is for those who are passionate about providing unique, customizable, and diverse educational opportunities for students. But make no mistake—it is by no means a simple undertaking. Starting up a charter will take organization, time, and energy, so you’ll want to begin with a clear understanding of the journey.
In this article, you will find a detailed guide to the steps to starting a charter school, including:
What research to do at the state level
The time and energy required for planning and program design
How to develop an objective for your school and write a mission statement
Gathering a board of governance
Building a budget, choosing a location, and making a charter petition
The approval process
Hiring teachers and staff
Enrollment
Measuring progress
Free additional charter school planning resources
Getting Started
Charter schools provide students with innovative approaches to teaching and learning, providing communities with different educational options for students within the public school system. Charter schools are public schools that are run independently from the local school district but are still required to follow and meet local and state academic standards. They are publicly funded by the states they operate in and must comply with regular performance reviews.
Here’s what to look into at the state level as you get started:
1. Check the legality of charter schools in your state. Because charter schools are funded by the states they operate in, each state has legislation to determine the legality of opening and operating a charter school. First, determine whether charter schools are permitted in your state.
As of January 2016, the majority of states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that allow charter schools to operate. The states in the U.S. that do not currently permit charter schools include:
Kentucky
Montana
Nebraska
North Dakota
2. Check for capacity limits.Of the states that do permit charter schools, many put caps on how many charter schools can operate within that state. Depending on where you live, you may be ineligible to open a charter school due to capacity limits, even if charter schools are generally allowed in your state.
The states which currently do not have caps in place are:
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Nevada
New Jersey
North Carolina
Oregon
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Wyoming
If you live in a state that is not listed, there may be limitations on how many charter schools may legally operate within the state. However, it is still possible that your state may not have reached its capacity. Search online for charter school laws in your state to see if you can start a charter school in your region.
3. Determine if new schools are allowed. In addition to setting limits on the number of charter schools permitted, some states have laws that set limits on the types of charter schools allowed. That means that there may be restrictions on new start-up schools, public school conversions, and/or virtual schools.
4. Visit your state’s Department of Education website. Because charter school laws vary so much from one state to another, it’s important to know your state’s specific guidelines, deadlines, and regulations. There is no single compendium, unfortunately, so you’ll need to learn about the particular forms, applications, and deadlines required in your state.
Tips:
You can search online for your state’s Department of Education website, or you can search for your state’s charter school application process.
Pay close attention to all relevant deadlines as these will most likely be unique to charter schools in your state.
Familiarize yourself all aspects of your state’s charter school legislation. Some states require the applicants to exhibit a working knowledge of their state’s legislated requirements, purpose, and objectives.
Planning and Designing Your Charter School
Once you’ve got the green light at the state level, it’s time to think through the particulars of your school. It’s time to start dreaming, but also stay realistic to ensure success. It will be important to stay true to your vision and to gather others to help you along the way.
1. Assess your level of commitment.Starting a charter school will assuredly take a lot of time and energy—and it will most certainly be frustrating at times. Before you begin the process, reflect on your ability to stick with the project—you’ll be attending meetings, learning new skills, taking risks, and working with a diverse range of people to bring your vision to life. It also won’t happen right away, so you’ll need to be in it for the long haul.
A few details to consider:
You’ll need to put together a robust team to make your charter school happen. You’ll need people experienced in real estate, those with financial expertise, and others with strong backgrounds in operations/management skills, leadership abilities, and educational design.
Planning for your charter school will most likely take at least a year—and may take considerably longer. You’ll also need time to build a new facility or modify an existing one, depending on where you decide to open your charter school. Will you still have the same passion and patience for this project in a year (or longer)?
2. Develop your dream. The main reason for starting a charter school should ultimately be to provide your community with an educational opportunity that does not currently exist. Think about what aspects of a well-rounded education are missing from current public school options—how could you address those needs with your potential charter school?
Here are some questions to think about:
What could realistically be taught in the public school curriculum, but isn’t?
You will have to stick to your state’s standards of education, of course, but what could be done differently while still adhering to those standards?
One successful charter school concept in an area with a large population of Chinese families was to incorporate Mandarin Chinese language lessons into the curriculum. Can you think of similar ways to provide relevant academic opportunities for the students in your community?
3. Write a mission statement. Once you have a clear idea of your charter school’s concept, start drafting a mission statement. You’ll need to be able to outline your vision to your state’s Department of Education (or equivalent), so work on creating a clear, pragmatic mission and purpose.
The mission statement should describe your charter school’s purpose as well as your goals/aspirations for the school (what you intend to accomplish).
Ask yourself what the best, most ideal public school education would look like. Then start brainstorming a list of defining characteristics and use these to generate the basic components of your mission statement.
Consider explicitly incorporating a set of core beliefs into your mission statement. This can help guide you as you craft your mission statement, and may be useful for future evaluations of your school’s performance.
Your mission statement should be clear and concise. You’ll need to relate your school’s administrative decisions to its mission and core values, so the clearer and more specific you are, the easier it will be to put your mission into action.
4. Establish your governance. Before you can start the paperwork to enact your idea for a charter school, you’ll need a board of governance. This is a vital part of any successful charter school, as approximately 27% of all new charter schools are disrupted by internal conflicts within the board.
You’ll need to decide both who is on the board and how that board will function.
Consider:
The people you select for your board should understand the mission you’ve outlined and they should be fully dedicated to that mission. Get to know the people you’re considering for your board and see if their values and beliefs align with yours (and your charter’s).
Most successful charter school boards have between 7 and 11 members, where each member significantly contributes some specific skill set to the board. These skills include finance/accounting, real estate, facilities management, legal services, human resource services, fundraising and marketing, community partnerships, and academic programming.
Think about where your own weaknesses lie (and be honest with your self-assessment), then look for potential board members who can strengthen your school board accordingly.
Consider splitting your team up into sub-committees that can work on assigned aspects of research and planning based on the members’ areas of expertise.
Don’t forget that the role of the board is to govern your charter school and not manage it. Governance involves creating goals for the school, setting metrics to measure the school’s process, evaluating the school, approving the budget, creating policies, engaging in fundraising, and enforcing local and state charter laws.
5. Set a budget. The budget will help determine how your money is spent within the charter school. The governing board members should have a considerable voice in determining the budget, both in terms of how to raise funds as well as how to use those funds.
You’ll want to:
Keep your mission statement in mind as you develop your budget. Are you holding your future students’ best interests in mind at all times?
Work with an accountant or financial planner to develop a budget proposal for the first year of operation, as well as a long-range budget plan that will cover the first three to five years of operation. You’ll also need a detailed cash-flow projection for every year of operation.
Have your board review and approve the budget and projections you develop on an annual basis.
6. Choose a location. The facilities in which you build and operate your charter school could make or break your charter’s chances of success. It’s seldom as easy as finding a spot and signing the lease. Finding and securing a facility for a charter school often requires some degree of compromise and innovation.
Try to search for potential facilities within a central location that will be convenient for your prospective students and their parents.
Property that used to house a school may be an ideal location, but finding an old school building in good condition can be difficult. Some charters operate out of converted retail spaces, while others rely on multi-use facilities to share the space and resources with other schools or businesses.
Of course, you won’t want to put a down payment on any property until you know that your charter application is accepted, but having a potential place lined up could help strengthen your application.
7. Develop your petition. In addition to a mission statement and board of governance, you’ll need to develop a charter petition. This functions similarly to a business plan for a prospective business.
It can span hundreds of pages and require extensive research including:
Your vision and mission for the school, as well as the school’s curriculum design, hiring practices, predicted facilities/location, and communication structure.
Research in both legal requirements and functional practices of successful charter schools. You can find some of this information online.
Input from charter schools, both in your region and across the country. The board members at established charter schools can help guide you with their own experience and may be able to offer suggestions you would not have considered.
Opening Your School
You’ve done your research, developed your vision, and gathered your board members—now it’s time for the practical steps needed to open your school doors.
Draft and submit a letter of intent.Depending on your state’s guidelines and requirements, you may need to write and submit a letter of intent. You may need to submit your materials to your local school district, your state’s Department of Education, or to your state’s Charter School Office (if such an office exists in your state). The letter of intent should outline the planning and design you’ve worked on thus far and should identify the board members you’ve chosen to establish and operate your proposed charter school.
A successful charter school letter of intent should include, but may not be limited to:
applicant information
founding group/board of directors, along with each individual’s role and qualifications
proposal history (if relevant)
the name of your proposed charter school
the prospective location – not the address, but simply the school district your charter will fall in, and any specific neighborhood(s) you’ve identified as a promising location
planned grades and estimated enrollment
any partner organizations you’ve lined up
your school’s mission statement
an overview of how your school will live up to its mission statement
the target population you hope your school will appeal to
diversity initiatives for your charter school
public outreach initiatives and community support for your proposed charter school
2. Wait for approval. Once your materials are submitted, you’ll need to wait for authorization to proceed with your school. Most charter schools are authorized by the local school district, but if the school district denies your application you can appeal that decision to the county, and then to the state.
Common reasons for a denied application include:
an unsound educational program
a concern over the petitioners’ inability to successfully implement the school program they’ve designed
a failure to address the conditions or guidelines set out for charter schools in your town, county, or state
a failure to meet the educational requirements of schools in your district, county, or state
3. Hire faculty and staff. If your charter school is approved, you’ll need teachers, administrators, and facility managers. You may want to consider alumni of alternative teaching programs like Teach for America, or turn to online job listings. As with board members, you’ll want to be sure you hire qualified people who are passionate about your school’s mission.
Here are some best practices when hiring teachers:
Have teaching applicants teach a sample lesson as part of the interview process. This will give you a good look at how that applicant actually performs in the classroom.
Follow up on all job references, and pay close attention to each candidate’s job history. Look for any dismissals and find out why that applicant was terminated from a position.
Do a basic online search to see if each individual has a public social media account. This may give you some insight into the applicant’s personality and ethics.
Work with local law enforcement to conduct a background check.
Most new charter school startups have a high turnover rate. Do what you can to retain quality teachers, and if a teacher you hire isn’t working out, don’t wait five years before finding a replacement. Similarly, don’t feel hurt if your teachers don’t stick around for more than a year or two. Anticipate turnover from both your employees and from you and your board as the employers.
4. Open for enrollment. Once you’ve been approved for operations and you’ve hired a strong faculty and staff, you’re ready to open for enrollment. Remember that you may be bound to certain class size restrictions and other regulations, and always keep your charter school’s mission statement at the forefront of all operations. If you need help with enrollment marketing, consider partnering with experienced charter school marketers to support you.
5. Monitor progress at all levels. As you grow, you’ll want to monitor the progress of your school. Many education boards choose to work with an agency like Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). MAP can assess schools nationwide on a regular basis and provide you with a personalized assessment of your school’s ranking, your students’ progress, and your students’ potential for growth. These results are often delivered within 24 hours, allowing you to keep on top of your educators’ effectiveness and your students’ learning progress.
Getting You the Money, Resources, and Know-How
While the process may seem overwhelming, the community benefits of charter education are worth the time and effort. Carefully designed and mission-driven charter schools offer nourishing learning environments and greater diversity to students nationwide. What’s more, there are many resources to help those interested in starting charter schools.
Why are Receivable Sales Beneficial to Charter Schools?
Charter schools often have difficulty accessing capital from traditional sources for operations and growth. One method of financing widely used by many industries is receivable sales. This reliable and flexible transactional process, pioneered by Charter School Capital for charter schools, provides access to capital needed to support operations, facilities, programmatic expenses, or other obligations.
What is a receivable sales transaction?
In a receivable sales transaction, Charter School Capital purchases state aid payments due to the charter school from the state and, in exchange, provides funding to the school in advance of the state payment distribution date. The state payment remains with the state until the scheduled distribution date arrives. Charter School Capital assumes the timing risk if the state delays the distribution of the payments due to the school. There are no additional costs to the charter school in the event the state delays payments.
How are the amounts available to the charter school calculated?
Amounts available for a charter school to sell to Charter School Capital are typically established by attendance-based entitlements or eligible grants owed to the charter school. Selling attendance-based entitlements and grants gives the charter school community access to much-needed capital when they need it, so schools are able to focus on educating students.
How does the receivable sales program work?
Charter School Capital and the charter school enter into a receivables purchase agreement and execute a bill of sale. Executing these agreements transfers ownership of the state payment to Charter School Capital and the school receives the agreed-upon funding. When the state distributes the payment to Charter School Capital, the funds are then distributed as outlined in the bill of sale.
What are the costs associated with the sale of receivables?
There are only two costs involved in our sale of receivables, the program fee and the discount.
The program fee is a fixed fee for the transaction.
The discount is the cost of selling a receivable and is determined by market-related factors including but not limited to the type of receivable being sold, the time the receivable is outstanding, and the credit-risk profile of the school. The discount is determined at the time of sale and does not change after the sale has occurred
Why choose receivable sales as a financing option?
Selling attendance-based and other receivables helps accelerate a charter school’s ability to grow.
Our qualification process is simple and more than 95 percent of schools that apply qualify.
Schools have the ability to adjust funding levels to align with cash flow needs for existing operations or growth
The sale of receivables is a reliable and flexible option for raising much-needed capital for charter schools.
If you’d like a printable PDF version of this information, download it here.
Charter School Capital is committed to the success of charter schools and has solely focused on funding charter schools since the company’s inception in 2007. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.6 billion in support of 600 charter schools that educate 800,000 students across the country. For more information on how receivable sales will benefit your charter school, contact us!
Charter School Growth Manual: Expert Tips and Pitfalls to Avoid as You Grow
At Charter School Capital, we believe in the power of charter schools and their leaders to deliver quality education and foster success in their students. Over the past 10+ years, we have partnered with hundreds of charter schools to help them access the capital they’ve needed to achieve financial and operational stability.
Along the way, we’ve had the privilege to learn from charter school leaders and educators about what works and what doesn’t—and we’ve come to see that the hurdles they face tend to be remarkably consistent.
Although charter schools are champions of educational diversity, they typically face similar sets of challenges and encounter the same potential pitfalls, regardless of their focus, location, or population.
For this guide, we turned to our wide network of charter school experts for best practices and strategies for success at every stage of maturity. All of the advice in this book comes from experienced charter school leaders who have been where you are now—they understand what you’re facing and the pitfalls to avoid. We hope the growth strategies here include useful tips for you and your team on developing a strong charter, building culture and community support, and boosting your financing and facilities practices to support your growth.
For each of the three key stages (start-up stage, growth stage, and sustainable maturity stage) you’ll learn:
Challenges & How to Conquer
Them Pitfalls to Avoid
Start-up Tips from Experienced Charter School Leaders
GET YOUR FREE COPY!
The Charter School Growth Manual: Expert tips and Pitfalls to Avoid as You Grow
Whether you’re just beginning the process of starting up a charter school, looking to expand or trying to prioritize your next steps, download this guide to get expert tips and pitfalls to avoid as you grow.
For this charter school resource guide, we turned to our wide network of charter school experts for best practices and strategies for success at every stage of maturity. All of the advice in this book comes from experienced charter school leaders who have been where you are now—they understand what you’re facing and the pitfalls to avoid.
Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.8 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!
