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 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 (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.
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.
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.
The idea of the audit can invite stress, and it’s understandable to feel daunted by the need to address compliance and other issues while you’re focused on the day-to-day aspects of growing a school. The Charter School Audits Guide Preparing Your School for the Annual Audit offers a month-by-month breakdown you can use to prepare, a process that can help stave off overhwhelm by preparing a little bit at a time.
Here’s what it looks like:
As seen in the chart above, month one is dedicated to the fiscal audit overall. That’s because month one is when schools have just completed the previous year’s audit, so first steps are about how to move forward from there.
Month 2 is dedicated to post-audit discussions. This month you will discuss the things that went well and things that need improvement for the coming year.
Here’s what to consider in Month 2:
Be proactive. Think thoroughly about the steps your organization should take before next year’s audit.
Consider your auditor’s recommendations for your school. What internal controls did they suggest you add? Are there new policies or procedures that need to be put into place? What could use improvement? How could you manage finances differently?
Be sure your corrective action plan (CAP) is up-to-date. This will ensure you’re your plans are ready to go when it’s time to submit to your authorizer. Note: Not every school has a CAP or will receive one from audit results, so check with your authorizer.
We’ve partnered with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools to bring you an immersive, genius-bar-style experience focused on enrollment marketing, digital marketing, and school branding strategy. Along with one-on-one consultations with marketing experts, we’ll be hosting sessions throughout the 2022 National Charter Schools Conference. Come with all your marketing questions and find us in the Expert Alley in the Exhibitor Hall!
Digital Rebrand Bar Sessions
TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN WORDS 101 – Download This Presentation Monday, June 20, 10:05 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.
Communicating your school’s mission and one-of-a-kind assets is essential to attracting new students and connecting with existing families. The right words not only inform, but also tell your unique story by providing a peek inside your school. In this 20-minute session, we’ll discuss:
What do your parents want?
How to create compelling connections in your community
Creating peeks inside your school for that “I-want-my-child-to-go-there!” moment
TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN IMAGES 101 – Download This Presentation Monday, June 20, 10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Designing marketing materials and social content for your charter school is so much more than combining text and images, but for most of us, visual design isn’t our first language. In this presentation, we’ll cover core design principles and best practices, such as how to create a visual hierarchy to more effectively convey your message, use colors effectively, pair typefaces, and select the best images for your content. Get ready to create appealing and fresh designs that will help elevate your charter school.
TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY WHERE PARENTS ARE LOOKING 101 – Download This Presentation
Monday, June 20, 12:30 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Keeping track of the avenues where parents are getting their information can seem overwhelming. In this session, we’ll focus on which avenues to focus on, how to appeal to parents and best practices for keeping track of engagement.
TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN YOUR COMMUNITY 101 – Download This Presentation
Monday, June 20, 12:50 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.
Thinking of ways to get your charter school involved in the community? Trying to find the right people to support your efforts? Want to make your school more inviting? Where do you start?
TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN WORDS 201 – Download This Presentation
Monday, June 20, 1:10 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Establishing your school’s vocabulary will create a bridge, connecting your school’s values with its voice. Consistent phrases, taglines, and calls to action will provide your students and team with a sense of unity and security.
TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN IMAGES 201 – Download This Presentation
Tuesday, June 21, 10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.
Problem-solving your resources while designing marketing materials is no easy task. In this presentation, we’ll share some free online tools that can help you along the way. Let’s jump into ways to get resourceful and elevate your designs for your charter school.
TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY WHERE PARENTS ARE LOOKING 201 – Download This Presentation
Tuesday, June 21, 10:25 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Let’s deep-dive into social media and take advantage of the algorithm. For many of us, social media can be a side project that can become a back burner project. In this session, learn how to make the most of your charter school’s pages and the importance of activity.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Schools around the country were hit hard by the effects of the pandemic. Traditional public and charter schools alike were forced to adapt to distanced learning, train teachers and staff, and ensure student’s success during an unfamiliar time. Although students and parents learned to adjust to the “new normal,” now that more states are reopening and encouraging students to return to the class, many wonder how the pandemic has impacted the future of learning.
Why Charter Schools Performed So Well During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Charter schools already struggled to receive equal funding to traditional public schools before the pandemic. So, it came as no surprise that charter school administrators were prepared to rally for the resources their students and staff needed during the pandemic.
Despite not receiving the same treatment by local school boards compared to traditional public schools, many charter schools were better prepared to transition to virtual learning. Successful charter schools attribute the smooth transition to three reasons:
Charter schools are less bureaucratic, which allows for easier decision-making.
Teachers at charter schools have more experience dealing with time-sensitive situations.
Charter schools rely more on technology than most traditional public schools.
While traditional public schools grappled with remote learning and ever-changing health policies, charter schools “made rapid leaps from the classroom to the cloud.” A charter school in the Bronx celebrated a huge milestone for the class of 2021 amid the pandemic: all 65 graduating seniors got accepted into college. So, as you can see, despite the challenges schools faced due to COVID-19, charter schools still found a way to rise above.
Lessons Learned: Will Virtual Learning Stay With Us?
Charter schools are presented with many choices when it comes to their reopening plans in the fall. You’ve come this far, so you’re probably wondering what will become of virtual learning as COVID-19 cases fall around the country. Many charter schools have already come forward with their reopening plans and safety protocols for the fall.
Many charter schools’ post-COVID reopening plans include virtual learning as an option for students, and for a good reason. Despite the push by school districts to get kids back into physical classrooms, one poll by the University of Southern California shows that parents are satisfied with remote and hybrid learning, and 42% of the parents surveyed even said they preferred remote lessons for their kids.
It’s unclear that virtual learning is here to stay forever, but it’s probably in your best interest to include virtual and hybrid learning options in your charter school’s post-COVID reopening plans.
Post-COVID: Reopening School Buildings to In-Person Learning
There are over 3 million charter school students in the country, and your charter school must be taking the proper steps to protect every student and staff member. School administrators are faced with tough decisions when it comes to reopening plans post-COVID. Juggling the opinions of parents, state politicians, and teacher unions can make it difficult for charter schools to find a reopening plan that suits everyone.
Still, charter schools must work through logistical challenges to promise a safe return for students in the fall. If your charter school is struggling to source adequate resources or create a safety plan, we suggest you look to charter schools that have successfully reintroduced in-person learning.
Social Justice, a charter school in Washington, D.C., reopened its doors to students in the fall of 2020. Although they still offer hybrid learning options, school leaders report that the following has helped ensure a safe in-person return:
Strategic planning
Small class sizes
Staggered schedules
Strict safety protocols
The Department of Education (DOE) released a handbook that provides charter schools a detailed road map for reopening that we advise you to incorporate into your charter school’s strategies. Consider the following methods suggested by the DOE when mapping out your charter school’s reopening plans:
Include parents, teachers, and staff in the strategic planning process
Implement COVID-19 safety protocol for food distribution
Measure student’s social and emotional well-being through the use of surveys
Ensure school safety and inclusiveness by prioritizing creating a safe environment that supports and responds to the trauma students experienced due to the pandemic
No one is quite sure what the world will look like post-COVID. Whether virtual learning is here to stay is impossible to answer, but one thing is for sure. Charter schools are presented with the unique opportunity to create a reopening plan that prioritizes both student safety and academic success.
The Diverse Charter Schools Coalition is a national association of 190 racially, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse student populations. Their goal: Band together these diverse populations with a focus on intentional diversity and inclusion.
We had the pleasure and honor to attend this year’s Converging of Diverse Schools Coalition – Interrupting Equity – named “Creating anti-racist and liberatory practices at intentionally diverse schools.”
The Keynote Speaker was activist, educator, and writer Brittany Packnett Cunningham. Brittany is a former teacher, education leader, and fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics.
The convening split its agenda into four tracks: Academics, Community, Culture, and Operations. We found the schedule of this conference comprehensive, and it was great to have the ability to choose from these various tracks. The sessions themselves were so content-rich that it was hard to decide what to attend.
Under Academics, there were sessions on grading, AP courses, and removing barriers that perpetuate inequity in learning. Under Community, sessions dived deep into the definition of Diversity, disrupting the opportunity gap, and communal classrooms. Under culture, the sessions focused on shifting mindsets, restorative circles to build community, staff culture, and creating an authentic and inclusive community. Under operations, the focus was on centering BIPOC, along with time management and distribution.
One thing that struck us was the school visits. These were breakout sessions where the convening’s guests got to witness virtual classrooms and environments at six intentionally-diverse schools. The vulnerability displayed by the schools, and the teachers themselves, was remarkable. They invited us to watch, critique, and discuss. It was a commendable example of transparency and a fantastic opportunity to assess, ponder and learn.
The schools delved into their intentional cultures, including their “crews,” which might be comparable to homerooms but with a heavy diversity focus. One school had different cohorts of second-graders through fifth-graders, where they tackled a curriculum focusing on racial equity. One group created a poem and a quilt for Black History Month.
It was beneficial for the teachers to be able to compare approaches. We watched videos of schools engaging in virtual teaching, and we had honest discussions as to what seemed to be working well and where there might have been room for improvement.
During these visits, we were particularly impressed with the Yu Ming Charter School of Oakland, CA, a Mandarin-language immersion school with a highly diverse student population.
This K-8 charter school won the Diverse School award for the year. It’s easy to see why this charter school has a 500-person waiting list.
The Convening also organized three affinity groups, including a healing & solidarity space for Black participants, a healing & solidarity space for Non-Black People of Color, and an awareness & accountability space for White participants.
The conference’s sponsors included the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, PANORAMA Education, The Walton Family Foundation, the Cohen-Schneider Law firm, the NWEA, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“Be on the side of freedom, justice and young people” @MsPackyetti yes yes yes! #DCSC2021
Our panel of judges received so many amazing entries this year, competition was fierce, and the selection process was quite challenging. It’s heartwarming to see how many people wrote in, telling us stories of teachers who made a decisive impact in their lives.
After much deliberation, our panel chose the stories they deemed most moving.
The winners of the 2020 Dewey Awards are:
Sarah Ward – honoring Mr. Heroux
Dr. Cecil W. Payton – a tribute to Mrs. Katie Pugh Smith
Dr. Mechelle Newell – Mr. Porter, the most special teacher (video)
The authors of these stories will be awarded a $1,000 charter school grant each, to go to the charter school of their choice.
We’re featuring all three stories below. In upcoming weeks, we’ll be posting many other stories sent to us during this contest. Stay tuned!
Mr. Heroux
Story by Sarah Ward
My sophomore year was the first year that I participated with my school orchestra in the annual MPA, music performance assessment, held by our district. The orchestra had been steadily rehearsing and perfecting our repertoire for weeks under the direction of our conductor, Mr. Heroux. Our small charter school orchestra was quite the underdog group, having never received straight superiors, the highest score from all of the judges, at one of these events. This year, however, was different: we were thoroughly prepared and determined to impress our talent upon the judges.
When the day arrived, every student was a bundle of nerves and excitement. Mr. Heroux consistently fed us words of encouragement throughout the day, keeping us focused on the task ahead. The performance came and went, and the stress of our scores was pressing upon us. We knew we had given a spectacular performance by the look on Mr. Heroux’s face after we walked off the stage. Performance scores were given to the directors to share with us, so the anxiety of our small ensemble was palpable in the band room the next morning.
“First of all,” I recall Mr. Heroux saying, “you all did an incredible job yesterday.” From his tone of voice, I could tell that something was amiss. I looked up and saw tears glistening in his eyes as his voice cracked. At that moment, everyone could tell that he had bitter news to share with us. Then he told us: we did not get straight superiors. He went through each of the judges’ score sheets. Two out of the three judges had given us superior ratings, but one judge only gave us an excellent, the rating below superior.
To make matters worse, Mr. Heroux told us that he had examined the point brackets, and he sadly reported that the excellent was one singular point away from a superior. I was shocked, heartbroken, and angry. We had failed to achieve the top score by one point. I looked around the room and could see other members of the orchestra equally affected by the news, especially the seniors who had worked four years for this moment.
Even when he thought that there was nothing he could say to make us feel better, Mr. Heroux demonstrated his care for us that day. He recalled us how we had worked incredibly hard and had done so well on stage the previous day. Even though we were nervous, we did not let our nerves get the best of us. When we made a mistake, we kept going. He reminded us that we had played our hearts out on that stage, and regardless of the score, we stood out as one of the most united ensembles at the event. He told us that he knew we were disappointed, and he was not going to lie to us. He was disappointed as well, but he was also proud.
Through his tears, he told us just how proud he was of our accomplishments. As an ensemble, we had been through a lot that year, but we never failed to pull through and make him proud. He helped us see that this instance was no exception. He was so incredibly proud that we were able to work together and produce beautiful music, regardless of the scores we received. One by one, many of the members of the orchestra vocally expressed their agreement with Mr. Heroux. I remember a specific instance when the principal violist shared his gratitude on how his section was always there to back him up on parts he felt that he did not completely know.
After we were finished sharing, Mr. Heroux stood at the front of the room with a teary smile on his face, and at that moment, we were all satisfied and knew we would not have been the ensemble we were without his guidance.
I do not think that there was a dry pair of eyes that morning when the orchestra students left the room. Mr. Heroux had shown us that sometimes we have to look past something such as a score or a rating to see what is truly important. No, we did not receive our desired straight superiors, but we came together as one body of students and gave the performance our all. We showed our strength, not necessarily in numbers or experience, but by the will of our resolve and determination to put on our best performance. We could not have done this, however, if it was not for Mr. Heroux. He is not just a teacher at my charter school, he is a mentor and leader who cares immensely about his students.
I cannot count the times when he has encouraged me when I felt as if I was not a good enough musician to succeed in my life. He inspires every student he comes in contact with to put their best self forward and never give up on themselves, even when a setback occurs. His lessons are full of wisdom and never fail to assist students in their day to day lives, such as the one he imparted upon us that day in my sophomore year. When I am older and reflect upon my high school career, I will always see Mr. Heroux as the noble and caring person who I aspire to be.
Mr. Porter – The Most Special Teacher
Story by Dr. Mechele Newell
Hello, I’m Dr. Newell and I am super-excited about your proposal to share a story of inspiration because I am nothing but a person who comes from stories of inspiration. So I want to share a story about the most special teacher I have ever had. And his name was Mr. Porter. He taught at John F. Kennedy High School in Cleveland, Ohio, the inner city. Okay, I’m talking about the inner city and I transferred to that school my junior year, I believe. And I was put in an Algebra 2 with Trigonometry Course and everyone told me, “Mr. Porter is the worst. Mechele, he’s going to require so much of you.” And so I thought, “I don’t really want to be in this class.”
I mean, I am in an inner-city school where no one cares about what these kids are doing. Why do you care so much, right? But let me just give you a glimpse of Mr. Porter. Mr. Porter was a black man probably in his forties, I’m thinking, maybe late forties. Now that I’m an adult, right? He wore a blue button-down cardigan, pretty much similar to the look of Mr. Rogers from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He did not really mix and mingle with the students but he knew everything about you. He had this way of having enough information about you to literally scare you. He never yelled. He never raised his voice. You never saw him physically do anything harmful to students.
But in a school where we had some really rough students, everyone feared Mr. Porter. First of all, you’re in a school where not many of the educators in that school thought much of the students, all right? And on top of all of that, you have this course that is considered to be a college prep course. And you have a bunch of black and brown students in the class that we feel like we’re kind of elite, right? Because look around, right? Look at where you are and look at us. We’re sitting in this class, so we are already the elite group. So we kind of demanded some respect, if you will. Just based on that alone, well, Mr. Porter wasn’t one of those men.
He felt like all of the students at that school should be able to perform at this level. And this level was not the level most teachers expected from the students. And so just to give you an example, when you started in his class, he would tell you, “No one will leave my class with a grade lower than a B.” And so you’re excited, this guy is going to be great. He’s going to give us points. It’s going to give us extra credit. And that was not the case at all. Mr. Porter demanded that every time you were awake, walking anywhere, that you would have his Algebra 2 with Trigonometry book on your person.
And if he did not see you walking around with that book, he would deduct points. And then you’d have to earn them back by doing some extra work. And you already didn’t want to do the work that you had. So I don’t even know why we thought this was something he could do. But if he saw you at the mall, seriously, if he saw you at Burger King, which was across the street, you had better had that textbook on you. We all feared Mr. Porter but not because he was mean, not because he was hateful, not because he said disparaging things, but because he had this level of expectation that just did not fit in our environment, it just didn’t.
Nobody expected anything of us but for him to expect everybody to earn B’s, all right or greater, right, higher grades? And to expect to see kids that most folks called, knuckleheads, good-for-nothings, to expect to see us anywhere we could walk, right? To have our books with us, that was just, that was scary, yet he earned our respect. And I will honestly say that anything and everything that I know about math right now is because of that man. Now this was an Algebra 2 with Trigonometry Course, you would have thought, right? That I had picked up some of my math, my love for math or my skill in math at an earlier age.
But everything that I learned from him solidified whatever I had been taught before. And normally you would look for a strong foundation of math and then you would grow on top of that. But it happened in a backward way for me. And most of the kids in our class, being in a district where … You can look up the Cleveland Public or Cleveland Municipal School District, that school district remember had a good reputation, all right? Especially when it came to dealing with students who look like me. And so our foundation was not sturdy, it was not strong at all. Yet we were still matriculating and still being pushed through the system.
And so to end up in a class with a man who loved math as much as he did, he wasn’t even excited when he taught it. He just taught it with such ownership, that you knew that he knew what he was talking about and you really wanted to know, as well. He made you believe that you could do it. He did not ever offer you a way out. It was always, this is what you’re going to do because I said, “You can do it.” I say that he inspired me the most because I find myself having that same passion for my students’ learning. And I find myself telling them, “Look at me. You can do this because I said you can do it. Not because I’m the boss of you but because I see it in you.
And because I am going to do whatever it takes to make sure you have the tools that you need to master this skill.” His impact, it didn’t just have an influence on me while I was in his school or in his class, but it has had an influence and an impact on everything that I have touched since knowing him. I realize that I can do all things, that there is nothing outside of my reach. That just because other people may not feel I have an ability to do something, that does not make it true, it does not make it so.
And so that’s why I choose Mr. Porter. Even after leaving that school, my family had to move to another area and I had to leave John F. Kennedy High School. I wound up going to a school called Garfield Heights High School in the Greater Cleveland area but it’s actually a suburb. And that was my senior year. And when I got there, the guidance counselor told me that I should just go to junior college. She laughed at me when I told her I wanted to go to Notre Dame College of Ohio, which is a women’s college. She laughed so hard. She literally fell over in her chair. She said, “You’ll never make it in a four-year.”
And I honestly believe what made me push past all of that, was what had been instilled in me by Mr. Porter in that math class that I had taken just the year prior. I had him for the entire year. He was an amazing, amazing teacher. But most importantly, he sowed seeds of hope. And having that experience after I transferred out and being able to, now as an adult, reflect on all that I went through academically from my childhood through adulthood and now they call me doctor, I can’t help but recognize him for his influence and his inspiration. So that’s my story. That’s my story. Thank you so much just for allowing us this opportunity to reflect on what good teaching or what good leadership or what good solid inspiration looks like in the classroom.
In Loving Memory of and Tribute to Mrs. Katie Pugh Smith
Story by Dr. Cecil W. Payton
As young African American males growing up in the ’50s and ’60s in the tiny segregated town of Orangeburg, South Carolina, African American students naturally were relegated to attending segregated schools based on skin color.
Katie P. Smith
I remember well how we were bussed past the all-white schools to the all-Black schools that were not nearly as well equipped. That did not, however, deter us from seeking the best education that we could get. Although our schools were not as well equipped, we had some of the best, highly qualified black teachers who really cared about their students and went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that we were fully prepared for the next chapter in our lives.
One such teacher was the late Mrs. Katie P. Smith, a loving and caring teacher who had such a profound effect on my life. She and her husband, Hampton D. Smith were both educators, he a professor at Claflin College (now university), and she an elementary/middle school teacher in the Orangeburg County Public School System. In addition, their home was on the same street as my family’s, only about a half-mile apart. I remember vividly how they would wave in their car as they passed by our home every day on the way to work. I was fortunate enough to have had Mrs. Smith as my sixth and seventh-grade teacher.
Initially, she was supposed to only have been my sixth-grade teacher, but she was so impressed with our class that she asked to move up one grade so that she could be our seventh-grade teacher also. Of course, we were delighted because she was such a wonderful teacher who always encouraged us to do our best. She truly believed that we could be anything that we wanted to be and would always find something extra for us to learn.
One of the things that endeared me so much to her was the time when I was the only student in a class of about 30 students who spelled all 100 of the words correctly on a spelling test. She was so proud of me that she had me stand in front of the class as she shared my test result. The excitement and enthusiasm in her voice were so exhilarating to me that I still remember the moment as if it were only yesterday. That moment instilled in me the confidence that I needed to succeed. Even today, I can still hear her voice as she said, “Cecil, I am so proud of you.”
In addition to being great in the classroom, Mrs. Smith was also an avid outdoor person. She loved to take us on field trips to explore nature.
Dr. Cecil W. Peyton – then and now.
On one particular trip, we all had to remove pine tree seedlings from a tree farm and plant and nurture them in our respective yards at home. Having grown up on a farm, I was so excited that I planted three pine trees at my home.
As those trees grew over the years, they continuously reminded me of Mrs. Smith who passed away about 35 years ago. It was only about five years, however, ago that we had to have the last of the three trees removed from the family’s estate for fear of it being struck by lightning. However, that site is marked by a ring of beautiful azalea plants that our mother planted years ago.
Yes, Mrs. Katie P. Smith was very special to me. I only wish that she could have lived long enough to witness the person that I have become.
Cecil W. Payton, PhD – The Kid from the “Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks”
We were honored to present two sessions at RAPSA 2020.
As an organization, RAPSA focuses on helping educators working with at-promise students – with an emphasis that given the right support, all students can succeed.
It was fitting therefore that we featured Dr. Ramona Bishop as a speaker. Throughout a career spanning over two decades, Dr. Bishop has been a teacher, assistant principal, assistant superintendent, superintendent and now the CEO of her own public charter school, ELITE Public Schools. Dr. Bishop and her colleagues created Elite with the specific mission of helping under-served students – those students the mainstream system might have left behind.
Dr. Bishop was joined by our own Tricia Blum, VP of business services at Charter School Capital. Prior to joining CSC, Tricia was the CEO of a five-campus charter school – and this experience gives her solid understanding of the challenges faced by school leaders.
Dr. Bishop spoke about the components of ELITE as a school: entrepreneurial skill development, language development, dual-immersion pathway and the African-American and Latino Cultural Heritage program.
Tricia Blum gave some background on Charter School Capital. Our company has supported over 700 charter schools, serving over 1,250,000 students – and has invested over $2 billion in serving charter schools better serve their communities.
As a relatively-young school with a sizable student body (400 students), ELITE transitioned to online learning in Match of 2020 over the course of three days. The transition first started with paper packets distributed to students, but soon moved to Zoom-driven sessions, and email reminders and phone calls.
The transition exposed the huge digital divide in the student population. Many didn’t have a laptop, or internet access. The shortcomings of the original distance learning model became painfully visible. Working with parents, listening to parents’ feedback, input and ideas became paramount.
Lessons Learned
Through this dialog with parents, the charter school learned that this transition required more than just academic support – it required mental-health support, infrastructure, new educational formats, attention to students with focus challenges, student intervention groups.
The school responded by providing small learning groups after class day, the creation of a “learning space,” and ongoing discussions with parents to constantly improve their approach.
Staff and educator wellness became critical. Providing support for the teachers was highly prioritized.
The key takeaway is that a successful school is all about relationships. It hinges on ongoing communication with the key constituent groups – teachers, staff, students, parents, advocates, and the greater community.
Dealing with Uncertainty
Not only were the students confronted with the uncertainty of a global pandemic, but also with unprecedented (in their lifetime) racial strife and a highly-charged political climate, revealing systemic racism and deep divides, all of which signaled threats to an already-vulnerable student population.
The school provided context, by teaching about social-justice protests of the past, pandemics of the past, and past elections. The school used this moment as an opportunity to rethink, rebrand and re-strategize – to find even better ways to be there for the students.
Creative and innovative teachers seized the moment to thrive, leveraging technology, social media and new channels to enhance the student experience and advocate for their students.
Lessons Learned:
Create spaces and moments for students to process current events, and deal with their anxiety and stress
These spaces should be unbiased – including bringing outside third-parties to help navigate these times.
Teachers asking themselves, “how can I make more of a positive impact?” – and the school following this with “how can I better support the teacher?”
On Leadership
Dr. Bishop spoke about the role of a leader. More than a manager, a leader is there to motivate, to inspire, to provide the larger vision. Dr. Bishop calls this “step up, and step back.” Step up, meaning occupy fully the role of a leader. Be willing to be the person who others follow, be willing to be the voice of inspiration and certainty – even when at times that certainty might be hard to muster. And step back, meaning avoid micro-managing, let your teachers and staff exercise their roles fully, allow them to have agency and voice. And step back also to see the bigger picture, to gain perspective, which one can then use to provide vision and inspiration.
Lastly, Dr. Bishop spoke of how leaders should seek support as well. Support from the community, and support from allies and partners. Dr. Bishop spoke about the key role the parents and families of students played in these times, helping the school continue to grow by 20% even in the middle of a pandemic – and the key role of Charter School Capital, providing much needed capital that filled the funding gaps often experienced by a growing school.
Financing Options in the Age of COVID-19
We also brought to RAPSA a presentation on financing options, led by Ryan Eldridge, Senior New Business Specialist.
Ryan spoke about the financial solutions provided by Charter School capital, comparing our solutions to other paths available. He also touched on key factors to consider in making financial decisions at a charter school.
In words that echoed those of Dr. Bishop, Ryan spoke about what’s now officially a recession.
He spoke then about challenges faced in various states:
Schools in Georgia are experiencing a 10% cut in Quality-Based Education (QBE)
In Ohio, there’s a 3% cut in general funding
In Arizona, schools saw an additional $200 million in additional state funding
In Texas there were no cuts, and some schools received additional funding through specific programs
Financing Options
Ryan compared the available options for charter schools: Term loans, RAN or TRAN, Lines of credit, and a flexible funding line. According to Ryan, these should all be evaluated against the following factors: Flexibility, capacity, certainty and cost.
Further, in terms of the cost, this goes beyond just looking at the rate. The rate is influenced by annualized terms, by how it’s applied to the borrowed funds, by how the funds are released, how long the funds are outstanding. Lastly, issuance fees and any ongoing fees can be an important factor. During the webinar, Ryan showed a chart where $1.5M in funds have four different possible total cost:
Ryan’s comparison matrix for the four financing options available showed pros, cons and considerations:
Jake Logan, President and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association, briefed the audience about the presidential election and Senate seats in Arizona, along with the statewide races.
Mr. Logan reminded us this year neither the governor nor the superintendent of schools were on the ballot, but there were three open seats for corporation commissioners. Mr. Logan shared his opinion that the seats are likely to go to Republican Lea Márquez Peterson, who Gov. Doug Ducey appointed to the commission, Republican Jim O’Connor, who originally came in as a write-in candidate, and Democrat Anna Tovar, who is finishing a term as Tolleson Mayor.
Echoing the Associated Press, Mr. Logan stated that Congressman David Schweikert would likely defeat Dr. Hiral Tipirneni for AZ 6th Congressional District Representative.
In Eastern Arizona, the race in Legislative District Six, which includes the city of Flagstaff, was between Republicans Walt Blackman and Brenda Barton on the Republican side, and Coral Evans (Democrat) and Art Babbott (Independent). In a close race, both Republicans are expected to secure the seats.
Mr. Logan spoke of the demographic flip in Legislative District Eighteeen, which includes Ahwatukee, where Democrat incumbents came ahead, and in LD20 – another Democrat pickup, with Representative Judy Schwiebert gaining a seat. Also in LD20, Republican Paul Boyer —a charter school teacher—is favored to win against Democrat Doug Ervin in a very competitive race. LD20 includes parts of Phoenix and Glendale.
LD28 is another district that has seen a massive voter shift in the last five or six years. Christine Marsh, a teacher, seems likely to win against Sen. Kate Brophy McGee once all votes are counted.
Ballot Initiatives
Prop 207, legalizing marihuana for adults, was passed. Mr. Logan was asked if any of the taxes from this initiative would go toward schools, and he replied that he does not believe so.
Prop 208 “Invest in Ed” passed, with a very robust campaign. It will go into effect in January, and they’ll start collecting taxes in January – so schools are not likely to see resources realized in that school year. Charter schools are included in 208. Mr. Logan mentioned he does not know how much it means at a school level, but he provided a few estimates.
What’s Next
The Election Results will be certified at the end of November by the Secretary of State and the Governor – at which point the results will be official. House and Senate caucuses will elect their leading teams.
In the Arizona House of Representatives, Michelle Udall — a former member of the Mesa school board — and Representative Russell Bowers are both keeping their positions as Speakers. Russell Bowers began serving as state House speaker in 2019.
The JLBC (Joint Legislative Budget Committee) will then start working on a budget, likely announced in January.
In terms of charter schools, the Association will be sharing updates, especially in terms of mandates concerning COVID-19. Mr. Logan mentioned the Association would hold additional calls to update charter schools on any changes.
The Dewey Awards are a tradition at Charter School Capital. This annual essay contest about one’s favorite teacher was created in 2017 by Stuart Ellis, our Founder and CEO.
Who Was Richard Dewey?
Stuart met his favorite teacher at eight years old. By eight, Stuart had already caught on that people would scold him whenever he did anything differently — whenever he “painted outside the lines.” Math — always a passion for Stuart — was an example. Apparently, there was ONE way to solve a math problem, and if eight-yr-old Stuart solved the problem, arriving at the correct answer, using unconventional processes, that was to be discouraged. Mr. Richard Dewey was different.
Mr. Dewey celebrated Stuart’s ability to do the arithmetic in his head — while also coaching him on the processes, for the time when the process would become more complicated.
“This is a treasure that you should hold forever!” wrote Mr. Dewey on Stuart’s first research paper (on California’s gray whales).
Richard Dewey made his students feel they had limitless potential. He took qualities Stuart had internalized as ‘bad’ and suggested they were great. Mr. Dewey made each kid feel ‘more than’ without making anyone feel ‘less than.’ He made them all feel they had limitless potential.
Fundamentally, Mr. Dewey made his students feel loved.
In a class of thirty-plus children, every child was seen. Mr. Dewey was a talented musician, and had managed to install a grand piano in his class. He would compose little rhyming songs about each kid – songs that Stuart remembers to this day.
In 2004, more than 30 members of Mr. Dewey’s class showed up for a thirty-year reunion. Sadly, Stuart arrived fifteen minutes after his former teacher had left, and the opportunity for a reconnection was missed. This prompted Stuart to write a Holiday card along with a letter, with details about his adult life and his family. In a heartwarming surprise, Mr. Dewey’s response included vivid recollections of Stuart as an eight-year-old, and all the things the teacher had noticed as potential in the student — things that had come to fruition in Stuart’s adult life.
Mr. Dewey’s letter was so uplifting it made Stuart cry. He was surprised how, at forty years of age, he could be so moved by this man’s words as he was as a child.
A Long-Awaited Reconnection
In 2017 Stuart got his chance to reconnect with his favorite teacher — who now asked Stuart to call him Rich. They met for three-and-a-half hours, and even that felt too short. Stuart tried to convey the deep impact his teacher had had in his life. They both cried.
Afterwards, Rich wrote Stuart expressing his own thoughts — how he had been reflecting, asking himself if he had had a significant positive impact on others throughout his life.
As the frequency of notes and calls grew, Rich and Stuart became good friends. The calls became a daily routine, and they were a joy for both men.
Mt. Dewey’s superpower was his vulnerability. He shared openly about his fears and challenges. He was courageous; he always put others ahead of himself.
Lessons in Life & Death
As Rich grew ill and faced his own mortality, his lesson to Stuart took on a deeper meaning — covering matters spiritual and philosophical.
In June 2019 Richard Dewey passed away. Stuart feels his presence still, and he is happy to see the Dewey Awards honor Rich’s memory.
A Passion to Help Educators
It was the influence of Mr. Dewey — along with other mentors – that led Stuart to devote his energies to the founding of Charter School Capital, with a mission to bolster and empower maverick educators, leaders in education. The whole purpose of our company is to support charter schools, help their growth and guarantee their survival.
Our Favorite Teachers
Most of us have had mentors, teachers in our lives who have inspired us to greatness. Teachers who saw in us potential we may not have even seen in ourselves. Teachers who push us to be the best we can be, to achieve all we can achieve.
The Dewey Awards are meant to celebrate such teachers.
We invite all charter school students to write in to our contest and tell us about your favorite teacher. We will select three winners, and each of these will receive a $1,000 charter school grant in the name of the school of your choice.
This year’s school reopening has been – and continues to be – an unprecedented challenge for all schools. Reimagining school facilities to create safe spaces for presence learning, setting up cleaning stations, barriers and markers, temperature measuring protocols has added heavy burdens to already-overextended administration bodies. In setting up remote learning, so many schools had to consider, perhaps for the first time, the hardware and connectivity limitations of their students. Social inequalities bubbled up to the surface. And on top of all that, there’s been the challenge of organically preparing the students themselves to conduct themselves within social-distancing protocols.
It’s no wonder so many schools fell short.
Charter schools have performed well, and in many cases have been ahead of the curve – according to two new studies. These studies, one from the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools and the other one from Fordham Institute, found that many charter schools achieved remarkable success – pivoting quickly and efficiently to remote learning.
The schools in the Fordham report distributed tens of thousands of Chromebooks, set up internet hotspots, and were quick to offer a robust mix of live and recorded instruction, causing student engagement and morale to stay high in the face of this transition and the health crisis facing all of us.
The common denominators all center around caring for the student as a full human being.
The Five Keys To School Reopening Success
These five factors rose to the top as contributors to school success:
Meeting students’ nutritional, social and emotional needs;
Proactively distributing the needed technology to the students;
Quickly creating structure that approximates their old normal routines and maintaining grading practices;
Reaching out to families, and listening to families, on a frequent and ongoing basis;
Being team-oriented in all aspects of instruction, grounded on a common curriculum.
The studies also highlight areas for improvement – such as increased communication with families and parents of students with disabilities to discuss and clarify how the school can best fit their child’s needs. In some schools, the effort to integrate students with disabilities was well-executed, but parents and families were just not aware enough to fully take advantage of this.
It’s also worth mentioning that these studies are limited in their scope.
That said, both studies show that charter schools across the nation are rising to the challenge, and have been nimble and effective in creating a new paradigm where the students continue to blossom.
We are proud to serve charter schools and help them grow.
We were honored to present two sessions at RAPSA 2020.
