The Fordham Institute recently released a thought-provoking research report by The National Working Group on Advanced Education called “Building a Wider and More Diverse Pipeline of Advanced Learners.” The group was formed in the spring of 2022 with the goal of thinking through how to improve “gifted and talented” programs while simultaneously furthering equity for all students. Here’s a recap of the key findings and recommendations in the report.
Understanding the Research
The report highlights the urgent need to identify and nurture students who are ready for advanced learning options. Specifically, those students who come from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups. It’s well known that many commonly used assessment methods are skewed to favor certain groups, which affects the makeup of those identified as “advanced learners.” Groups such as Black, Brown, and Latinx students are vastly underrepresented, which, in turn, perpetuates inequities and limits opportunities.
Recommendations
To address the challenges identified in this research, the report presents a set of recommendations aimed at building a wider and more diverse “pipeline” of advanced learners. The goal of the recommendations is to:
Build a continuum of culturally responsive advanced learning services customized to individual students rather than a binary “you’re in, or you’re out” mindset.
Embrace inclusion, remove barriers, and reject the scarcity mindset.
Cultivate school-wide support for advanced learning opportunities for all students.
The National Working Group on Advanced Education’s recommendations include:
Implement Universal Screening
Schools and districts can adopt universal screening practices to identify potential advanced learners among all student populations, ensuring equitable access to advanced learning opportunities.
Improve Teacher Preparation
Teacher preparation programs should incorporate training on recognizing and supporting advanced learners, including strategies for culturally responsive instruction and differentiated learning.
Provide Professional Development
Ongoing professional development opportunities can be offered to educators to enhance their ability to identify and support advanced learners.
4. Foster Collaboration and Partnerships
Schools, districts, and communities should collaborate to share best practices, resources, and expertise in supporting advanced learners from diverse backgrounds.
This year’s National Charter Schools Conference in Austin was such a great chance to connect with so many charter leaders from across the nation.
Our main session, How to Buy Your School: Getting the Timing Right, covered how to prepare for the ideal buying conditions, how much to budget, and how to identify the right timing. Audience members also heard from Wes Graner and Marshall Emerson on building and improving their schools’ forever homes to accommodate growth.
We also partnered with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools in offering the Leadership Lab, a space dedicated to developing your skills through engaging in on-stage conversations and one-on-one consultations with industry experts. We hosted conversations about mental health, engaging the community, marketing materials, and website best practices. At our booth, we handed out 1,000+ pairs of #welovecharterschools socks and connected with leaders about how we can best serve schools this coming school year.
A Top Concern for the Second Year in a Row: Teacher Retention
Along with enrollment, school buildings, and money to run schools, a top concern we heard from school leaders: teacher retention and well-being. This is what we heard last year, too.
Teacher stress: The poll reveals that teachers continue to face significant stress in their profession, which can impact their overall well-being.
Lack of respect: Many teachers feel a lack of respect from the community, parents, and even their own students, which contributes to their stress levels.
Job satisfaction: Despite the stress and perceived lack of respect, teachers reported higher levels of job satisfaction compared to the previous year.
Pandemic impact: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on teachers, with increased workload, burnout, and challenges associated with remote and hybrid learning.
Politics: Most public school teachers express their desire to keep politics from interfering with their teaching responsibilities. The survey, which included responses from over 1,200 teachers, revealed that 91 percent of teachers feel caught in the middle of culture wars, while 94 percent want to focus on teaching.
Support from colleagues: Teachers reported finding solace and support from their colleagues, indicating the importance of a strong professional network.
Mental health concerns: The poll highlights the need for increased attention to teachers’ mental health and the importance of providing resources and support.
Appreciation from students: Despite feeling disrespected by some students, teachers also reported feeling appreciated by others, which can positively impact their well-being.
Overall, the poll suggests that while teachers face various challenges and stressors in their profession, they still find satisfaction in their work when they receive support from colleagues and students. However, addressing teacher stress, increasing respect, and promoting mental health support remain crucial for improving teacher well-being.
The findings prompted Nina Rees, CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, to express gratitude towards teachers and emphasize the need for increased support based on their feedback. “We owe an immense debt of gratitude to teachers,” she said in response to the findings. “We must listen to what they are telling us and do more to support them.”
Teacher Retention Resources
Our mission is to help school leaders get where they’re going—and that means providing the money, resources, and know-how to help create thriving schools. You can find the following free resources to support teacher retention:
To attract and retain special education teachers, schools can show they can provide what these teachers need to thrive in their roles. Watch this webinar with expert Ingrid Wulczyn of Project IDEA to improve your school’s special education teacher recruitment, hiring process, and ability to provide needed, ongoing support.
You’ll learn how to:
Support your special education teachers so they grow with your school
Write job descriptions that attract passionate and dedicated candidates for special education roles
Ensure each step of the hiring process reflects an understanding of special education teachers’ unique roles
The guide includes insights from Dr. Charlotte Pullins, founder of ELC Training and Consulting LLC and renowned specialist on diversity and inclusion for charter schools. It includes a recruitment process plan and an action plan template for charter schools to address their specific retention problems and track progress.
You’ll discover:
Best practices for building strong teacher-school relationships
How to promote growth and provide leadership opportunities
How to support teacher wellness, encourage autonomy, and give teachers a voice
Tips for recruiting and retaining teachers of color
Ways you can create an inclusive and equitable school environment
How to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
We value this kind of feedback from charter leaders and plan to continue providing resources on teacher retention. If you have a concern you’d like us to cover, please let us know!
Special education teachers play a vital role in schools, providing essential support to students with diverse learning needs. However, attracting and retaining passionate and dedicated candidates for these roles can be a challenge.
That’s where Ingrid Wulczyn comes in. Ingrid is a former special education teacher and administrator and is the founder and CEO of Project IDEA, an organization focused on providing support and resources to schools. Ingrid shared some great practices for schools looking to hire and support special education teachers. If you missed her webinar Hiring and Supporting Special Education Teachers, you can find it here on-demand or read the recap below.
What’s Unique About Special Education Roles?
Hiring and supporting special education teachers requires an understanding of the unique positions they have at your school. Ingrid shared a brief overview:
1. Specialized Role, Generic Title
While special education roles are all named similarly, they actually encompass a wide range of specific responsibilities and tasks. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to education, and neither do all teaching positions look the same.
Special education professionals wear many hats beyond their primary role as teachers. They are responsible for managing paperwork, meeting deadlines, navigating the school premises frequently, and leading meetings with fellow adults.
3. Juggling Relationships and Stakeholders
Special education positions inherently involve collaborating with numerous individuals and stakeholders. These professionals must adeptly manage and nurture relationships with a diverse range of personalities, ensuring effective communication and cooperation.
Write Job Descriptions That Attract Passionate Candidates
In light of the uniqueness of these roles, Ingrid provided tips on crafting job descriptions that accurately represent the nature of special education roles, a practice she says is vital in attracting the right candidates.
She recommends that you:
1. Create Specific Role Descriptions: Provide clear and detailed information about the specific responsibilities and expectations of the role. Highlight the range of tasks; the student population teachers will be working with, and any potential flexibility or choices teachers may have.
2.Highlight Inclusive School Culture: Emphasize your school’s commitment to inclusivity and equity. Illustrate how students with disabilities are valued and included in the school community. A supportive school environment for all students is essential for attracting and retaining special education teachers.
3.Include Perks and Support: Highlight the supports and perks your school offers to special education teachers. This can include professional development opportunities, coaching from a specialized coach, protected time for paperwork, remote paperwork options, and access to tools that facilitate their work.
Design Your Hiring Process to be Special-Education Focused
Ingrid then shared how tailoring the hiring process can reflect an understanding of the unique nature of special education roles.
Schools can:
1. Test Special Education Knowledge: During the interview, incorporate activities or assessments that assess candidates’ basic knowledge of special education practices, laws, and procedures. This can help ensure that candidates have a foundational understanding of the field.
2.Tailor Interview Questions: Include interview questions, activities, and scenarios specific to special education. For example, ask candidates to demonstrate how they plan for a small group that meets twice weekly for 30 minutes. Tailoring questions to the unique demands of special education roles will provide valuable insights into candidates’ skills and abilities while demonstrating an awareness of the role’s nuances.
Support Your Special Education Teachers for Growth
Supporting special education teachers is crucial for their professional development and job satisfaction. Here are two essential tips Ingrid offered:
1. Remove Duties: Special education teachers often juggle multiple responsibilities beyond teaching. They appreciate when administrative duties are reduced, allowing them to focus on providing high-quality instruction and support to students. By removing non-essential tasks from their plates, you can create more time for them to devote to their core responsibilities.
2. Advisory Considerations: Avoid assigning case managers to lead advisories if possible. Special education teachers have unique demands in managing multiple relationships and stakeholders. Allowing them to focus on their primary role and responsibilities without additional obligations can enhance their effectiveness in supporting students.
More Resources
Lastly, Ingrid touched on ways Project IDEA can help support special education. They have a resource library with a wide range of tools, templates, and materials designed specifically for special education teachers. These resources help educators effectively plan, implement, and track individualized education plans (IEPs) and accommodations for students with disabilities. Above all, Ingrid says, “Keep in touch with your special education teachers, and acknowledge and value what they do.”
In a recent survey by ABC News, forty states, along with Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, reported staffing issues in special education. The shortage of qualified teachers in these critical areas has raised concerns among school leaders, who are thinking through obstacles such as recruitment challenges, funding shortages, and how to implement better support.
According to ABC, special education has historically been one of the most vital yet underfunded teaching positions in public schools. The lack of adequate financial support, either at the local or federal level, creates additional challenges. The pandemic further exacerbated the workload of special education teachers, many of whom transitioned to remote teaching and had to adapt their practices and provide individualized education plans (IEPs) and special services remotely. Then there’s the fact that post-pandemic demand for their services has only increased, students with diverse needs saw sharper declines in test scores than their peers during the pandemic.
ABC interviewed Jahsha Tabron, the 2022 Delaware teacher of the year, who emphasized the immense workload that comes with being a special education teacher. While the “winning moments” of student growth provide inspiration and fulfillment, the demanding nature of the job can make it a tough sell for prospective candidates. Special education teaching requires expertise in not only general instruction but also specialized needs and disciplines that some teachers don’t encounter as often. While policymakers may focus on the lack of applicants, experts say schools need to create more targeted recruitment strategies rather than increasing recruitment efforts in general.
According to a monthly survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) School Pulse Panel, a significant portion of K-12 public school principals reported difficulty filling fully certified special education teaching positions at the beginning of the school year. This shortage affects the quality of education provided to students with special needs, particularly those from low-income and minority backgrounds. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has highlighted the importance of collaboration and the need to address shortages in bilingual education, special education, and STEM fields, which disproportionately impact marginalized students.
The shortage of special education teachers is a significant concern affecting education across the United States. To address the issue, schools are turning to better collaboration and increased financial support. By providing special education teachers with better resources, improving their working conditions, and supporting their professional development, schools hope to attract and retain qualified teachers who will make a lasting impact on the lives of students with special needs.
Want to attract and retain special education teachers?
Watch the free webinar with expert Ingrid Wulczyn of Project IDEA to improve your school’s special education teacher recruitment, hiring process, and ability to provide ongoing support.
Webinar takeaways:
Support your special education teachers so they grow with your school.
Write job descriptions that attract passionate and dedicated candidates for special education roles.
Ensure each step of the hiring process reflects an understanding of special education teachers’ unique roles.
As celebrations of Pride Month happen around the country, schools in the charter school movement have stepped forward to support LGBTQ students around the country. And one, Magic City Acceptance Academy (MCAA), is Alabama’s first LGBTQ-centered charter school. After being rejected by the Alabama Public Charter School Commission three different times, they finally opened their doors last fall.
The building, educators, and school leaders provide a safe place where LGBTQ+ students can attend school free from harassment, racism, and bullying. The 240 6th-12th grade students who attend MCAA can be themselves at school without fear.
The staff at MCAA focuses on social-emotional learning and goes beyond academics by directing students to learn more about self-awareness, self-management, decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness.
The school has a strong commitment to the social-emotional learning process. The school leaders want to go beyond academics, fostering learning on self-management, self-awareness, decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness.
The students at MCAA have been watching a challenging civics lesson unfold this year as the State of Alabama debates over the transgender health care law that wouldn’t allow anyone under the age of 19 to seek hormone therapy or gender reassignment surgeries. Because of their charter school, students have a safe space to discuss these topics and process their feelings.
While the world around them argues and debates the future, most students and staff breathe a small sigh of relief as their first academic year comes to a close. MCAA has plans for the future, as school leaders hope to boost enrollment to 350 students next year and add Mandarin to their foreign language department, which already includes French and Spanish. There is also a discussion of adding Advanced Placement classes down the road.
For the students and staff at Magic City Acceptance Academy, the school is a refuge where everyone is free to be who they are, making MCAA an extraordinary place in the charter school education landscape.
As part of National Charter Schools Week, these parents needed their voices to be heard about their choice of a high-quality education for their children. So they went to D.C. to share their stories of how their local charter schools have had a positive impact on their children.
The new regulations being proposed by the Administration would cripple growth, expansion, and the startup of charter schools across the nation and the 3.6 million students they serve. And about 65% of these charter schools are in low-income, Black, and Hispanic neighborhoods where students are already struggling to get a quality education from public schools.
Why are charter schools important? The evidence is undeniable:
Charter schools are important for several reasons. The first reason is that charter schools are usually created by former teachers or groups that want to pursue education in an innovative way. Some charter schools tend to lean more into the arts while others focus more on STEM, and still others concentrate on college prep. Each charter school is unique. So the curriculum is very student-focused with specific goals. More specific goals can allow for smaller class sizes.
In addition to smaller class sizes, a study by the Manhattan Institute discovered that charter schools average an additional 59 learning days of math and 44 days of reading. This means that students in charter schools generally perform better on tests, but more importantly, they have higher graduation rates for Black and Latino students in comparison with traditional public schools.
A study done by the New York Department of Education showed that Black students who attended a charter school in elementary and middle grades were 60% more likely to get into the most desirable secondary schools. Latino students who attended charter schools were 2 times more likely. This then transfers to higher graduation rates for minority students as well as higher college acceptance rates.
And, charter schools have better behavioral records in general, because charter schools often have more community involvement. This means their attendance is more steady, teen pregnancy rates are lower, suspension rates are lower, and incarceration rates are also lower.
Be an advocate for Charter Schools!
As part of National Charter Schools Week, the National Alliance for Charter Schools is celebrating 30 years. You can also join the festivities and learn more about charter schools and how you can support them in your community.
What Schools Need to Know About the Coronavirus
Editor’s note: As the news of the Coronavirus heats up, we felt that it was important to help disseminate accurate and pertinent information to our school communities. Because we understand the tremendous impact it may soon have on schools across the country, we wanted to get the message out to reinforce the best practice prevention recommendations published by the CDC. The information in this blog post was taken directly from the Centers for Disease Control. This interim guidance is based on what is currently known about the transmission and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will update this guidance as needed and as additional information becomes available. Please check the following CDC website periodically for updated interim guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Who is this guidance for?
This interim guidance is intended to help administrators of public and private childcare programs and K-12 schools prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students and staff. Administrators are individuals who oversee the daily operations of childcare programs and K-12 schools, and may include positions like childcare program directors, school district superintendents, principals, and assistant principals. This guidance is intended for administrators at both the school/facility and district level.
Why is this guidance being issued?
Information provided should help childcare programs, schools, and their partners understand how to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within childcare and school communities and facilities. It also aims to help childcare programs, schools, and partners to react quickly should a case be identified. The guidance includes considerations to help administrators plan for the continuity of teaching and learning if there is community spread of COVID-19.
What is the role of schools in responding to COVID-19?
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) virus, and we are learning more about it every day. There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19. At this point, the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes it. Stopping transmission (spread) of the virus through everyday practices is the best way to keep people healthy. More information on COVID-19 is available here.
Schools, working together with local health departments, have an important role in slowing the spread of diseases to help ensure students have safe and healthy learning environments. Schools serve students, staff, and visitors from throughout the community. All of these people may have close contact in the school setting, often sharing spaces, equipment, and supplies.
Guidance for schools which do not have COVID-19 identified in their community
To prepare for possible community transmission of COVID-19, the most important thing for schools to do now is plan and prepare. As the global outbreak evolves, schools should prepare for the possibility of community-level outbreaks. Schools want to be ready if COVID-19 does appear in their communities.
Childcare and K-12 school administrators nationwide can take steps to help stop or slow the spread of respiratory infectious diseases, including COVID-19:
Review, update, and implement emergency operations plans (EOPs). This should be done in collaboration with local health departments and other relevant partners. Focus on the components, or annexes, of the plans that address infectious disease outbreaks.
Ensure the plan includes strategies to reduce the spread of a wide variety of infectious diseases (e.g., seasonal influenza). Effective strategies build on everyday school policies and practices.
Ensure the plan emphasizes common-sense preventive actions for students and staff. For example, emphasize actions such as staying home when sick; appropriately covering coughs and sneezes; cleaning frequently touched surfaces; and washing hands often.
Ensure handwashing strategies include washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center’s website contains free resources, trainings, and TA to schools and their community partners, including many tools and resources on emergency planning and response to infectious disease outbreaks.
Develop information-sharing systems with partners.
Information-sharing systems can be used for day-to-day reporting (on information such as changes in absenteeism) and disease surveillance efforts to detect and respond to an outbreak.
Local health officials should be a key partner in information sharing.
Monitor and plan for absenteeism.
Review the usual absenteeism patterns at your school among both students and staff.
Alert local health officials about large increases in student and staff absenteeism, particularly if absences appear due to respiratory illnesses (like the common cold or the “flu,” which have symptoms similar to symptoms of COVID-19).
Review attendance and sick leave policies. Encourage students and staff to stay home when sick. Use flexibility, when possible, to allow staff to stay home to care for sick family members.
Discourage the use of perfect attendance awards and incentives.
Identify critical job functions and positions, and plan for alternative coverage by cross-training staff.
Determine what level of absenteeism will disrupt continuity of teaching and learning.
Establish procedures for students and staff who are sick at school.
Establish procedures to ensure students and staff who become sick at school or arrive at school sick are sent home as soon as possible.
Keep sick students and staff separate from well students and staff until they can leave.
Remember that schools are not expected to screen students or staff to identify cases of COVID-19. The majority of respiratory illnesses are not COVID-19. If a community (or more specifically, a school) has cases of COVID-19, local health officials will help identify those individuals and will follow up on next steps.
Share resources with the school community to help families understand when to keep children home. This guidance, not specific to COVID-19, from the American Academy of Pediatrics can be helpful for families.
Perform routine environmental cleaning.
Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces (e.g., doorknobs, light switches, countertops) with the cleaners typically used. Use all cleaning products according to the directions on the label.
Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces (e.g., keyboards, desks, remote controls) can be wiped down by students and staff before each use.
Create communications plans for use with the school community.
Include strategies for sharing information with staff, students, and their families.
Include information about steps being taken by the school or childcare facility to prepare, and how additional information will be shared.
Review CDC’s guidance for businesses and employers.
Review this CDC guidance to identify any additional strategies the school can use, given its role as an employer.
Childcare and K-12 administrators can also support their school community by sharing resources with students (if resources are age-appropriate), their families, and staff. Coordinate with local health officials to determine what type of information might be best to share with the school community. Consider sharing the following fact sheets and information sources:
Information about COVID-19 available through state and local health departments
General CDC fact sheets to help staff and students’ families understand COVID-19 and the steps they can take to protect themselves:
CDC information for staff, students, and their families who have recently traveled back to the United States from areas where CDC has identified community spread of coronavirus:
For questions about students who plan to travel, or have recently traveled, to areas with community spread of COVID-19, refer to CDC’s FAQ for travelers. Schools can also consult with state and local health officials. Schools may need to postpone or cancel trips that could expose students and staff to potential community spread of COVID-19. Students returning from travel to areas with community spread of COVID-19 must follow guidance they have received from health officials. COVID-19 information for travel is updated regularly on the CDC website.
Guidance for schools with identified cases of COVID-19 in their community
If local health officials report that there are cases of COVID-19 in the community, schools may need to take additional steps in response to prevent spread in the school. The first step for schools in this situation is to talk with local health officials. The guidance provided here is based on current knowledge of COVID-19. As additional information becomes available about the virus, how it spreads, and how severe it is, this guidance may be updated. Administrators are encouraged to work closely with local health officials to determine a course of action for their childcare programs or schools.
Determine if, when, and for how long childcare programs or schools may need to be dismissed.
Temporarily dismissing childcare programs and K-12 schools is a strategy to stop or slow the further spread of COVID-19 in communities. During school dismissals, childcare programs and schools may stay open for staff members (unless ill) while students stay home. Keeping facilities open a) allows teachers to develop and deliver lessons and materials remotely, thus maintaining continuity of teaching and learning; and b) allows other staff members to continue to provide services and help with additional response efforts.
Childcare and school administrators should work in close collaboration and coordination with local health officials to make dismissal and large event cancellation decisions.Schools are not expected to make decisions about dismissal or canceling events on their own. Schools can seek specific guidance from local health officials to determine if, when, and for how long to take these steps. Large event cancellations or school dismissals*** may be recommended for 14 days, or possibly longer if advised by local health officials. The nature of these actions (e.g., geographic scope, duration) may change as the local outbreak situation evolves.
If an ill student or staff member attended school prior to being confirmed as a COVID-19 case:
Local health officials may recommend temporary school dismissals if a student or staff member attended school prior to being confirmed as a COVID-19 case. Local health officials’ recommendations for the scope (e.g., a single school, a full district) and duration of school dismissals will be made on a case-by-case basis based on the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 and the specific cases in the impacted community.
Schools should work with the local health department and other relevant leadership to communicate the possible COVID-19 exposure. This communication to the school community should align with the communication plan in the school’s emergency operations plan. In such a circumstance, it is critical to maintain confidentiality of the student or staff member as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.
If a student or staff member has been identified with COVID-19, school and program administrators should seek guidance from local health officials to determine when students and staff should return to schools and what additional steps are needed for the school community. In addition, students and staff who are well but are taking care of or share a home with someone with a case of COVID-19 should follow instructions from local health officials to determine when to return to school.
If schools are dismissed, schools can consider the following steps:
Temporarily cancel extracurricular group activities and large events.
Cancel or postpone events such as after-school assemblies and pep rallies, field trips, and sporting events.
Discourage students and staff from gathering or socializing anywhere.
Discourage gatherings at places like a friend’s house, a favorite restaurant, or the local shopping mall.
Ensure continuity of education.
Review continuity plans, including plans for the continuity of teaching and learning. Implement e-learning plans, including digital and distance learning options as feasible and appropriate.
Determine, in consultation with school district officials or other relevant state or local partners:
If a waiver is needed for state requirements of a minimum number of in-person instructional hours or school days (seat time) as a condition for funding;
How to convert face-to-face lessons into online lessons and how to train teachers to do so;
How to triage technical issues if faced with limited IT support and staff;
How to encourage appropriate adult supervision while children are using distance learning approaches; and
How to deal with the potential lack of students’ access to computers and the Internet at home.
Ensure continuity of meal programs.
Consider ways to distribute food to students.
If there is community spread of COVID-19, design strategies to avoid distribution in settings where people might gather in a group or crowd. Consider options such as “grab-and-go” bagged lunches or meal delivery.
Consider alternatives for providing essential medical and social services for students.
Continue providing necessary services for children with special healthcare needs, or work with the state Title V Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Program.
Charter School Parents Are More Satisfied With Schools
Editor’s Note: This date for this article on charter school parent satisfaction was taken from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Parent and Family Involvement surveys. It was originally published here on August 20, 2019 by Education Dive and was written by Linda Jacobson.
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.
Charter parents express greater satisfaction with schools
Dive Brief:
Charter school parents are more likely than parents in traditional district schools to report volunteering and attending parent-teacher conferences or parent group meetings. But overall, there are no significant differences between charter and district parents in participating in general meetings, committees, fundraising and guidance counselor activities, according to an article in the American Educational Research Journal.
The study, which uses data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Parent and Family Involvement surveys, also shows charter parents report significantly higher levels of satisfaction. But as the charter sector grew between 2007 and 2016, there was also an “uptick” in satisfaction among district parents and a downward trend among charter parents.
The study’s author, Zachary Oberfield of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, suggests parent volunteering contracts, sometimes in place at charter schools, could be one reason these parents report more volunteering. In addition, the differences in satisfaction levels, he said, could “result from steps that charter schools are taking to ensure that parents and children are having positive schooling experiences.”
Dive Insight:
While the study adds another layer to the many ways researchers are comparing traditional and charter schools, Oberfield also addresses what he calls a charter school debate that “often devolves into caricature and hardline position taking,” noting the research overall on whether charter schools are different or better than traditional schools is mixed.
“As these results accumulate, perhaps they can encourage policymakers and stakeholders to ratchet down the rhetoric and engage in more generative conversations,” he wrote. “In doing so, we can deepen our understanding of how charter and district schools compare and what they can learn from one another.”
Digging into the satisfaction data, for example, he found parents whose children attended district schools outside of their geographically assigned school had higher levels of satisfaction than those who attended assigned schools. Perhaps, he wrote, exercising some choice — whether it’s a charter or district school — “conditions a positive feeling.”
In a Q&A about a book on charters he published last year, he also noted “a fire has been lit under public school administrators” in traditional schools, and many are working harder to attract families and provide unique opportunities for students.
Oberfield adds that a future area of research — and comparison — should explore parents’ experiences with school leaders and teachers. “Future work could contribute by comparing how district and charter parents experience the teachers and leaders who run their child’s school and how this is connected to their engagement and satisfaction,” he wrote.
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 $2 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!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published here on July 1, 2019, by the New Orleans Lens and was written by Marta Jewson who covers education in New Orleans for The Lens.
New Orleans becomes first major American city without traditional schools
On a typically hot July 1 in south Louisiana, when many students and educators are enjoying long holiday vacations, New Orleans has quietly become the first major American city without any traditional schools.
The Orleans Parish school district has teetered on the edge of an all-charter district for years. Each year the number of the district’s direct-run schools has dwindled as some have closed and others have converted or been taken over by charter organizations. During the 2018-2019 school year, the district ran just three schools directly, and that was only after unexpectedly taking control of two struggling charter schools.
The last school to convert, McDonogh 35 Senior High School, is doing so as part of a two-part plan to shut down the traditional school and restart it as a charter. The historic school needed a reset after years of declining scores, Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said last year when he announced the changes.
“My goal is to bring McDonogh 35 back into its premiere position as an academically successful, first-tier high school and this is the best step forward,” Lewis said in December.
Each of the last three years, the district has been poised to become all-charter, but each time, charter groups have withdrawn applications to run schools, or district officials have decided to change course. The district wound up waiting an extra year to hand McDonogh 35 over to a nonprofit.
That group, InspireNOLA, has grown with a wave of charter operators that followed the state’s post-Katrina intervention in New Orleans’ public schools.
Charter schools in New Orleans are run by nonprofit groups that receive a contract from either the state or the district. In exchange for the ability to select curriculum, staff and set their own calendars, they must meet certain academic and financial standards each year. Charter schools receive a 5-year contract and if they pass an initial review after three years they are able to apply for a renewal. Renewal contracts can last anywhere between three and 10-years depending on the school’s performance.
July 1 is important for the school district. It’s the day charter school contracts begin and also marks the start of the fiscal year. One year ago, the city’s RSD charters all transferred back to the local school district’s oversight. That nearly doubled the size of the district.
Last year, the district was on track to have only one traditional school: McDonogh 35. But it ended up taking over two struggling elementary charter schools and running them directly instead.
In May 2018, Cypress Academy’s former governing nonprofit board abruptly announced that the school would not reopen for the 2018-2019 school year. The district took over the school — which served a large number of special education students — to avoid the sudden closure. Initially, Lewis said the district would manage Cypress for two years, but in November, he announced that Cypress would be closed and its students transferred to Foundation Preparatory after the school year ended.
Another charter, Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy, had myriad financial irregularities and was found to have been providing inadequate special education services. The district forced it to surrender its charter, taking it over in January. Harney also closed after the end of the 2018-2019 school year.
District officials say they are focusing on replicating highly rated schools to create more seats for students. The majority of D and F-rated schools in Orleans Parish during the 2018-19 school year were ones that returned from the Recovery School District. Lewis closed four of them, but only the ones that were up for contract renewal.
In its heavily decentralized system, the school district created a number of new positions last summer to monitor charter schools and started tracking the smallest of legal requirements that affect the public, such as boards that fail to post their board meeting minutes online. The district also began telling families at charter schools when their schools will be up for contract renewals — a make-or-break year that can result in school closures.
The district-created “Charter School Framework that was designed to equip OPSB with the foundational tools to hold schools accountable annually and at the point of renewal,” said a statement, attributed to the Orleans Parish School Board, that the district provided to The Lens on Monday.
Asked about the move to an all-charter city, Nahliah Webber, the executive director of the Orleans Parish Education Network, said she doesn’t expect much to change. OPEN is a nonprofit that advocates for inclusive, transparent, and community-aligned public policy.
“We’ve kind of been operating under the understanding that it was already an all-charter system,” she said.
Advocates like Webber worry about the district’s ability to hold the nearly three dozen independent nonprofit organizations that run the city’s roughly 75 schools accountable. Those concerns are especially heightened in light of the recent grade-fixing scandal at John F. Kennedy High School. The problem, first reported by The Lens in March, led to a review of senior transcripts, uncovering problems that went well beyond grade inflation. A close examination of student records revealed 92 of 177 seniors were not eligible for graduation. Most of the ineligible students didn’t learn that until a month after walking at their commencement ceremony.
“Our biggest concern is that we can’t have reactive accountability,” Webber said, after mentioning Kennedy’s seniors, some of whom are now in summer school. “We can’t wait until half the students of a graduating class are found to be ineligible for graduation before OPSB steps in.”
Lewis’ office appears to be adding more staff to focus on accountability, according to a district statement issued Monday. “OPSB is continually assessing how best to strengthen and improve its oversight of schools,” an emailed statement from the board said. “Given that, we have identified the need for additional capacity and expertise on our accountability team along with new on-going oversight tools, like we will implement on our annual site visits this fall for high schools.”
The last traditional school
McDonogh 35, the first public high school for African-Americans in New Orleans, was highly regarded for decades. Its list of alumni includes Ernest “Dutch” Morial, the city’s first black mayor, and former New Orleans Police Department Chief Michael Harrison. But the school’s state standardized test scores have been on the decline for years, which Lewis said was a major part of his decision.
The district tried and failed for years to charter McDonogh 35. When those efforts were unsuccessful, and as the school’s academic performance slumped, it decided to phase out the school and restart it. This year, the high school didn’t have new ninth grade students. But the only contractor who qualified to close out the school had problems of its own. So the district opted to run the school for the 2018-19 school year.
Over the last school year, the district awarded charter group InspireNOLA two contracts related to the school. The first was a contract to see McDonogh 35’s older students through graduation. The second, a charter contract, allows the group to start a ninth grade academy this fall. It will add one grade each year until it’s a full high school.
With the official move to an all-charter model, Webber said she’s concerned the system is “digging in its heels.”
“The model is not bearing out the promises that it made,” she said.
A 2018 report by The Education Research Alliance found that the switch to charter schools resulted in substantial improvements in student achievement, graduation rates and college entry. And polling by the Cowen Institute last year found that 60 percent of respondents said that charter schools have improved education in the city. And 55 percent said that the city’s “open enrollment model,” eliminating geographically based enrollment, has improved public education. Still, Webber noted that a large number of the city’s schools are rated a D or F.
“You have been unshackled from the school in your neighborhood,” Webber said. “But what does that mean?”
She pointed to schools with poor ratings that are nearly all black or hispanic. Meanwhile, she said white students are often overrepresented at schools with better ratings.
“The ultimate choice is those who can chose out of the system altogether.”
In recent years, the district has taken a more hands-on approach to monitoring charters. Last year, it preemptively halted enrollment at four charters it did not think would be open this coming fall. Indeed they are all closed, a decision made by Lewis.
Webber said she hopes the district will change that enforcement model.
“You can’t close your way to a good school system,” she said.
When the district stepped in at Cypress Academy and forced Harney give up its charter midyear, it took over direct operations. A district statement said that has prepared them for future takeovers.
“Given our work this past year at Cypress Academy and Harney Elementary School, OPSB had gathered first-hand experience of what additional resources, policies, and staffing is needed if and when such a takeover is required,” a statement released by the district said.
Still, Webber thinks the district needs to be more proactive. If it sees a problem at one school, she thinks it should be examining similar schools for the same issue.
“It’s been really hard lately to see how the system is going to be able to sustain itself when we have a reactive accountability structure.”
The Charter School Movement Thriving: A look at the Growing Numbers
Editor’s Note: This information/report about the growth of the charter school movement was published by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools on March 11, 2019 and can be found here. 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.
Over the past ten years, enrollment in charter schools has increased by nearly 2 million students—and the number of school districts with a significant charter school presence continues to grow, too. When the National Alliance published the first edition of this report in 2006, only one district—New Orleans—had more than 30 percent of its students enrolled in charter schools. In 2017-18, 21 districts had at least 30 percent of their students attending charter schools.
Public charter schools are unique public schools that foster innovative approaches to solving some of today’s most difficult educational challenges. Over the past ten years, enrollment in charter schools has increased from 1.3 million in 2007-08 to nearly 3.2 million in 2017-18.
In addition, the number of school districts with a significant charter school presence continues to grow. In 2017-18, 21 districts had 30 percent or more of their students enrolled in charter schools, and 214 districts had at least 10 percent of their students enrolled in charter schools. In 2017-18, more than 10.5 million public school students, or one in five, attended school in a district with at least 10,000 total students and 10 percent or more charter school enrollment share.
Free from many of the constraints that traditional schools face, the charter school movement has been a leader in innovation, school choice, and education reform for more than 25 years. At the same time, charter schools are held accountable for advancing student achievement by the communities and states they serve.
The unique combination of innovation and accountability have allowed charter schools to demonstrate that all children are capable of academic achievement that prepares them to succeed in college, their career, and their life. Charter schools have led efforts to eliminate achievement gaps, boost graduation rates, and revitalize communities.
Because charter schools have a successful track record of meeting students’ specific needs, parental demand for them remains high. In fact, a 2016 survey commissioned by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools shows that 78 percent of parents support a new charter school opening in their neighborhood.1 In addition, most parents, regardless of background, support public school choice.
This report identifies communities that have the highest percentage and the highest number of students enrolled in charter schools. The National Alliance collected public school enrollment data from 2017-18 to identify communities across the country where the highest proportions of students were enrolled in charter schools.
To calculate these proportions, charter schools were mapped to geographic school district boundaries based on their address. This report compares the enrollment of charter schools located within geographic school district boundaries with district run schools in the same area, resulting in “enrollment share.”
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What Schools Need to Know About the Coronavirus
