New Hampshire Center for School Reform

Newsletter Update

September 22, 2004

We are pleased to bring attention to New Hampshire's progress.

 

IN THIS EDITION:

Please direct inquiries to Susan Hollins (susan@nhschoolreform.org)

 

NORTH COUNTRY ALTERNATIVE CHARTER SCHOOL OPENED

For basic information explaining chartered public schools, click here

When Lisa LaVoie signed on as North Country’s first school director, little did she know that starting the charter school would take up her complete summer 24/7, but she describes it as “the best challenge of my life.” “I’ve sacrificed a lot this summer for the program. But my children saw my determination and (hard) work ethic. My husband is so supportive. The superintendents have really been supportive. And we really need education opportunities so badly up here in the northern part of New Hampshire. Read our interview with Lisa.

 

 

NEW CHARTER SCHOOL GRANTS

Teachers, parents, and community groups can again consider charter school design. The Department of Education will soon post charter school grant applications for 2004-2005. Approximately 10 planning grants will be awarded this year in the range of $10,000 to design and develop charter school proposals. Roberta Tenney, charter school grant project director, is planning to post the 2004-2005 grant application in October. To understand the New Hampshire grant programs available and how to get started, click here

 

 

CHARTER SCHOOL 101: WHAT IS A CHARTER SCHOOL, AGAIN?

Background Information (from NH DOE grant materials)

Charter schools are independent, non-sectarian, public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many state education regulations. The “charter” establishing each school is a performance contract detailing the school’s mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. Chartered public schools are accountable to produce academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic concept of a chartered public school is that it has increased autonomy and the ability to innovate or operate independently in return for greater accountability for education results. Charter schools are accountable to the authorizer that approves the school’s opening, to the parents who choose them, and to the public that funds them.

 

In New Hampshire, the Charter Schools and Open Enrollment Act of 1995 states specific purposes.     RSA194-B:1-a Statement of Purpose.

It is the purpose of this chapter to:

 

I.  Promote and encourage the establishment and operation of charter and open enrollment schools in New Hampshire,

II.  Encourage school districts to allow public charter and open enrollment schools,

III.  Encourage the establishment of public charter schools with specific or focused curriculum, instruction, methods, or target pupil groups,

IV.  Improve pupil learning and increase opportunities for learning,

V.  Exempt charter schools from state statutes and rules, other than where specified, to provide innovative learning and teaching in a unique environment,

VI.  Enhance professional opportunities for teachers,

VII.  Establish results-driven accountability for public charter schools and require the measurement of learning,

VIII.  Make school improvement a focus at the school level.

IX.  Encourage the establishment of charter schools that meet the needs and interests of pupils, parents, communities, and the state as a whole.

 

Our web site links to the complete NH charter school law, the administrative rules that apply, and a listing of all the laws referenced within the charter school law.   

 

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL MODEL STUDIED

The K-8 school configuration produces high achievement that separate middle schools. So says a New York Times article about New Jersey’s debate debate on the best approach for its 335 middle schools. What grade configuration best supports student learning? Several comprehensive studies indicate that for low income children, a K-8 model produces higher achievement than a middle grade 5-8 or 6-8 model. Read more….

 

 

HOME SCHOOLING CHOICE ON THE RISE

Home Schooling increased 29% since 1999, to 2.2% nationally (US Department of Education,  National Center for Educational Statistics). In New Hampshire, home schooling ranges from 1.5% to 2.5%, fluctuating as parents start and stop home programming. Parents who choose home schooling support real life learning and are finding increased support groups and resources. Read more….

 

 

SCHOOL UPDATES

The Great Bay eLearning Academy will open January 24 inside Exeter High School, This school-within-a-school charter school was approved February 18, 2004. Fifty (50) 9th-grade students will begin this novel program using online learning, video conferencing technology, and classroom instruction. Students will attend school all day and course instruction will be aligned to New Hampshire curriculum standards. An “essential question” for the year will guide curriculum for that year. An 11-member Board of Trustees will govern the independent charter school. Open Houses are set up for October 13, 27, and November 10 and 17.  For more information www.greatbayelearn.org.

 

In Manchester area, Hope for Autism continues its charter school design project. This group has completed extensive support-building prior to its charter application being finalized. The founding board and advisors include parents, city and university officials, and specialists from law to neuropsychology.  “We couldn’t have more talented and experienced people on our boards,” says Hope Fitzgerald, project entrepreneur and board chairperson. “We’ve did extensive preliminary outreach. Gaining credibility was really important to us early on—establishing ourselves as an organization very serious about addressing autism.”  An architectural plan design was donated for the “green” school envisioned; the group hopes to locate philanthropic and federal support. Students will have intensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis but also have mainstreaming options within typical early childhood classes that are part of the chartered public school.

 

Parents and businesses are contacting the Academy for Equestrian Studies, a project still in the design  phase. In the last few weeks businesses, horse stable owners, and parents have been making contact, offering help and collaboration. Finding a facility with 12-24 spaces for horses is high on the list of issues being addressed during charter planning.

 

Laurent Clerc Academy is working diligently and optimistically to ready the school for opening on the soonest date possible.  Student applications have been received.  LCA is an American Sign Language (ASL) and English print
bilingual academy (grades 1-8) with a commitment to high academic standards.  Parents are contacting the academy directly or through their school districts expressing interest in the program and its start date.  "LCA
affords students who use ASL the option and choice of having both direct academic instruction and a language accessible social environment.  Parents of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing children who use ASL are very
attracted to this type of opportunity," comments Susan Brule, the school's new director.  LCA charter school expects to open soon with both deaf and hearing students who use ASL.

 

Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy (CATA)  also plans to open this January. Bell Center, CATA’s sponsor, closed on the purchase of its building, renovations have begun, and CATA will use this facility for its first two years. As New Hampshire's first public chartered high school to focus on the arts, CATA will offer a challenging, college preparatory curriculum that integrates arts into core subjects while also offering focused elective courses in fine arts, music, performing arts, and art-related technologies. The academy will be opening in January 2005 with 40 9th-grade students from anywhere in New Hampshire. A major project is sheet rocking the building. GP Gypsum generously donated the sheetrock and mud needed to bring the walls up to code; much of the work is being done in the evenings and on Sundays by volunteers.

 

CATA is accepting student applications through October 12, 2004. Information sessions for parents and students interested in enrolling at the charter school will be held Tuesday, Sept 28 at 7:00PM at Seacoast Repertory Theatre on Bow Street in Portsmouth, and Tuesday, October 5 at 7:00PM at the Dover Public Library. Parents and students will learn about the school's curriculum, meet Board members, and ask questions. Student application and lottery will be explained. CATA is scheduled to complete its enrollment on October 27, 2004.
 

Jeffrey Elwood, CATA’s Board vice chairperson and web designer has started a newsletter for everyone interested.

 

Seacoast Charter School  is now open in Stratham is going well. Payroll and accounting systems are in place. A small teaching team for the new grades 3 and 4 program is working well with an exciting curriculum program. The Board of Trustees are already moving ahead with a long-term facility plan. Seacoast Charter School’s web site has considerable information including a student application.

 

 

CHARTER SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA

The US Department of Education has just awarded California an additional 75 million to establish 300 more charter schools. California now has 537 operating chartered public schools. Their state budget includes 7.7 million for funds to assist charter schools with facility rent and leasing costs, a most difficult component for NH charter schools as well. A Legislative Analyst report showed that “charter schools are now not only proven, but they are a vital part of our public school system.” Proposed legislation this session, Proposition 39, intends to ensure “that public school facilities should be shared fairly among all public school pupils.” Prop 39 proposes that available public school buildings be offered to charter schools.  

 

 

THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL RATING FALLS

With the highest spending level of any country per student, $10,871, rankers now rank US 10th among industrialized nations of the world in having a high school-educated public. "If we are less competitive educationally, we will soon become less competitive economically," Education Secretary Rod Paige said. "That's just a cruel fact." A key ranking factor was % of adults aged 25-34 who finished high school.  Read more…  Of the 6 charter schools approved to open this year in New Hampshire, 4 are focused on high school students; all are focused on helping certain groups of students thrive in innovative settings.

 

 

FREE TEACHING RESOURCES
The federal government's most dynamic Web site for FREE teaching and learning resources connects to 35 organizations and is updated weekly.

 

www.ed.gov/free—recently added to its collection nearly 20 new online resources in science, health and social studies. The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) Web site is designed to make it easy to find teaching and learning resources on subjects ranging from arts to vocational education, from more than 35 federal organizations. This site is updated weekly.

 

 

We welcome you to visit our web site, locate our start-up resources and publications, and ask any questions you may have about the basics of charter schools in New Hampshire.