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In this edition:
"School Choice is part of the strategy to give every child an excellent education." -- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
CHAMPIONING THE WISDOM OF SMALL SCHOOLS OF CHOICE
Almost everywhere in the nation the wisdom of small schools is championed by economists, researchers, community planners, legislators, governors, parents, and educational leaders.
Our heroes are the new charter schools just doing a great job with kids and parents who have chosen them. A recent news article on the exciting little Seacoast Charter School tells the New Hampshire story.
Statewide, students participating in choice schools are reading as never before, doing math and raising their skills, learning science, meeting higher expectations, enjoying the success they are finding in the new school environment. The new schools offer a smaller environment, a culture of support just for these students, individual programs, very focused literacy, and different approaches and programs. The kids are thriving and not because their home schools were bad. But because schools of choice are needed as part of the public education system.
Even in the smallest school providing a bilingual environment in American Sign Language and English, the bar for learning is raised. One parent sees her child whose skills were very low and who didn’t participate as an academic class member, now doing research in an academic class taught in the student’s primary language. But for some students their adequacy education funding guaranteed by the state is not reaching them. Nor is the special education funding guaranteed them. It’s almost the end of the 8th month of the school year.
Our state law allows 20 innovative chartered public schools that meet a specific purpose. Seven are approved. Six are open. Approximately 8 more are incubating. All are different. All are schools for choice. All are designed for a specific type of student. The ideas are unique and purposeful. More students will thrive with the redistribution of our resources to have more types of schools available.
There’s no question that in the end, New Hampshire will make sure the system works. In time, the state will see less money spent on students who drop out for which there are far-reaching costs and consequences to the student and the general public.
The funding system is clear in the law. The path is blocked by routing money through local schools. The legislature is doing its part to bring this state into the 21st Century and comply with federal initiatives. The Department of Education has issued a new advisory clarifying that the charter schools are not responsible for borrowing their own basic funding. And the missing link is compliance with statutory duty to assure all students receive an adequate education.
And, of course, we need to fix the legislation this year so that 1) there is a direct path of funding to the charter school or a diversion provision, and 2) there is funding in the state budget, to assure the state-sponsored open enrollment schools have a fair amount of operating funds.
HOW PENNSYLVANIA ASSURED FUNDING REACHED STUDENTS
Among our newsletter readers is a former Secretary of Education who has written to explain that this blocked path for funding is not new. And in PA, when the districts refuse to send the funds, the state just steps in and sends the funds themselves. “The diversion mechanism has worked to ensure charter schools ultimately receive the funds to which they are entitled. It is, however, far from a perfect solution. As considered against an approach that would have the state make direct payments to charters, the better solution would be to have charter school funding go directly to charter schools.” Information provided from Charles Zogby, former PA Secretary of Education.
SMALLER DISTRICTS DECREASE DROP-OUT RATES & INCREASE GRAD RATES
A new study by Manhattan Institute scholars Jay P. Greene and Marcus A. Winters finds that decreasing the size of a state’s school districts leads to substantial improvements in its public high school graduation rate. Conversely, consolidating school districts into fewer, larger units decreases a state’s public high school graduation rate. The study is available online.
SMALL SCHOOLS AS CENTERS OF COMMUNITIES: 6 DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Why place huge schools in the woods? The goals for schools today are small schools in centers of communities, like a new version of the old town square. Community schools are accessible to people of all ages and encourage more parental participation. They serve as a community hub. Charter schools help bring back community schools. Taxpayers and school boards should reconsider continuing to expand schools into bigger institutions in more out-of-the-way locations. Research is supporting smaller, safer, community-based schools. Charter school planning grants give opportunities to consider this option.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Smaller, community-based public schools are good for economic development. Better schools influence where businesses locate and raise property values. It’s so important for cities and struggling communities to recognize the economic value of communities initiating high standards small community public schools. Poorer communities and cities have the most to gain. The goals of chartered public schools are linked to economic improvement of communities. Charter schools that parents want are smart investments, particularly for depressed communities with struggling schools. Click Here for a report on this topic.
What are people calling towns that utilize available buildings, consider bringing older and younger citizens together, and grow in ways that mix business, residences, and services? Smart Growth Communities. Learn about smart growth communities, removing obsolete zoning guidelines, taking advantage of available buildings. Districts that didn’t get that multimillion dollar bond for a big new school—consider extracting the extra students through an smaller choice school in the hub of a community. Learn about smart growth communities.
A NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED CHARTER SCHOOL—BASIS
The BASIS School is the brainchild of a husband and wife team, both economists, who founded the school to combine their idea of the best from European and American educational traditions. The BASIS School, Tucson, was the only school in Arizona in 2003 whose students' median scores were above the 90th percentile on the Stanford 9 math test in all grades.
The school's founders also structure creative financial incentives into teacher compensation. Faculty compensation includes "performance bonus," of 6 to 14%. based on quantifiable goals determined at the beginning of the school year. Teachers start the year with five paid sick days and are compensated at the end of the year for any that remain.
“The school's mission-- a rigorous academic background …with an emphasis on a classical liberal arts education based on European education practices. Teachers are hired not on the basis of certification but according to their level of expertise. Housed in a converted one-story structure in Tucson, Ariz., the BASIS School is open to children of any background or ability, including those who qualify for special education.”
NEW AND UPDATED PUBLICATIONS ON THE WAY
We’re putting the finishing touches on updated sample financial policies and an indexed, annotated guide to New Hampshire’s charter school law. Stay tuned…and thanks to readers for comments and articles to share.
Questions? Please do not hesitate to ask us.
The editor.
Copyright © 2005 New Hampshire Center for School Reform;
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