NEWSLETTER
October 2008

 

Arizona’s Best Charter Schools: 4 Qualities
Green Schools: Districts & Charter Schools are Going Green
Virtual Schools: Booming & Many are Charter Schools
Federal Bill Would Give 300 Million to Charter Schools
EdChoice Study: Leads to Public School Improvements

Arizona’s Best Charter Schools: 4 Qualities
A recent study shows that four elements make a quality school. These elements may not be what you think. “We did not find that parent involvement, state spending, and class size made a significant difference in these top charter schools.”

The four best schools had these 4 qualities in common:

1) a leader with a purpose, whose vision and mission drives decisions, and who models what they want to see for others,

2) teachers who take responsibility for end results (the key was mastery learning),

3) a culture that promotes teamwork (teachers get strength from being part of a larger team), and

4) a process for solving problems and finding solutions, using data.

Arizona has 479 charter schools, serving 10% of the state’s population. To read Success Measured by the Arizona Charter Schools Association: click here.

Green Schools: Districts & Charter Schools are Going Green
Today associations supporting Green Schools are popping up all over the country, including an association of Green Charter Schools. These schools support green building construction, energy efficiency, electricity supply, food programs using organic food from local growers and re-using dishware, sustainability curriculum, flower and vegetable gardens, and many more features. The end result is not only more sustainable approaches to schooling, but also school districts taking energy dollars and turning them into education dollars.

An article on the Top 10 Green Schools in 2006 explains their approaches.

Virtual Schools: Booming
All over the country, virtual schools are growing at 30% per year. Some states have as many as 40 virtual schools. Hybrid schools are emerging—with students spending some time in brick and mortar classrooms. An August 11th edition of Forbes Magazine mentions this $300 million industry and the one million plus students it serves. Florida’s Virtual School has 50,000+ students. Twenty-six states now have statewide virtual schools. Sometimes called Cyber Schools, these schools are growing in popularity and sophistication. Many, many virtual schools are organized as charter schools.

For virtual charter school authorizing guidance: click here.

Federal Bill to Provide $300,000,000 for Charter Schools
H.R. 5647 was recently introduced as a federal initiative. This new bill--The Fair Share Act of 2008-- would authorize 300 million to replicate and start high-performing charter schools for students in schools considered to be failing public schools. H.R. 5647 could provide a substantial boost to charter schools around the country, including New Hampshire, and would provide money to use for facilities, transportation, hiring new teachers, technology, and other costs. H.R. 5647 was sponsored by Representative Rahm Emanuel. More congressional representatives are needed to co-sign the H.R. 5647 proposal titled “Pell Grants for Kids.”

Read more: click here.

Friedman Foundation Study

EdChoice Program Spurs Public School Improvements
Does the threat of losing students to choice schools make public schools improve? According to an August 2008 Friedman Foundation study: Yes. “Something wonderful and positive is happening in these underperforming public schools which have lost students to private schools under the EdChoice program. "We believe that competition - or the threat of competition - has spurred these schools to get their act together and better serve their students. What we are seeing is, after just one year, some modest academic gains in several grade levels are taking place. No negative effects were detected in any grades."

To read the study: click here.

Our next issue will address New Hampshire’s local authorization provisions and will provide more information about virtual and green charter school models.