Ten Years On, New Orleans Schools Inspire
The nation recently marked the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating effect on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In the face of that terrible tragedy, the people of New Orleans rebuilt their city and revitalized their schools. More than 90 percent of New Orleans students now attend charter schools. The results have been fantastic and the movement is strong, vibrant, and optimistic – as we saw during the National Charter Schools Conference! Click here to read the latest issue of Education Next, which offers a comprehensive overview of the remarkable turnaround in New Orleans schools. And tune in Wednesday, September 16, as Nina joins AFT’s Randi Weingarten and other leaders in an AEI panel discussion on New Orleans and its lessons for national education policy.
Cheron Brylski
The Brylski Company
3418 Coliseum Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70115
www.brylskicompany.com
(504) 897-6110
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-----Original Message-----
From: Nina Rees <ninar at publiccharters.org>
To: cbrylski <cbrylski at aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Sep 15, 2015 12:17 pm
Subject: National Alliance September Newsletter
Can't see this in your email? View the newsletter on our blog here.
THIS MONTH AT THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE
SEPTEMBER 2015
A NOTE FROM NINA
Back-to-school time is a season of excitement and anticipation for millions of students, teachers, and families across America. Unfortunately, for more than 1,300 students in Washington state, this has become a season of uncertainty and worry. Late on Friday, September 4, the Washington state Supreme Court handed down a stunning decision invalidating the voter-approved referendum that authorized public charter schools in Washington. Relying on a precedent from 1909, the court held that charter schools cannot be considered “common schools” under Washington’s constitution because they are not governed by an elected school board. Therefore they cannot have access to funding designated for common schools.
The National Alliance and our partners at the Washington State Charter Schools Association implored Gov. Jay Inslee to call a special session of the legislature to address the chaos and confusion caused by the court’s wrong-headed and absurdly timed decision, but the Governor has refused.
If you live in Washington state, please contact your representatives and Gov. Inslee to let them know how urgent it is that they act to save Washington’s charter schools. If you don’t live in Washington, you can still help amplify our message by tweeting the governor or posting a message on Facebook. And you can draw awareness to this issue and the need for an immediate solution by using the hashtag #saveWAcharterschools on social media.
Charter school students in Washington need to know that their future is secure. Please stand up for Washington’s charter school students today!
Warmly,
Nina Rees
President and CEO
Federal Update
Members of Congress are back in Washington, DC, this week, with a busy fall agenda. We anticipate that House and Senate negotiations to reconcile their respective versions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization will take most of the fall to complete. We’ll continue to provide timely updates as we have them. Meanwhile, this piece in The Hill by Nina and Democrats for Education Reform’s Charlie Barone urges conferees to offer better safeguards in ESEA for students in failing schools.
The Charter Schools Program in Action
One of our goals at the National Alliance is to increase funding for the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) so that we can grow the number of high quality charter schools around the country. To bring to life the CSP’s impact on schools, we feature a school each month that has received funding through the program. Over the summer we featured two outstanding arts-oriented charter schools that are thriving thanks to CSP grants.
Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts – known as Charter Arts – in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, provides students with 2,000 hours of artistic instruction over the course of four years. The school features seven artistic majors and a rigorous academic curriculum. Prior to opening, Charter Arts used a $300,000 CSP grant to purchase textbooks, furniture, and equipment – and to build credibility that spurred fundraising from the local community.
At Harding Fine Arts Academy (HFAA) in Oklahoma City, students take a college prep curriculum while also selecting up to three elective classes in dance, music, theater, or visual arts. A $174,000 CSP grant allowed HFAA to purchase furniture and build and grow its programs. Principal Barry Schmelzenbach says, “Without the CSP funding, we would be years behind where we are right now.”
Learn more about Bethlehem’s Charter Arts and Oklahoma City’s Harding Fine Arts Academy in our CSP in Action series.
Students at Harding Fine Arts Academy in Oklahoma City, OK.
Charters Leading School Turnarounds
State and local leaders tend be too timid when devising school improvement strategies, leaving too many students in the grip of failure. Charter schools can help, and to point the way forward the National Alliance and WestEd’s Center for School Turnaround released Chartering Turnaround: Leveraging Public Charter School Autonomy to Address Failure. The report profiles Green Dot Public Schools, LEAD Public Schools, and Mastery Charter Schools, explaining how the autonomy provided to charter schools can be leveraged to improve school turnaround efforts.
Guidance for Public Charter Schools Using Religious Facilities
Finding space to open or grow a public charter school is a constant battle. Some charter schools have found space in facilities owned by religious organizations, and this unique relationship poses thorny questions. Separation of Church and School: Guidance for Public Charter Schools Using Religious Facilities is designed to help public charter school leaders – and the advocates, attorneys, and others who support them – navigate the complicated legal landscape surrounding public charter school use of a facility owned or operated by a religious organization.
Education Q&A on the Campaign Trail
The presidential campaign is under way, and it’s important that candidates share their vision for education and for the future of charter schools. That process received a big boost in August when The Seventy Four – a newly launched website focused on education issues – hosted six Republican presidential candidates in New Hampshire. Campbell Brown, veteran journalist and founder of The Seventy Four, led outstanding conversations that got to the heart of each candidate’s views. Check out our blog post on the 6 best quotes from the forum and read Nina’s U.S. News op-ed on the 5 education questions the GOP candidates need to answer. In October, The Seventy Four will host the Democratic candidates at an education summit in Iowa. We’ll be sure to share the candidates’ views with you!
Ten Years On, New Orleans Schools Inspire
The nation recently marked the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating effect on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In the face of that terrible tragedy, the people of New Orleans rebuilt their city and revitalized their schools. More than 90 percent of New Orleans students now attend charter schools. The results have been fantastic and the movement is strong, vibrant, and optimistic – as we saw during the National Charter Schools Conference! Click here to read the latest issue of Education Next, which offers a comprehensive overview of the remarkable turnaround in New Orleans schools. And tune in Wednesday, September 16, as Nina joins AFT’s Randi Weingarten and other leaders in an AEI panel discussion on New Orleans and its lessons for national education policy.
Expanding pre-K Access through Charter Schools
Pre-K is quickly reaching the top of policymakers’ agendas. But charter schools in many states are prevented from offering pre-K because of inadequate funding, restrictive enrollment policies, or outright prohibitions. A new report by the National Alliance and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute examines state policies that prevent charter schools from offering state-funded pre-K programs, and also outlines recommendations for federal and state policies that would allow more high-quality charter schools to offer pre-K.
A Friendly Debate on Backfilling
As charter schools have become a major public education provider in several big cities, the question of whether charter schools should be required to accept new students in all grades and at any time (aka “backfilling”) has become a hot topic. At the Center for Reinventing Public Education’s blog, two of the best thinkers on education reform present opposing points of view that deserve a read. Paul Hill argues that high-flying charter schools should not be required to backfill empty seats, while his colleague Robin Lake has a different take.
New Year, New Schools
Charter schools are giving students across America the opportunity to find a great fit in a great school. But it’s not just students who benefit. Charter schools are giving teachers and principals the opportunity to launch new schools. Check out our back-to-school series for inspiring stories about the new charter schools being launched by public school educators nationwide. And be sure to note the three Washington state educators whose schools are now threatened by the state supreme court’s decision unless the governor and legislature act to #saveWAcharterschools.
Polling Shows Strong Support for Charters, Accountability
Two new polls find that support for charter schools and public school choice remains high, and that parents approve of standardized testing when they know what the tests involve. See the polls from PDK/Gallup and Education Next, and read Nina’s thoughts on what the results tell us about the public’s attitudes toward the big questions confronting education.
Innovation Buzz
Innovation is at the heart of the public charter school movement, and we always need more innovative thinkers and educators to make new school models available to students and parents. The Mind Trust is trying to spur more school innovation with a new design competition and symposium. Learn more here.
Support the National Alliance
The National Alliance is a non-profit organization that relies on your generosity to help us raise awareness of the high-quality public charter schools serving students across the nation. We are extremely grateful for your contributions. Please consider a tax-deductible gift to support the growth and sustainability of public charter schools – and please share our message and our work with your friends. Thank you!
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