Volume II, Issue 13, June 1, 2006
Charter Leader News
This issue of the Charter Leader News features information on the following . . .
Advocacy
Empowerment Schools Meeting
English Language Learner Consultant
Service Provider Marketplace
Charter School Funding Seminar
Brooklyn Charter School Awarded Five-Year Renewal
CAP LIFT UPDATE
The Charter Center continues to work with allies in the Assembly, State Senate and Governor's
Office to achieve a cap lift during the current legislative session.
Next Monday, the Assembly's Democratic Conference is scheduled to meet
and conclude their discussions on the charter school cap lift.
The Assembly will be debating the cap lift against the backdrop of a radio and
television ad campaign initiated by a group called "Parents for Public Charter Schools." The ads, which are critical of an Albany
Assemblymember for his opposition to lifting the cap, provoked heated debate in the Assembly about how they might help -- or hurt --
prospects for a cap lift.
The Charter Center is not connected with these ads. While we share the same
goal -- enacting legislation to increase public charter schools statewide -- we believe the best advocacy is based on building support and
understanding around the positive academic outcomes charter schools offer deserving public school students.
Cultivating allies in the Assembly who support the cap lift and charter schools has
been a steady focus of the Center's advocacy efforts. As we enter the final weeks of the legislative session we will continue to talk
with our allies in the Assembly, as well as in the State Senate and Governor's Office, toward the goal of achieving a positive
resolution of this issue.
Thank you.
OPERATIONS NEWS
Join Us! Meeting on DOE's Empowerment Schools - June
6, (5 pm) at the Center:
The Autonomy Zone will now be known as Empowerment Schools, and Chancellor
Klein has approved expanding the number of these schools to at least 200 in the next school year.
The Charter Center is teaming up with the Office of New
Schools to host an information session -- Tuesday, June 5 (5 pm) -- for charter school leaders to discuss the benefits of
joining Empowerment Schools. The session will be led by Empowerment Schools Chief Executive Officer Eric Nadelstern.
Please join us at the Center (111 Broadway, Suite 604) to learn
how affiliation with Empowerment Schools can help your school network and share expertise. For more information contact Mashea Ashton at
212-374-6819.
New Support for Serving English Language Learners:
The Charter Center recognizes the independence of charter schools to make their own decisions on how to
serve their students. At the same time, surveys conducted by the Office of New Schools, data from the State Education Department, and anecdotal
evidence from discussions with school leaders have led us to conclude that we can provide advice and counsel to schools on how to best serve students
who are limited English proficient.
Just as Dr. Arthur Sadoff is offering his expertise in Special Education
to schools, the Center has recruited an expert to assist schools with English Language Learners.
Maria Garcia Underwood is currently the director of the Bilingual Education Technical
Assistance Center at Hunter College and has been involved in delivering support to teachers and school leaders serving English Language Learners for
years. After a thorough search for experienced educators, we interviewed three finalists, looking for an individual who could bring expertise to
school leaders without an advocate's spin. Maria was overwhelmingly the best fit and expresses a commitment to the autonomy of charter schools and a
track record of working with a diverse set of individual schools across the City.
She will be working with us about two days a week for the rest of the year. Maria will help schools
provide a clearer picture of what works best in supporting English Language Learners and offer crisp, usable guidance on how to
ensure schools are complying with the law while also maximizing the resources available to support the delivery of services to students
who are not yet proficient in the English language.
She will be reaching out to you in the future to offer her support to those who are
interested. In the meantime, you can reach her at munderwood@nycchartercenter.org or by phone at 212-437-8321.
Welcome to the team, Maria!
Service Provider
Marketplace - June 15, 2006
at Millennium Hilton,
55 Church Street in Lower Manhattan (9am - 2pm):
Mark your calendars for the first annual Service
Provider Marketplace taking place on June 15, 2006, from 9am - 2pm. The Marketplace is a unique opportunity to connect with
vendors that have experience working with charter schools and have been recommended by your peers in NYC's charter school community.
Vendors have already been confirmed in the
following service areas:
If you would like more information about the
service providers/categories that will be in attendance contact Florence Adu, Director of Real Estate and Facilities, 212-437-8309 or email fadu@nycchartercenter.org
TRAINING OPPORTUNTIES
Charter School Funding Presentation by SED - June
5, Brooklyn (3-4:30pm)
In response to requests from school leaders for more information
about how per-pupil costs are formulated and other questions about charter school funding, the State Education Department's (SED) Burt
Porter will be available to answer questions on Monday, June 5, via video conference from Albany.
The video conference and presentation on charter school funding will take place
at SED's 55 Hanson Place offices, Brooklyn, New York 11217. Refreshments will be served.
We want to thank Ira Schwartz of SED and the
Charter School Leader Network's Advocacy and Equity Committee for arranging this
presentation and video conference. Please contact Stacey Gauthier at budrock@peoplepc.com for more
information and to confirm attendance.
CURRENT EVENTS
Brooklyn Charter School Awarded 5-Year Renewal:
The Charter Center congratulates Brooklyn Charter School
on being awarded a five-year renewal earlier this week. The K-5 elementary school in Bedford-Stuyvesant opened in 2000 and was the
first charter school authorized by the New York City Department of Education.
MISSION:
The mission of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is to stimulate the
supply of high-quality charter schools and support ongoing student excellence in all NYC charter schools, impacting the effectiveness of public
education. As an independent nonprofit, the Charter Center is an advocate, bridge and catalyst for the achievement of academic and operational
success and sustainability of all NYC charter schools for each young person.
