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Volume I, Issue 13, August 11, 2005
Charter Leader News
This issue of the Charter Leader News features information on the following:
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advocacy
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communication "tools"
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assistance with grant applications
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deadlines for reporting school data
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DOE's Autonomy Zone and more . . .
We know this is an extremely busy time as you prepare for the start of the 2005-06
school year. Look to the CLN for timely updates, resource opportunities and tips to support you and your
staff.
Speaking of support, for the remainder of the summer the Center team wants to
support you by providing an extra hand moving furniture, painting playgrounds and assisting with any project
needs that may arise. Just let us know how we can help.
You can help us as well with our ongoing advocacy efforts.
Please use the Sample Letter below to write the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, Senate Majority Leader
and Chairman of the Assembly Education Committee this month and urge them to take
action to lift the statewide "cap" on public charter schools. If you have already
written state leaders, then please share this letter with parents and supporters
and encourage them to make their voices heard in Albany on this critically important
issue.
Whether you operate a charter school now or hope to open one in the fall of 2006, this
issue has consequences for everyone with a stake in NYC's charter school movement.
To effectively address funding inequities and other regulatory issues impacting the
future of public charter schools, we need a growing and vocal base of support.
Lifting the cap is the first step.
NOTE: Draft letter for submission to Governor George Pataki, Senate Majority
Leader Joseph Bruno, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Education Committee
Chairman Steven Sanders. Edit to include personal stories or other information
which you think help illustrate the importance of lifting the cap of charter schools
in New York State. Go to www.senate.state.ny.us or www.assembly.state.ny.us to find mailing addresses for Senator Bruno and Assemblymen Silver and Sanders.
The governor's address is: The Executive Chamber, Capitol, Albany, NY 12224.
Name
Address
Date
Dear _______________:
I am writing as a (parent/teacher/principal/Board member) at (name of charter school) to request your support for legislation (A.7936-A/S.1940-A) that would lift
the cap on charter schools in New York State.
As you may know, charter schools provide parents and students with unprecedented
public school choice in communities across the state. Consistent with the law,
the Board of Regents issued their five-year review of charter schools last year.
They concluded that charter schools make a positive contribution to the menu of
public school options, and have not been a detriment to local school districts.
In New York City, Chancellor Klein is a strong supporter of charter schools.
Working in collaboration with the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence,
he has pledged to open 50 more schools in the next few years. Because the statewide
100 charter school cap will be reached by the end of 2005, it is imperative that
the Legislature act now to allow more schools to be approved.
Our school—(state the proposed name), serves (#) students in grades (levels to
be served) in (name of neighborhood and Borough). With the support of the Board
of Regents and seven years of charter school experience, there is no rationale
for maintaining a cap on charter schools. To enable the City of New York to meet
the strong parental demand for more of these schools, I urge you to advocate on
behalf of pending cap elimination legislation.
Your efforts on behalf of lifting the cap will help offer unique educational
opportunities -- which are exceedingly rare in New York City -- to more deserving
parents and students.
Thank you for considering my request, and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Name
Affiliation with school
School name
If you have any questions, or wish to know more about our advocacy efforts, please
contact Jeff Maclin at:jmaclin@nycchartercenter.org or call 212-437-8310.
Thank you.
212-437-8310
Christine Pendry
VP for Grantmaking
212-437-8313
*At your direction, we can include other leaders from your school or your Education
Management Organization (EMO) on the distribution list. Please let us know.
Academic Enhancement Offer for New Charter Schools:
All charter schools opening in 2005 can apply for our Academic Enhancement Offer, in which we will pay for a one year NYLearns license and professional development
on the use of NYLearns. The objective of this program is to expand each school’s
ability to link Learning Standards to school goals by engaging the assistance
of NYLearns, a program from the Center for Applied Technologies in Education (CATE).
The annual site license entitles the schools to access to all updates, including
new tools, telephone/fax/email troubleshooting and support, hosting services for
teacher WebPages, electronic portfolios, and postings of assignments and classroom
activities.
NYLearns.org is based on the recognition that exemplary teaching practices stem
from access to relevant information and tools for teaching and learning that allow
teachers to integrate curriculum, instruction, and assessment for the classroom.
This recognition is translated into the research-based content, resources, and
tools on NYLearns.org including: New York State Learning Standards; New York State
Core Curriculum and Resources Guides; Over 11,000 peer reviewed Instructional
Resources (e.g. units, lessons, activities, and lesson starters); Best Practices
(e.g. descriptions of teaching strategies such as cooperative learning for the
classroom).
Start-up and Facility Financing Grant Application Workshop -- August 17:
All first time applicants for Start-up and Facility Financing grants are encouraged
to attend the Center's August 17 workshop (2 pm to 4 pm) and meet with a consultant
who will be available to review draft applications, answer questions and provide
technical assistance.
Charter schools authorized by SUNY-CSI and the NYC Department of Education are
eligible to apply for Facility Financing grants, which range from $100K-$300K,
and Start-Up/Implementation grants, which range from $5K-$50K. The grant application
deadline is noon September 6, 2005.
E-Rate Workshop - Sept. 22, 2005:
The Center will hold two workshop sessions on September 22 (9-11 am and 4-6 pm)
offering charter school leaders an overview of the E-Rate program, application
process as well as the required technology plan.
E-Rate is a federal grant subsidy that provides schools and libraries with affordable
telecommunications and Internet access. E-Rate subsidizes items such as local
and long distance phone service, cell phones and pagers, data networks, and email
and web servers. Funding awards are based on the percentage of students qualifying
for the Free and Reduced Lunch program.
The workshop will provide information on outsourcing the application and also
explain the merits of forming a consortium of NYC charter schools. If you would
like to attend either session please email Laura Smith at lsmith@nycchartercenter.org or call 212-437-8311.
Reminder to All Charter Middle Schools and Charter High Schools: STEP data due
August 19th
A key determinant of a charter school’s success is the performance of its students
on State assessments as reported on the New York State School Report Card.
In order for the report cards to provide an accurate representation of charter
school performance in terms of Regents examinations and State accountability standards,
charter school staff must use the System for Tracking Education Performance (STEP)
to report correct data to the State Education Department (SED). All New York State schools that enroll students in grades 9-12, as well as any
middle school that administers secondary level examinations, must submit a STEP
file. The deadline for submitting STEP data to SED is Friday, August 19th.
Please contact Michele Shahen or Clara Browne (tel. 518-474-7965) in advance
of emailing or faxing (fax. 518-474-4351) reports along with the principal's signature
denoting his/her approval. More information can be found at the following website:
www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/STEP/.
Start-up Assistance:
Relocation Management Solutions (RMS) Inc., a consulting and project management
firm offering cost effective facilities management solutions, will be available
throughout the remainder of the summer to assist schools in the following areas:
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Site assessment and space planning
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Identifying furniture and equipment resources that fit budget requirements
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Assessing technology needs
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Planning and recommending telecommunications services
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Identifying service professionals for relevant projects
RMS can help to extend your school's capacity to implement and manage the systems
necessary in supporting day-to-day facilities operations and can be a resource
for first-year as well as existing charter schools.
Presentation on Communications Templates for Charter Schools -- August 25:
New and current charter school leaders are invited to attend an August 25 presentation
of a suite of print and electronic communications "tools" which have been developed
by the Center, and can be customized to feature your charter school's information,
data, and images to establish an infrastructure to communicate with important
strategic audiences.
The presentation of newsletter, brochure, and postcard templates, as well as
a turnkey Web site platform, will run from 11 am to 2 pm, in the Center's Training
Room, located in our offices at 111 Broadway, Suite 604.
Each school leader attending the presentation will receive a "kit" including
a Project Initiation Worksheet to take them through the process of getting started
without the need for technical expertise. An electronic version of the kit will
also be developed and accessible on the Center's Web site.
To sign up for the presentation, please contact Jeff Maclin at jmaclin@nycchartercenter.org, or call 212-437-8310. Refreshments will be served.
Attend DOE Presentation on "Autonomy Zone" - August 23:
The New York City Department of Education's (DOE) "Autonomy Zone" is a pilot
Children First initiative based on the belief that principal autonomy for decision-making in
their schools coupled with clear accountability for results can mobilize effective
talent within and outside the DOE to improve student achievement.
Three charter schools -- KIPP Academy, Opportunity and Renaissance -- participated
in the Zone's first year of operation (2004-05 school year). While their autonomies
and accountabilities continued to be governed by their charters, they were invited
to join other Zone schools in forming networks based on common interests and working
together on professional development topics of their choosing.
For 2005-06, the DOE is eager to expand the Zone from 26 DOE schools to up to
50 schools, and at least double the number of charter schools participating.
On August 23rd at 3 pm, the Center will host a presentation by the Chief Academic
Officer for New Schools and Supervisor of the Autonomy Zone, Eric Nadelstern,
and his team as they explain the benefits to charter schools of participating
in the Autonomy Zone.
We believe the Zone can serve as a vehicle for the charter school concept's larger
impact on public school reform and invite you to learn more about how you can
be a part of the Zone. Potential benefits to participating charter schools include the opportunity to
share best practices, engage in problem solving with like-minded DOE schools in
networks of your choosing, and develop additional pathways for instructional support
and troubleshooting with the Office of New Schools.
If you have any questions about the Zone, please contact Eric Nadelstern at nadelstern@aol.com or call 212-374-6684.
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.
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