Celebrating
With the California Charter Schools Conference, along
with the National Charter Schools Conference, coming up next week, it only seems
appropriate to acknowledge what charter schools are doing to improve public
education for our youth. Leaders like Wanny Hersey, our Educator of the Month,
who pour their heart, soul and talent into their classrooms, help charter
schools continue to turn out highly-successful, well-rounded individuals.
Another
such individual, Kelly Diep, of The Preuss School UCSD, received national
recognition for her volunteer work, in addition to being a part of a program
that sends over 90 percent of its graduates to college.
Charter
scho
ols positive results are gaining the attention of
the legislature and parents alike. Proposals for additional bond funding and
equality in advanced funding for schools that are expanding are currently
working their way through the legislature. Parents are also seeing the results
that charter schools are turning out and are clamoring to add their kids to
waiting lists that are often hundreds and sometimes thousands of students long.
We
hope you enjoy this issue of the California Charter Schools Newswire. If you
have anything you would like to see featured in a future issue, please email us
at newswire@charterassociation.org.
--------------------------------
Governor Schwarzenegger
to Speak at 13th
The
Association is proud to announce that Governor Schwarzenegger will speak at
next weeks conference in Sacramento, joining conference speakers,
Moctesuma Esparza, Founder of Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise
Charter School; Bill Nye the Science Guy; State Superintendent Jack
OConnell; Education Secretary Alan Bersin; Charter Leaders Johnathan
Williams and Yvonne Chan and many more!
The
conference provides the opportunity to network with your charter school peers
from over 40 states across the country and participate in any of the 120
breakout sessions on topics such as Performance & Accountability,
Curriculum & Instructional Design and Governance & Operations.
The conference
program is now available online at: http://www.charterconference.org/conference.php
Charter Schools: Worth Waiting For
The
growing waiting lists at 
who are desperate to enroll.
This
sort of rigorous college-prep atmosphere is something that most public schools
dont make accessible, forcing many parents pay an arm and a leg to send
their kids to private school to receive. (See Tuition Hits $25,000 at
Elite Los Angeles Schools below in In The News)
One Santa Cruz Sentinel story last week
demonstrated parents desperation:
Fred
Hernandez, who showed up to the PCSs lottery on behalf of his children in
hopes of an alternative to the $25,000 a year private school tuition.
"My wife
stayed home. She couldn't stand the suspense. . . This town could really use
another school like this."
Frauke
Zajac, parent who attended the PCSs lottery drawing on behalf of a son who
will enter the ninth-grade this fall.
"I'm
hoping there will be a chance for another school."
Pacific
Collegiate Principal Andrew Goldenkranz, who has more than 300 students
currently on the waiting list.
"I
want us in the position where if I've got 400 families applying, I've got 400
seats to put your kids in. he plans to determine "if, how, and how soon we
can dramatically expand the opportunities here."
So
what is the answer to such desperation for a quality public education? Making
these successful charter school models the norm. More autonomy and freedom with
curriculum has led charters to succeed where traditional public schools often
fail, and has parents beating down their doors to get their children the kind
of education they deserve.
(Full
URLs: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/February/17/local/stories/02local.htm
http://www.pacificcollegiate.com/index.cfm)
The New York Times Reports
That Venture Capitalists Are Investing in Educational Reform
Venture
capitalists of
We
give education entrepreneurs money to start or to speed up building their
companies," L. John Doerr told the Times, who for over 26 years has
helped start dozens of ventures, including Sun Microsystems, Amazon.com and
Google. He helped found the New Schools Venture Fund in
Recipients
of the fund's investments are not whiz kids eager to become the next Bill
Gates. Mainly, they are public school teachers with a passion to improve the
ways poor children are taught. The companies they form are nonprofit charter
school management organizations, capable of running publicly financed
elementary and secondary schools that are freed from some rules and regulations
in exchange for producing educational results better than those of the large
urban school district. Almost all their students are eligible for free or
reduced-price breakfasts and lunches.
Are
You Doing Innovative Work on Pay Structures and Think Your Ideas Could Benefit
Others . . ?
The
Association is looking to collect charter school pay structures/systems to
inform our process of looking at funding adequacy for education for the
Governor's Committee on Excellent Education. If you are doing things that are
unique, innovative or especially successful, email the Association at newswire@charterassociation.org to be included in as a possible case study. As always,
thank you for your feedback!
-----------------------------------------
The
Preuss School UCSD Student Named Distinguished Finalist in 11th Annual National
Awards Program
Named as
of the 10 Distinguished Finalists in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards,
Kelly Diep, 17, a senior at The Preuss School UCSD in
But
Preuss is used to such acknowledgements for its students. In 2005, 91% of
Preuss graduates were accepted to a four-year college or university, which
is more than double the rate of a regular district high school. This class has
attracted more than $1.4 million in scholarships, grants and awards.
The
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young
people for outstanding acts of volunteerism, now in its 11th year, is conducted
by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of
Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
(Full
URLs: http://sacramento.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=62164&type_news=latest
http://preuss.ucsd.edu/about.asp)
Educator
of the Month
----------------------------------
Wanny Hersey,
Superintendent and Principal,
Wanny
Hersey, superintendent and principal at Bullis
Charter School in
At Bullis, every student has
an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) focusing on his/her unique needs, with
goals ranging from core academics to developing social and organizational
skills. They also possess individual academic objectives exceeding state
standards. The curriculum, teaching style, and textbooks are designed and
chosen from the best practices in elementary education across the nation. Every
student spends time analyzing, integrating, and applying concepts to real-life
learning opportunities. Compared to most schools, schoolwork includes more
writing and project-based assignments, and fewer fill-in-the-blanks worksheets.
Students are required to participate in drama, dance, vocal, and instrumental
music, art and PE. In addition, every student (K-6) participates in a variety
of elective topics with a focus on educating the whole child.
During
her seven and a half years at Bel Aire, her post prior to BCS, it was named a
Hersey is a dynamic leader
who has not only been responsible for reforming
(Full URL: http://www.bullischarterschool.com/default.asp)
In
the News
------------------
Educators
Plan New Temple for Learning in Watts
After nearly a decade, the
The
school has become known for doing a lot with the little bit that it has. After
moving into the church's seven classrooms in 2000, the school had to bring in
four bungalows to house more classes and the principal's office.
Aside from struggling with its facilities,
students are flourishing. The school's Academic Performance Index score of 789
out of 1000 is outpacing the traditional neighborhood campuses, and it was
named a
Fittingly
enough, school President Gene Fisher called the transition a godsend.
(Full
URL: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-watts17feb17,0,6832990.story?coll=la-headlines-california)
Tuition
Hits $25,000 at Elite Los Angeles Schools
As tuitions at private schools skyrocket, parents are
feeling the crunch that comes with a private, college-preparatory education for
their children. For the first time, tuition at several of the most elite
private schools in Los Angeles County will either reach $25,000 or hover very
near that mark and that does not include the standard fees that most
schools charge, as well as other fundraising for which parents are expected to
open their wallets, reported the Los Angeles Times last week.
The
heads of those elite schools, meanwhile, said they are not sure when if
ever the trend in tuition will crest.
"I'm
afraid the answer is, the marketplace rules," said Thomas C. Hudnut,
headmaster at Harvard-Westlake, one of
What
these cash-poor parents may not realize is that college-preparatory charter
schools often do deliver as good, if not better, results than their
exorbitantly expensive counterparts. Many charter schools around
(Full
URL: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tuition17feb17,0,5872954.story?coll=la-headlines-california)
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