As director of the Center for School Change, Nathan authored Charter Schools Creating Hope and Opportunity for American Education. Luncheon speaker Ton Jandris, while serving as director of state services with the Education Commission of the States, led a national school governance study that urged school boards to consider sponsoring new charter schools. The conference will include many discussion sessions on charter school law, incubating new schools, accountability of charter school authorizers, state budget bill proposals expanding the charter school law, testing students, and on-line charter cyberschools. Join the WCSA at EAA where imagination takes flight. In December 1998, the State of New York became the 37th state to pass a law permitting the formation of charter schools.
Charter schools are public schools granted significant discretion in school management.
In exchange, charter school operators are held accountable for school performance goals set for the period of their charter. If these goals are not met, charter renewal may be denied. Charter school supporters believe that charter schools, as a group, will be more effective than traditional public schools as a result of more stringent accountability. With 23 charter schools already open in NYS and an additional 14 set to open in Fall 2001 or 2002, a discussion of the meaning of accountability for charter schools is timely. We hope you can join us for this event.