ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Charter School Contracts. Policy Guide
Author: Cass, Rebecca
Date: 2009-10-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Charter Schools,Best Practices,School Law,State Legislation,State Policy,Background,Educational Development,Educational Legislation,Performance Factors,Performance Contracts,Educational Policy,Change Strategies

The charter school concept was first introduced in 1991 when the Minnesota Legislature passed the nation's first charter school law. As of this writing in 2009, 40 states and the District of Columbia have charter school legislation. While the specific characteristics and nuances of these laws vary from state to state, almost every state law explicitly or implicitly requires a charter school to enter into a contract with its authorizer. The contract defines and protects the charter school's autonomy over key operational decisions while specifying anticipated performance outcomes. This agreement is the linchpin of the charter school concept, as it establishes and protects the rights and responsibilities of each party. A quality contract is essential to fully realizing the potential of charter schooling. This guide discusses the following: (1) Background on Charter School Contracts; (2) Key Considerations for Policymakers on Charter School Contracts; (3) Recommendations and Best Practices for State Policy on Charter School Contracts; and (4) Resources and Further Analysis. (Contains 5 resources and 4 endnotes.)
Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing. 2012 Edition
Author: National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Educational Opportunities,Charter Schools,Guidance,State Policy,Academic Standards,Educational Quality,School Administration,Institutional Autonomy,Students,Student Interests,Educational Finance,Decision Making

Charter school authorizing is a powerful strategy for making excellent public schools and educational opportunities available to all students. Done well, charter authorizing increases student achievement by expanding the supply of quality public schools to satisfy unmet needs--particularly by providing life-changing opportunities for students ill-served by the existing school system. Charter authorizing is complex work, requiring constant balancing of diverse and often competing interests. It is a public responsibility for authorizing institutions, as well as a highly developed profession for the individuals charged with this stewardship role. Quality authorizing requires specialized knowledge, skills, commitment, and adherence to essential professional standards in order to serve students and the public well, and achieve the purposes of state charter laws. Since 2004, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) has established and widely promoted such standards--the first "Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing" and subsequent editions--to provide essential guidance to charter authorizing organizations and leaders, as well as to policymakers who seek to support quality authorizing. Because charter authorizing is a continually developing profession, these professional standards must likewise continually evolve in conjunction with the growth and complexity of the ever-growing charter school sector. "Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing" derives from NACSA's vast experience, research, and lessons learned from working with authorizers across the nation. Accordingly, NACSA revisits and updates these Principles and Standards regularly to ensure that they address current authorizing challenges and reflect the latest lessons drawn from practice, research, and analysis. These Principles and Standards are designed primarily for authorizing institutions, and as such, they provide practical guidance to help authorizer staff and authorizer board members carry out their work as a standards-based profession rather than simply a list of tasks. For policymakers, this publication should highlight the complexity and challenges of quality authorizing--and the need for state policy to contemplate and invest adequately in authorizing to achieve a quality charter school sector. (Contains 13 endnotes.)
NACSA Charter School Replication Guide: The Spectrum of Replication Options. Authorizing Matters. Replication Brief 1
Author: O'Neill, Paul
Date: 2010-08-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Charter Schools,Educational Development,Public Education,Guides,Program Implementation,Governance,Educational Administration,Trustees,Web Based Instruction

One of the most important and high-profile issues in public education reform today is the replication of successful public charter school programs. With more than 5,000 failing public schools in the United States, there is a tremendous need for strong alternatives for parents and students. Replicating successful charter school models is an approach that has gained momentum in recent years. Charter school replication is now leading to significant chartering activity across the country. Through charter school replication, authorizers have a tremendous opportunity to build portfolios of high performing schools; therefore, it is critical that they have an understanding of all the key elements involved in successful charter school replication and how it can be effectively brought about and managed. To this end, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) is issuing a series of briefs to help authorizers master the art of replication. This brief explores the current landscape of replication. Other guides in this series will address such topics as how to authorize replications, when to do so and when to stay away, and how to maximize the chances that replicated programs are as strong as the models they seek to follow. (Contains 4 endnotes and 15 resources.) [Contributing authors include Jim Ford and Lauren Morando Rhim.]
Charter School Appeals. Policy Guide
Author: O'Neill, Paul T.
Date: 2009-09-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Charter Schools,Decision Making,Best Practices,State Policy,Change Strategies,Organizational Change,School Expansion,Educational Policy,Grievance Procedures,Arbitration,Board of Education Policy,Administrative Organization,Compliance (Legal),Audits (Verification)

Authorizers must decide whether a proposed school should be allowed to open and whether it should be required to close. To enable authorizers to serve as quality gatekeepers for the sector, state policy must give authorizers clear power to deny low-quality charter school applications and to close charter schools that fail to meet expectations. At the same time, when the authorizer decides against a school, a well-structured appeals process enhances fairness for charter school applicants and schools and helps hold authorizers accountable for making sound, merit-based decisions. In the life cycle of a charter school, there are three common circumstances that can trigger an appeal: (1) Rejected application for a new charter school; (2) Rejected application for charter school renewal; and (3) Revocations. Whatever the circumstances of appeal, one important consideration is whether the appeal is procedural (claiming that the authorizer did not follow proper process) or substantive (claiming that the decision-making body made a bad decision on the merits). A procedural appeal might argue, for example, that an authorizer violated its own renewal procedures by failing even to read a school's renewal application, while a substantive appeal could argue that the authorizer failed to appreciate all the merits of the renewal application. Whatever the administrative rules are regarding charter school appeals in a particular location, those threatened with the closure of a charter school may also seek to have a court weigh in on whether the process is being carried out lawfully, and perhaps seek an injunction halting the process at least temporarily. This guide discusses the following: (1) Background on Charter School Appeals; (2) Key Considerations for Policymakers in Structuring Effective Charter Appeals Processes; (3) Recommendations and Best Practices for State Policy on Charter School Appeals; and (4) Resources and Further Analysis. (Contains 4 endnotes and 6 resources.)
Charter School Replication. Policy Guide
Author: Rhim, Lauren Morando
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Charter Schools,Best Practices,State Policy,Background,Educational Quality,Performance Factors,Educational Resources,School Expansion,Change Strategies,Administrator Guides,Board of Education Policy

"Replication" is the practice of a single charter school board or management organization opening several more schools that are each based on the same school model. The most rapid strategy to increase the number of new high-quality charter schools available to children is to encourage the replication of existing quality schools. This policy guide discusses the following: (1) Background on Charter School Replication; (2) Key Considerations for Policymakers Committed to Supporting Quality Charter School Replication; (3) Recommendations and Best Practices for State Policy on Charter School Replication; and (4) Resources and Further Analysis. (Contains 10 resources and 7 endnotes.)
Multiple Charter Authorizing Options. Policy Guide
Author: O'Neill, Paul T.
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Charter Schools,Best Practices,State Policy,Administrator Guides,Background,Certification,Performance Factors,Change Strategies,Agency Cooperation,School Law

"Multiple authorizers" refers to situations where more than one entity is able to authorize charter schools in any given community. The presence of multiple authorizers can strengthen a state's charter school sector because a diversity of authorizers can promote professional practices among authorizers and provide checks and balances in charter approval, oversight and renewal decisions. This policy guide discusses the following: (1) Background on Multiple Authorizers; (2) Key Considerations for Policymakers on Multiple Authorizing Options; (3) Recommendations and Best Practices for State Policy on Multiple Authorizers; and (4) Resources and Further Analysis. (Contains 6 endnotes and 8 resources.)
Charter School Contract Renewal. Policy Guide
Author: O'Neill, Paul T.
Date: 2009-10-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Charter Schools,Best Practices,State Policy,Certification,Contracts,Background,Quality Assurance,Quality Control,Change Strategies,Decision Making,Administrator Guides,Performance Factors

The authority to operate a charter school is granted through a limited-term, renewable contract. Contract renewal is not automatic--it must be earned through strong academic results and operational effectiveness. Good schools should be cultivated and poor ones shut down. This is one of the definitive functions of a charter school authorizer. This policy guide discusses the following: (1) Background on Charter School Renewal; (2) Key Considerations for Policymakers Committed to Supporting Quality Charter School Renewal; (3) Recommendations and Best Practices for State Policy on Charter School Renewal; and (4) Resources and Further Analysis. (Contains 5 endnotes and 11 resources.)
Chartering Pre-K: How Natural Synergies between the Charter and Pre-K Movements Can Improve Public Education. Viewpoint
Author: Mead, Sara
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Charter Schools,Outcomes of Education,Kindergarten,Public Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Objectives,Young Children,Enrollment,Educational Policy,Schools,Achievement Gap,Low Income Groups,Minority Group Students,Accountability,Educational Improvement,Educational Finance,Articulation (Education),Educational Innovation,Barriers,Capacity Building

Both the charter school and universal pre-K movements have grown substantially during the past 10 years. Nearly 5,000 charter schools now exist in 40 states and the District of Columbia, serving some 1.6 million students--up from 2,300 schools serving 580,000 students only a decade ago. The growth in state pre-kindergarten enrollments has paralleled the growth of charter schools. From 2001-2009, the number of children enrolled in state pre-K programs rose from 700,000 to more than 1.2 million, and state spending on pre-kindergarten more than doubled, from $2.4 billion to $5 billion. The charter and pre-K movements have progressed on largely separate tracks. A silo effect in our education policies and institutions tends to segregate issues related to the education of our youngest children from those related to the K-12 public schools. There is limited overlap between the organizations and leaders who champion charter schools and those who advocate on behalf of pre-K programs. This is unfortunate, because the charter school and universal prekindergarten movements actually have a great deal in common. Both the charter and pre-K movements seek to improve children's educational outcomes and close achievement gaps for low-income and minority youngsters. More fundamentally, each of these movements seeks to expand the boundaries of public education--the charter school movement by enabling new providers to deliver public education, and the universal pre-K movement by extending public education to 3- and 4-year-olds. And both movements face similar challenges related to accountability, ensuring quality across diverse providers, building supply, and accessing funding and facilities. This paper explores how natural synergies between the charter and pre-K movements can help both movements to be even more effective in improving public education. (Contains 5 endnotes.)
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers' Index of Essential Practices
Author: National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Charter Schools,Accountability,Best Practices,Scoring,Classification,Quality Control,Educational Quality,Indexes,Guides,Educational Administration,Contracts,Criteria,Evaluation Methods,Access to Information,Interviews,Expertise,Governance,Financial Audits,Reports,Institutional Evaluation,Responsibility,Institutional Mission,Decision Making,School Districts

Authorizers are as varied as the schools they oversee. Some are responsible for just one charter, while others monitor hundreds of charters serving tens of thousands of students. Some are school districts, while others are independent statewide boards, universities, not-for-profits, or state education agencies. Regardless of their size and type, authorizers must do the important work charged to them by law: deciding which schools should open, monitoring and supporting their progress, and closing those that fail to serve students adequately. There is an emerging consensus on specific authorizer practices that are necessary to do the job well. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) has created and refined "Principles & Standards" that reflect this consensus. Drawing from that, NACSA has crafted a 12-item "Index of Essential Practices" that provides a baseline measure for authorizers. An individual index score (from 0-12) is a diagnostic tool, and can be used to scan the work across the entire sector. The index score communicates to authorizers if they are doing these essential, key pieces of work. This information can then help begin a dialogue about improving practice. Appended are: (1) Methodology; and (2) NACSA Resources for Authorizers. (Contains 4 footnotes.)
Resource Toolkit for Working with Education Service Providers
Author: National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Date: 2005-07-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Charter Schools,School Administration,Conflict of Interest,Institutional Role,Legal Responsibility,Contracts,Performance Contracts,Board of Education Policy,Educational Policy,State Policy,Disclosure,Certification,Program Proposals,Proposal Writing,Evaluation Criteria,Check Lists,Compliance (Legal),Information Policy,Accountability,Audits (Verification),Quality Assurance,Quality Control,Benchmarking,Conflict Resolution,Insurance,Facilities Management,Position Papers,School Law

This resource toolkit for working education service providers contains four sections. Section 1, &quot;Roles Responsibilities, and Relationships,&quot; contains: (1) &quot;Purchasing Services from an Educational Management Organization,&quot; excerpted from &quot;The Charter School Administrative and Governance Guide&quot; (Massachusetts Dept. of Education); (2) ESP Agreement Process (Central Michigan University); (3) Educational Service Provider Policies (Central Michigan University); (4) Legal Opinion Template (Central Michigan University); (5) Disclosure of Financial Interest Form (Massachusetts Dept. of Education); and (6) Annual Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form (Central Michigan University). Section 2, &quot;The Charter Application Stage,&quot; contains: (1) Selected Questions, &quot;Charter Schools Application Kit,&quot; 5th ed. (State University of New York); (2) Existing Design Applicant Evaluation (Mayor's Office of Indianapolis); (3) Excerpt, &quot;Annotated Guide to the California State Board of Education Model Charter School Application&quot;; (4) Public School Academy Board Application (Central Michigan University); and (5) Questions for Prospective Charter School Board Members, &quot;Charter Schools Application Kit,&quot; 5th ed. (State University of New York). Section 3, &quot;Reviewing School Management Contracts,&quot; contains: (1) Educational Service Provide Review Sheet (Central Michigan University); (2) Excerpt, &quot;The Charter School Administration and Governance Guide&quot; (Massachusetts Dept. of Education); and (3) Management Contract Review Checklist (Massachusetts Dept. of Education). Section 4, &quot;Additional Resources and Sample Documents,&quot; contains: (1) Comprehensive Management Services Contract Requirements (Chicago Board of Education); (2) Charter Contract Provision Concerning Public Information (Ferris State University); (3) ESP Quality and Performance Assessment (School Lane Charter School); and (4) Sample School Management Contract (Chicago). Appended are: (1) Maintenance, Repairs and Improvements; (2) Certain Insurance Requirements; and (3) Dispute Resolution. Individual sections contain footnotes.
Brief Report of a Study to Investigate the Relationship between Several Brief Measures of Reading Fluency and Performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test-Reading in 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th Grades. FCRR Technical Report #6
Author: Torgesen, Joseph
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Reading Achievement,Program Effectiveness,Reading Fluency,Remedial Instruction,State Standards,Progress Monitoring,Student Evaluation,Reading Skills,Measures (Individuals),Correlation

With the apparent success of progress monitoring measures for reading growth in grades K-3, there is broad interest in the State of Florida in extending this assessment technology into the upper grades (4-12) for students who continue to perform below grade level on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The biggest challenge to this initiative is that the nature of the reading, language, and cognitive factors that account most importantly for individual differences in performance on the FCAT changes dramatically from grade three to grade ten. In this study, the authors examined the relationship between performance on maze tests constructed from passages similar to those used on the FCAT test, and student's actual scores on the FCAT. They also administered three other brief assessments of reading skill that might be candidates for monitoring progress in reading for students receiving remedial instruction in grades 4-12. Their goal was to obtain initial evidence about the relationship between performance on these brief measures of reading skills and performance on the reading portion of the FCAT. Although it is also important that progress monitoring measures be sensitive to small increments in reading growth, the first criteria they must meet is a strong relationship with performance on the FCAT, since that test is used to determine whether students are meeting grade level standards in reading.
Using an RTI Model to Guide Early Reading Instruction: Effects on Identification Rates for Students with Learning Disabilities. FCRR Technical Report #7
Author: Torgesen, Joseph K.
Date: 2007-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Learning Disabilities,Reading Instruction,Response to Intervention,Disability Identification,Beginning Reading,Program Implementation,Reading Difficulties,Reading Programs,Models,Special Education,Elementary School Students

The use of the term "response to intervention" focuses on its potential utility for diagnosis of learning disabilities. In this context, "response to intervention" can be understood as a diagnostic approach for determining which students are entitled to special educational services. It is important to notice that the validity of the RTI diagnostic approach for identifying students with learning disabilities depends critically on the quality of the RTI instructional model as it is implemented in a school, or school district. In this brief paper, the author will focus on the impact of the RTI instructional model on rates of identification of students with learning disabilities. The author will present data from a large number of schools in Florida that illustrate the immediate impact this approach to early reading instruction is having on the percentages of students in those schools that are being diagnosed as having a learning disability. (Contains 3 tables.)
Dyslexia: A Brief for Educators, Parents, and Legislators in Florida. FCRR Technical Report #8
Author: Torgesen, Joseph K.
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Dyslexia,Reading Difficulties,Remedial Instruction,Disability Identification,Evaluation Methods,Prevention,Etiology,Program Descriptions,Instructional Effectiveness,Educational Diagnosis,Diagnostic Tests,Teaching Methods

Dyslexia is a term that has been applied since the early part of the 20th Century to many students with reading difficulties. The term comes from medicine, but its broadest application is within education. Many educators, however, remain confused about the term in spite of the fact that major advances in the understanding of dyslexia have been made through scientific research over the past 40 years. The purpose of this technical assistance paper is to briefly describe what is currently known about dyslexia, focusing particularly on methods of early identification, prevention, and remedial instruction.