Greetings!
Happy Holidays to all of our supporters!
Welcome to the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools Email Newsletter. We will keep you updated on current charter school issues, news, and events. Please let us know if there is anything else you would like to see in our communications to you or if you have a charter success story you would like to share. As always, thank you for your support and voice in Louisiana's charter school movement. |
TYPE ONE CHARTER SCHOOLS APPROVED
Three new charter schools have been approved as Type One charter schools, or local school board authorized schools. The two new school approved this month join the National Heritage Academy school, Inspire Academy, that was approved by East Baton Rouge Parish School Board several months ago.
HELIX Schools: The Helix Education Management Organization, will operate two new technology focused charter high schools in downtown Baton Rouge. One school will focus on digital media, while the other school will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Helix Schools Website.
Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy: The new charter school, created by the non-profit arm of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, will be geared to high school dropouts and at risk students.
POLICY NEWS* Race To The Top Timeline: By now all interested LEA's have submitted letters of intent to the LDoE, and should set up appointments with LDoE staff for individualized technical support. Such support will be offered through January 11th. By midnight on January 11th, all Participating LEA Partneship Agreements must be signed by all relevant parties; failure to do so will result in the LEA's exclusion from the state's application. The state will submit its application on January 14th. * Accountability Commission: Raising the Minimum
SPS
The Accountability Commission convened in December and
agreed to raise the minimum SPS from 60 to 75 over a two year period,
beginning in SY 2010. The minimum SPS will rise by 10
points to 70 for SY 2010-11, and by an additional 5 points over SY
2011-12. When more information becomes available on
how these changes will impact charter schools currently in existence, we
will share those details with you.
DECEMBER BESE UPDATE
* Type 2 Applications Deferred: On the LDE's recommendation, BESE deferred consideration of pending Type 2 applications until January.
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Announcing the Louisiana Special Education Cooperative
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Dear School Leaders:
We are excited to welcome you to a reception kicking off the
Special Education Cooperative as a new initiative within the Louisiana
Association of Public Charter Schools.
We hope you can join us. To join the Cooperative starting January 2010, please email Beth Giovannetti at bgiovannetti@spedsupport.com. To RSVP for the event, please email Beth or Andrea at achen@lacharterschools.org.
Led by SPED consultants Beth Giovannetti and Nancy Opalack,
the Cooperative will help schools build capacity to increase SPED students'
academic achievement and to help schools stay in compliance. Services
will include support around complex cases, professional development,
academic tracking of SPED students, shared services, a learning
network, advocacy, etc. After hearing from
our members on the challenges surrounding SPED and the Coop's great
work, the LAPCS recently secured funding for the Coop, previously
funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Charter School Program,
National
Alliance of Public Charter Schools, and New Schools for New Orleans.
Come find out about what the SPED Cooperative will
accomplish this year, how your school can benefit from the Cooperative's
services, what it means to be a member of the Cooperative...and to meet Beth and
Nancy!
What schools say about the work of Beth, Nancy, and the
Special Education Cooperative:
"The co-op has been tremendously helpful in navigating the
legal aspects of special education in New Orleans, so that instead of being a
target for compliance persecution, the district actually regards us as a model
of special needs implementation... it has allowed charter schools to share best
practices and strategize toward creating efficient and functional special
education programs that meet all the requirements of the state. Even the most effective SEC's often
feel alone and unsure of the right approach to problems that could bring down
an entire school...with the co-op, 40 some odd schools with the same problem and
tons of legal know-how can't be ignored."
~Ben Marcovitz, Executive Director & Margo Bouchie,
Special Education Coordinator, Sci Academy
"The dismal state of special education services in New
Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina is undisputed. With the knowledge, experience and assistance of Beth
Giovannetti and Nancy Opalack, KIPP New Orleans Schools is creating cooperative
service delivery systems, building infrastructure to promote AYP for special
education students, and beginning to implement integrated service delivery
models. These supports are planned
and implemented based on data, student and teacher input, best-practices
research and collaboration among all stakeholders. "
~Kelly McClure, Director of Academics, KIPP New Orleans
Schools
Important Dates:
Tuesday, January 12th, 6-8:30pm
Location: KIPP Believe, 1607 S. Carrollton--Louisiana Special Education Cooperative
Kick-Off Reception (all are welcome)
Tuesday, January 19th, 6-8:30pm, Location: TBA--Welcome Back Meeting of Special
Education Coordinators and School Leaders--(all are welcome)--come find out
about what the cooperative is all about!
Monday,
February 15th--SPED Cooperative Membership Fees are DUE. To partake in this initiative from
January 2010-Dec. 2010, please make sure you submit your membership dues by
this date.
Membership Fees:
$750 (below 200 students); $950 non-members
$1,000 (200-399 students); $1,250 non-members
$1,250 (400 students and above); $1,450 non-members
Checks can be made
payable to: Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (memo line: SPED
Cooperative), 5500 Prytania Street, #126, New Orleans, LA 70115.
Our
private funding for the Cooperative requires that we make a 1:7 match from
membership dues in our first year.
For every dollar of membership dues that you pay into the Cooperative,
the Association will make up the remainder through private philanthropic
dollars.
If you have any questions, please email Beth Giovannetti at bgiovannetti@spedsupport.com, Nancy Opalack at nopalack@spedsupport.com, or Andrea Chen at achen@lacharterschools.org, 504-274-3651.
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High Quality Startup Grant Opportunities Sponsored by the
Walton Family Foundation
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The LAPCS is excited to announce our 2010 High Quality
Start-up grant, sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation, due March 1, 2010.
This year, the start-up grant is open to all new charter
schools in Louisiana. Previously,
the grant was only available to New Orleans charters, and schools were only
eligible for $250,000. Beginning 2010,
the maximum Base Grant Award equals $250,000 with a per-pupil supplement of
$500 for a maximum award totaling $500,000 over five years. We do accept and encourage early
applications.
Please click HERE to download the grant application.
We are also excited to announce five grant recipients for
the 2009 High Quality Planning Grant, sponsored by the Walton Family
Foundation. Congratulations! Five newly approved charter schools
went through a rigorous application process and were recently approved for
$20,000 planning grants. They are:
Morris Jeff Community Charter School, Renew Schools #1, Renew Schools #2,
Firstline Schools New Orleans Charter Elementary School, and Firstline Schools
Dibert.
If you
have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to
contact Andrea Chen at 504-274-3651 or achen@lacharterschools.org.
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School Leadership Center Fellows Program Seeking Applicants
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The School Leadership Center is offering spots in
it's acclaimed Fellows Program to all school leaders planning to move
into the principalship. This program has operated for twelve years with
over 200 graduates in the New Orleans area (Orleans, Jefferson, St
Bernard, St Tammany, Plaquemines, St Charles, St James, St John and
more. Independent evaluation from the University of Toronto clearly
demonstrates 22%-53% higher test scores when compared to all state
schools who have not gone through the program ( increase measured by
SPS). More info on our website
www.slc-gno.org.
Please pass on to your Assistant Principal - or
others you may know - the application is attached. It is a wonderful
opportunity and at a one-time price. If they have one or more years of
experience out of the classroom and can secure the recommendation of a
Fellow or their direct supervisor they have met the requirements. The
cost is $7,000 BUT for next year BCM has agreed to match the fee
meaning the cost to the AP or the school is just $3,500. Similar to the
Fellows Program you are familiar with - there will be 2 week long
residential Summer Institutes (June 2010 & June 2011) ~ 3 pre
institute sessions in the afternoon (2-4PM) in March - April & May
- and SLCLI on 3 Saturdays in 2010-2011 - - plus access to SLC staff,
research, and all events. The fee is all inclusive and includes a
laptop computer. Only 30 will be accepted...deadline is January 14,
2010. If you know of a good school leader prospect...this is a rare
offer...don't hesitate. For questions email me or John Brown.
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| Job Listings On LAPCS Website |
Please note that the LAPCS website now has a statewide job vacancy posting page on our website. Please let your HR or recruiting staffer know that this resource is available. To access the page, click HERE.
The Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools also has a New Orleans job vacancy page available. To access this site, click HERE. |
The LAPCS is pleased to bring you a comprehensive list of grant opportunities that may be of interest to Louisiana's charter schools. The list is updated daily with new and interesting grant opportunities, so check back often! To visit the list click HERE.
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ATTENTION SCHOOL LEADERS AND SCHOOL STAFF
Are you ready for the transition from LEAP TO EOC Testing?
Next year's 9th graders are going to face
not the LEAP but End of the Course tests in order to graduate from high
school. There has been little information out on this.
BRIEFING
January 28th,
9:00 AM - NOON
Lindy Boggs Center, 2nd floor
Conducted by Louisiana
Department of Education High School Redesign Staff
Sponsored by Eastbank Collaborative of Charter
Schools, the School Leadership Center and the Louisiana Association of Public
Charter Schools.
View the event's flyer by clicking HERE.
Please Pre-Register at http://www.eastbankcollaborative.com/.
There is no charge for this seminar but we want to have enough handouts.
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The What, Why, and How of Professional Learning Communities
A Two Part Workshop Series
Louisiana Resource Center for Educators' Reform Solutions Division is excited to offer a two part workshop series on Professional Learning Communities led by Parry Graham - coauthor of
Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year. This two part workshop series is open to administrators, aspiring leaders, teams, and teacher leaders throughout Louisiana. Be sure to register for Part I of the workshop series by Wednesday,
January 20, 2010 and Part II by February 24, 2010.
For more information on these workshops, please click HERE.
Registration information is available at
http://www.lrce.org/charter_school.asp
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New Orleans Members Advisory Council
The LAPCS Members Advisory Council is a key organizational component in identifying problem issues, setting priorities, gathering data, communicating important issues, resolving problems, and more.
Next Baton Rouge MAC Meeting:
When: TBD
Where: Baton Rouge Location TBD
Next New Orleans MAC Meeting:
When: January 13, 2010, 5:30-7:00 PM
Where: City Park Academy
2733 Esplanade Avenue
New Orleans, La
MAC Committee Meetings
During the December MAC meeting, we created 5 committees
(Policy/Legislative, Operations/Finance, Quality Standards, Facilities, and Governance/Board) with the purpose of collectively finding solutions to challenges that many charter schools face. All board members, school leaders, and school staff are welcome to sign up.
If you would like to join one of these working committees, click here. |
| Welcome New LAPCS Members! |
New School Members:
Crestworth Learning Academy, Baton Rouge, LA
New Vendor Members:
Catapult Learning is the leading provider of
educational services to elementary, middle, and secondary schools
nationwide. We provide a wide range of effective, research-based
educational programs and services to our school partners, including
instructional intervention; specialized support; and professional
development. Our flexible, customized solutions help schools and
students achieve outstanding results.
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"Undermining Progress"
New Orleans Magazine
December 2, 2009
I am beginning to understand why Recovery School District
Superintendent Paul Vallas earns so much money - about $300,000 with
housing expenses, which by the way is a lot less than he made in
Philadelphia. Just like politicians and banking honchos,
school administrators always manage to pull down vastly higher salaries
than the people actually doing the work. Perhaps the overall salary
disparity between teachers and administrators is justifiable, but in
Vallas' case, I no longer need to be convinced. He is taking heat, not
for failing, but for showing results.
Read More...
"The Turnaround Fallacy"
Education Next
Winter 2010
For as long as there have been struggling schools in America's cities,
there have been efforts to turn them around. The lure of dramatic
improvement runs through Morgan Freeman's big-screen portrayal of
bat-wielding principal Joe Clark, philanthropic initiatives like the
Gates Foundation's "small schools" project, and No Child Left Behind
(NCLB)'s restructuring mandate. The Obama administration hopes to
extend this thread even further, making school turnarounds a top
priority.
Read More...
"Scholarly Investments"
The New York Times
December 4, 2009
Their company names were conspicuously absent from their nametags, but
that is how these hedge fund managers and analysts - members of a field
known for secrecy - preferred it. They filled the party space at the W
Hotel on Lexington Avenue in late October, mostly men in their 30s.
Balancing drinks on easels adorned with students' colorful drawings,
they juggled PDA's and business cards, before sitting down to poker
tables to raise money for New York City charter schools.
Read More...
"Charter Schools Against the Odds"
The Wall Street Journal
December 9, 2009
Charter schools reached a new milestone this year. According to the
Center for Education Reform, more than 5,000 charters are now operating
in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Considering that the first
charter didn't open until 1992, and that these innovative schools have
faced outright hostility from teachers unions and the education
bureaucracy, their growth is a rare gleam of hope for American public
schools.
Read More...
"New Orleans School Changes Since Katrina Win Approval, Poll Shows"
The Times Picayune
December 16, 2009
The sweeping changes in New Orleans' public schools since Hurricane
Katrina, including the state's takeover of public education and the
proliferation of charter schools, have met with strong approval,
according to a poll released Tuesday.
Read More...
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MISSION
The mission of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) is to increase student achievement by supporting, promoting, and advocating for the quality charter school movement.
WHO WE ARE
Caroline Roemer Shirley, Executive Director
Andrea Chen, Membership & Programs Director
Elizabeth Garrett, Communications Director
Contact Elizabeth at egarrett@lacharterschools.orgRenita Thukral, Policy DirectorContact Renita at rthukral@lacharterschools.org Sherman Whites, Business & Operations DirectorContact Sherman at swhites@lacharterschools.org
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Interested in saving 15-85% off the list-price on office and classroom supplies?
Learn more about our STAPLES Statewide Charter Schools Buying Program open to all LAPCS members! Click HERE!
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| GOOD NEWS! |
Algiers Charter School Association gives $900,000 in bonuses!
As part of their Teacher Advancement Program, Algiers rewards their awesome teachers and leaders! Read More.
MLK Charter School and Lafayette Academy helping kids get healthy meals.
The schools partner with Second Harvest Food Bank to ensure kids have great meals outside of the classroom. Read More. (Scroll Down.)
Ben Franklin Charter High School one of the top 100 High Schools in the Country
According to the U.S. News & World Report, the high school ranks 27th in the country. The magazine also recognized Lusher Charter School and Avoyelles Public Charter School in other categories. Congratulations!
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| SAVE THE DATE! |
3rd Annual Louisiana Charter Schools Conference
October 15-16, 2010
Hilton Riverside Hotel
New Orleans
Stay tuned for more information.
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BECOME A FAN ON
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Click HERE to become a fan of the LAPCS Facebook Page!
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