Greetings!
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.
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BESE UPDATE
There was no scheduled BESE meeting for the month of February. The March BESE meeting will take place March 9-11. 2010.
CONNIE BRADFORD NEW MEMBER OF BESE
Governor Bobby Jindal appointed a new member of BESE as a replacement for his past appointment, Tammie McDaniel who resigned from her appointmentdue to "unprecedented federal intervention" in public schools.
Click Here to read an interview with Mrs. McDaniel in the Monroe News Star
Mrs. Bradford is a principal of a private school in Ruston, Louisiana, and has a long history as an educator. In a statement released by Governor Jindal's office, the governor is quoted as saying that Mrs. Bradford "supports the types of reforms we need to make in our education system." |
Charter 1st Fridays debuts at New Orleans College Prep
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A visit to a classroom during NOCP's Charter 1st Friday
"Across the nation, high-quality charter schools are providing families
and children with an education that was not available to them 18 years ago. In
cities like New York City, Chicago, and Boston, charter schools are working to
close the achievement gap and transform children's lives. Still, most people
have never seen these inspiring public schools in action," said National
Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO Nelson Smith. "Charter
First Fridays seeks to change that by setting up regular opportunities for
members of the public to visit a charter school and get involved in the movement
where they live."
The first Friday of every month, the LAPCS will assist a charter school in opening it's doors to the community. This is a great opportunity for the business community, prospective parents and students, and the general public to step inside a charter school and witness firsthand the innovation in learning that takes place.
On March 5, 2010, Akili Academy in New Orleans and Kenilworth Science and Technology Charter School in Baton Rouge will be the schools participating in Charter First Fridays.
If you are interested in participating in the Charter First Fridays program, please contact Elizabeth Garrett at egarrett@lacharterschools.org
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Charter Chat with Troy Henry
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Mr. Troy Henry was a 2010 mayoral candidate for the city of New Orleans. He currently is the president of Henry Consulting, a management consulting firm in New Orleans, which he founded.
Question: You
recently visited New Orleans College Prep charter school in New Orleans. What
compelled you to want to visit a charter school?
Answer: I was extended an
invitation as a Mayoral Candidate for the City of New Orleans. With education
being a priority need for the City and an issue that I personally feel strongly
about, I felt it was a priority to visit schools that have proven themselves
and are working well.
Question:
Were there things that impressed you or surprised you about the charter school
you visited?
Answer: Absolutely. I was
impressed with the disciplined environment and the focus on higher education
and college admittance. The enthusiasm of the faculty and staff was also very
impressive and encouraging to see.
Question: Would
you recommend or encourage other business people or policy makers to visit a
charter school in their area? If so, why?
Answer: Yes.With the
issues faced by the educational system, it's important for these individuals to
look to non-traditional settings to gain an appreciation of innovations, approaches
and methods to solving urban educational challenges.
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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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SALLY RIDE SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Come join the fun at Tulane University in New Orleans for the Sally Ride Science Festival. Date: Saturday, March 13, 2010
Place: The Tulane School of Science and Engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana
Time: 11:00pm to 4:15pm
Fee: $20
Presented by Northrop Grumman Foundation, the Sally Ride Science
Festival includes:
· An inspiring talk by a featured scientist
· Discovery workshops for girls, which may be given by local veterinarians, astronomers, microbiologists and more
· Workshops for parents and teachers on ways to support girls' interests in science
· A street fair with booths, hands-on activities, food, and music
While
our festivals are primarily focused on encouraging 5th-8th grade girls
to pursue their interests in science, everyone is welcome to attend!
Don't miss out-sign up now at
http://www.sallyridescience.com/festivals/10tulane0313
Or call us at 1.800.561.5161
See you there!
Sally Ride Science
http://www.SallyRideScience.com
P.S. You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sally-Ride-Science/205957239859#/pages/Sally-Ride-Science/205957239859
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4th Annual Certified Teachers Fair
Saturday, May 15th, 2010 9 a.m. - 1 p. m.
Xavier University Student
Center
Third Floor Ballroom
4980 Dixon Street, New Orleans
Open to all charter schools in the state. Charter Schools can register on the Eastbank Collaborative
web site.
http://eastbankcollaborative.com/
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This year, the Schools Expo will be held Saturday,
March 27, 2010 at the University of New Orleans, Lindy Boggs Conference
Center from 10am-2pm. The Schools Expo seeks to increase awareness
about school choice, familiarize parents with the common application
process (the application tool used to make school registration seamless
for parents) and provide all children in New Orleans access to many of
the public schools.
The Schools Expo reaches more
than 300 low to moderate income families by providing parents an
opportunity to submit their Common Application timely and to obtain
information on schools and other community programs all in one
location. In creating this unique opportunity for parents to interface
with multiple school leaders at one time and in one location, we also
strive to create a day of fun for the whole family by providing food,
drinks, and activities for kids. Additionally, each family receives a
uniform voucher (valued at $25) and backpacks with schools supplies to
ensure students are prepared for the first day of school.
For more information, contact the Urban League at 504.620.2332
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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: March 2, 2010, 4:00 P.M.
Where: Community School for Apprenticeship Learning
Next New Orleans MAC Meeting:
When: April 2010
Where: New Orleans School TBD
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| Welcome New LAPCS Members! |
WELCOME!
New School Members:
Crestworth Learning Academy, Baton Rouge
New Vendor Members:
Therapy Solutions Unlimited currently services Charter Schools throughout the United States. We
cover all disciplines including Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational
Therapy, Physical Therapy, Psychology and Social Work through our
extraordinary network of therapists. Our Therapists are
available for medical/maternity leaves, short-term assignments,
per-diem assignments, part-time and full-time positions.
"I
have worked closely with Dearborn for the last five years and highly
recommend them as a related service provider in Louisiana. During the
course of our working relationship, Dearborn has grown as National
Heritage Academies has grown, from the service of a few schools in
eastern Michigan to, presently, 29 schools throughout the southern
lower peninsula of Michigan, central and northern Indiana, and southern
Ohio. Dearborn is proactive in meeting the needs of NHA, having
developed a wide recruitment network to fill the multiple
Speech/Language and Occupational Therapy positions we require, refill
those positions, again, if their providers leave their employment , and
regularly training their team in current practices in the areas of
their discipline at Dearborn's own expense. They have also put in place
a network of regional site coordinators to oversee operations in the
many areas and states they serve. Dearborn is a company of integrity
and having set a very high bar of professionalism for their central
office and service providers, has richly benefited the schools of
National Heritage Academies."
- David Baas - Senior Special Education Supervisor, National Heritage Academies
To learn more call Lea Stephens today at (313) 605-4413
Email:
lstephens@dss-tsu.com
Web: www.TherapySolutionsUnlimited.com
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"Why we're failing our schools"
TIME Magazine
January 28, 2010
A remarkable thing happened in New York recently: the
state legislature, in effect, turned down the chance to win $700
million in federal money. No one does that, except extremely
conservative Southern governors (who inevitably relent and take the
money) - oh, and occasionally teachers' unions. A few years ago, I
wrote here about the Detroit union that forced the local government to
reject a $200 million philanthropic gift to build 15 charter schools
using a model that was already succeeding in the city. And now we have
New York's United Federation of Teachers (UFT), a storied crew,
thwarting the state's attempt to file an application that might have
won $700 million in Race to the Top education funds - and again the
issue is charter schools, with a substantial dollop of teacher
accountability thrown in.
Read More...
"Struggling public schools should get more management flexibility, Gov. Bobby Jindal says"
The Times Picayune
February 4, 2010
Low-performing public schools that are under threat of state takeover
would get new freedom to waive some state regulations under a proposal
unveiled Thursday by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Local school districts would be allowed to seek four-year waivers from
curriculum requirements, textbook requirements, teacher tenure rules,
salary schedules and other regulations authored by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Read More...
"Lawmakers to launch bipartisan effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind"
The Washington Post
February 18, 2010
The Washington Post reports
that a group of senior House Republicans and Democrats have teamed up
to rewrite the No Child Left Behind Law, in "a rare show of
bipartisanship in the polarized Congress." Rep. George Miller described
it as "the best opportunity we have had to have really substantial
change in how we meet the educational needs of our kids."
Read More...
"Students at Charter High Schools More to Likely to Graduate College"
The Huffington Post
February 22, 2010
An op-ed in the Huffington Post
describes a new study which found that students attending charter high
schools are seven to 15 percentage points more likely to earn a diploma
and eight to 10 percentage points more likely to attend college than
students attending traditional public high schools. The sample group
studied had all attended a charter school in 8th grade. The study,
conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Florida State
University, Michigan State University and RAND, was reported on last
week by Education Next.
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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| SAVE THE DATE!
Louisiana
Charter School Day
at the Capitol
May 6, 2010
Stay tuned for the schedule of events!
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| GOOD NEWS! |
Kenilworth Science & Technology School Leader honored by Baton Rouge Business Report
Cuneyt Dokmen, the former school leader of Abramson Science & Tech in New Orleans, and current leader of Kenilworth in Baton Rouge was named one of the Baton Rouge Business Report's "2010 People to Watch" Congratulations! Read More.
Lake Forest Elementary Charter School was selected as a 2009 National
Title I Distinguished School for "Exceptional Student Performance for 2
or More Years."
Lake Forest's Principal Mardele Early and three fourth-grade teachers traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept the award. Congratulations! Read More.
New Orleans Science & Math Academy featured on Good Morning America!
Click the link for the video, "New Orleans' Comeback: From the 'Aints' to the Saints." Sci Academy seen around the 3 minute mark. Read More.
Konica Minolta Colorful Tomorrow Foundation Announces 2010 Scholarship Program to McDonogh 15 Students
Konica Minolta Colorful Tomorrow Foundation (CTF) scholarship
program allows three graduating eighth-grade students from
McDonogh 15 to attend top-rated, private New Orleans high schools.
Thanks, Konica!
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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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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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BECOME A FAN ON
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Click HERE to become a fan of the LAPCS Facebook Page!
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