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Kathleen - Hi and welcome!
Kathleen - wick, do you have experience in a charter school, or you Green?
Green - Yes, do you?
wick - I teach in a charter school. This is my third year.
Kathleen - I do not. Green, are you currently teaching in a charter school? If so, tell us something about the school.
Kathleen - wick, are you an advocate for more charter schools?
Kathleen - Does one of you know Beth Bruno?
Green - No
wick - I like the one I'm in but some are not very good. They are dumping grounds for problem children.
Green - No, I don't know Ms. Bruno. Yes, I advocate Charter schools
Kathleen - Green, is yours a k-6 school?
Green - K-8.
Kathleen - wick, i would have thought the opposite, that charters are a select population of the cream
wick - Green, where are you from
Green - Michigan, and you?
wick - I'm from North Carolina
Green - Wick, what do you like about your school?
wick - Our school is k-12 and we have a great principal.
Green - So do we
Bobbi - Our superintendent has recently led about "in-house" charter schools. Have any of you heard of that?
Green - No, what's that?
Beth Bruno - Charter schools are public schools, but must live by their charter rather than by the regular public school mandates
wick - Haven't heard of that.
Kathleen - I have not heard of in-house charters, a school within a school?
Green - So, they get some public funds, but make their own rules?
Beth Bruno - In Connecticut there are state charters and local charters depending on where the funding comes from
Bobbi - It's a new concept I guess in PA. It would be within our public school system somehow.
Kathleen - Do charters always have a specific mission, different or innovative compared to non-charters?
Green - And how are the local charter schools working out?
wick - In NC our funds come from the state. They have set a cap on 100 charters
Beth Bruno - I think part of a school could be a charter school but it would have to be run separately from the rest of the school, right?
Beth Bruno - Each charter develops around a specific theme and goals to meet specific academic and educational objectives
wick - Our school is under a board that is over several charter schools but we also have our own board which is made up of parents and teacher representatives.
Kathleen - How is a charter school different from a magnet school?
Beth Bruno - Wick, what is the theme or concept of your charter?
mooziqteacher - What role does the public school systems play in the sponsorship of a charter school?
Beth Bruno - A magnet is a regular public school - also developed around a theme
wick - Ours is geared towards a college prep school. We just changed the name from charter to academy a few nights ago. We have to follow the state curriculum but also use core knowledge.
Kathleen - So a magnet has to adhere more to the same rules and standards as the other public schools?
quiverful - My school is not a charter school, but I run a small school in my home.....nine students this year
Beth Bruno - Families choose to enroll their children in magnets or charters, but if too many sign up, a lottery system is used for selection
Kathleen - so we have a good representation from alternative schools here tonight
Beth Bruno - Yes, a magnet has to adhere to the same standards and rules as the other public schools
Beth Bruno - Often charter schools can hire non-certifed teachers
Kathleen - Beth Bruno moderates a Schoolhouse Views chat each month here at Teachers.Net. Bookmark the Calendar of Events for future chat topics and dates: http://teachers.net/chat/meetings.html
Beth Bruno - Hey another bruno - that's my son Geoff. He teaches in a charter school in Massachusetts
Kathleen - mooziqteacher, we're honored that your first chat is with Teachers.Net, welcome
wick - Our teachers have to either be certified or in the process of being certified.
Beth Bruno - Hi Geoff - I blew your cover already.
G Bruno - And non-certified (for now)
Bobbi - Does a charter school also have more freedom from educational requirements than a public school?
Kathleen - Geoff, what is the theme of your school, and what level are you assigned to?
Beth Bruno - Can charter school teachers develop their own curriculum?
quiverful - Is a charter school considered a private school? It's so hard to get approved for a charter school around here.
G Bruno - Our school isn't exactly theme-specific. I'm teaching middle school science (5-8)
Beth Bruno - No, charter schools are not private schools because they are publicly funded and must be open to all students.
Kathleen - Wouldn't the curriculum be part of the plan submitted when the charter is sought?
wick - A charter school in NC is considered a public school of choice, quiverful
Green - Poll: Do you think charter schools are improving education?
Beth Bruno - I think Charter schools are offering families another choice, much like alternative schools do.
G Bruno - No question about it. Our charter school in Lawrence was built by teachers.
quiverful - Yes....I do......you have teachers who want to teach, administration that cares, children that want to behave and learn, and parents that actually care what their children are learning and doing
Kathleen - Green, I suspect charters are improving it for the few involved. But are they impacting education beyond their own walls, not sure we know yet.
Beth Bruno - When I visited Geoff's charter school, there was definitely a family atmosphere. It was contagious.
Kathleen - Question for those working in charter schools now: Did you have to turn students away, too many apply?
Beth Bruno - Quiverful, what state are you from?
G Bruno - A public education with small classes (no more than 25) and two teachers per class helps to foster that.
quiverful - SC beth
Kathleen - Geoff, how were students selected for your school?
wick - We have a waiting list.
G Bruno - Lottery
Kathleen - For those working in charter schools, how diverse is your student population?
Kathleen - Do families have to apply for entry to a charter school?
Beth Bruno - Many people have the impression that only the top students go to charter schools. Actually, the ones I have visited have students of all different abilities, including many students with special needs.
wick - Our parents have to apply.
quiverful - in my school (not charter) I have children from k-3 to 10th grade
G Bruno - Extremely - I would say we are 80% minority - mostly Latino and Hispanic
Beth Bruno - Yes, families apply for a space. If more families apply than spaces available, students are selected by lottery
wick - That's true, Beth. We have special needs children also.
dan - I do not know of any charter schools in Montana where I live. Have some states not allowed them?
Kathleen - But do families have to take the initiative to apply?
quiverful - I have two children with special needs and one who is about a year behind
Beth Bruno - Not all states have passed bills allowing charter schools. New York state just recently started them.
Kathleen - NEA's page on Charter Schools http://www.nea.org/issues/charter/
Kathleen - I'd be surprised if there are states NOT heading in the direction of allowing some charter schools
Beth Bruno - Yes, I think families have to take the initiative. However, these schools are widely publicized in the district.
quiverful - we have the worst school district in the nation, and we still can't get approved for a charter school, the school district is threatened by everything
G Bruno - Often kids with special needs can benefit from a charter school because there is more freedom to take different approaches to learning. Teachers have much more control over what is taught and how to teach it
dan - Where does a person begin to find out charter schools in our state?
G Bruno - You could try the pioneer institute website
wick - The problem we have is getting the point across that this is a public school and parents do not have to pay.
Beth Bruno - Geoff, your charter has quite a track record now that it's in its 6th year.
Beth Bruno - How well is your school doing compared to other kinds of public schools in MA
G Bruno - Yeah, we were the first charter school in MASS to get our charter renewed for another five years.
Kathleen - Center for Education Reform on Charter Schools http://edreform.com/charter_schools/
G Bruno - Actually, according to MCAS scores we were first in the state for urban schools! And we tied Andover, a wealthy suburb next door!
quiverful - I agree with you G. my special needs kids feel more relaxed and not pressured to keep up with everyone else. I also see a good working relationship developing between special needs and other students
Kathleen - How do charter schools do more, have smaller classes if their grant per pupil is the same as the public school grant?
Beth Bruno - Michigan has dozens of charters - so does Arizona, I think.
Kathleen - Geoff, quite an accomplishment, congrats!
Kathleen - Central Michigan University on Charter Schools http://cmucso.org/
G Bruno - No question about it - its much easier to foster inclusion among special needs kids in a small school environment.
Kathleen - wick, is there outreach to get that message ("it's free") to low income families?
Beth Bruno - One of the secrets at Geoff's charter is that two full time teachers co-teach in almost every class, bringing the teacher student ratio down to about 12 to 1.
dan - no doubt about it--small class size AND school size have a huge impact
Kathleen - There seems to be consensus that the smaller size is a key factor in the effectiveness of charter schools, yes?
Beth Bruno - Geoff, how does your school get parents involved?
wick - We are in our third year and considered a model school so word is getting out faster than we have space. We are renting now but we are going to build our own school within the next two years.
Kathleen - Beth, I don't understand how the charter school can afford that ratio if the per pupil grant is equal to the public school grant?
dan - the student population at my school is 140, 1 class of each grade level, a terrific family atmosphere
Kathleen - If your charter school grows, it may lose something, wick
Beth Bruno - Wick, where will the money come from to build your own school. Getting decent space is a big problem for many charters.
G Bruno - Parents actually were a driving force in founding the school. They helped develop the handbook and formed a Parents Advisory Board that meets monthly with teachers and principals
Kathleen - How are faculty, administrators selected, who does the hiring?
Beth Bruno - Many charters operate on a shoestring - some of them turn to the community for additional funding
wick - We get a lot of our money besides state funding from grants. We pay enormous rent now in an unusual school but that money plus grant money will go toward the building of a new school. We have received a lot of grant money for technology.
G Bruno - I think it varies. At our school, choosing faculty can be a collaborative process. The head of school conducts the interviews, but applicants meet with teachers, and parents.
Beth Bruno - Charters are often developed by a group that includes parents, teachers and community leaders.
Kathleen - Do charter schools have teachers who are more committed?
Bobbi - Seems like salaries mst be lower than public schools?
G Bruno - Grant writing is big. You need a fundraiser. Our school actually came out of a non-profit day care organization
wick - We have a big athletic program also.
Beth Bruno - I think teacher salaries are fairly comparable, but I don't know for sure. I also don't know whether administrators are paid as well.
Kathleen - What lessons are we learning from charters that can help public schools?
wick - Our teachers make state salaries.
Beth Bruno - I think the teachers appreciate greater freedom to be innovative.
G Bruno - Hopefully better ways to teach successfully and help kids meet curriculum standards
dan - I would think an administrator's role may be different in a charter school--less beaurocracy?
wick - Geoff we have a lot of fundraisers
Beth Bruno - Gradually as charter schools gain more acceptance, maybe their funding will improve.
Kathleen - Central Michigan University on Charter Schools http://cmucso.org/
wick - I think the atmosphere is more relaxed and more caring. The smaller class size helps the children to get more attention. Also, the children know one another because the school is smaller and they are more willing to help.
Kathleen - If charter schools are better, what makes a charter school a better school?
Kathleen - U.S. Charter Schools Org. http://www.uscharterschools.org/U.S. Charter Schools Org. http://www.uscharterschools.org/
Beth Bruno - Public school programs emphasize testing so much now. I think parents and students want less of that. Charter students take state mandated tests, but don't have the curriculum shaped around them as much.
dan - does a charter school manage its own budget,?
wick - We still have to take the same tests as the public schools, unfortunately.
Kathleen - Read Beth Bruno's (monthly) column in the January 2001 issue of The Teachers.Net Gazette: Charter Schools in Connecticut http://teachers.net/gazette/JAN01/bruno.html
Beth Bruno - Yes, charter schools manage their own budget - it's quite a pioneering kind of movement actually.
Kathleen - Beth, if they take the same tests, why is their curric. not shaped around them as much?
Beth Bruno - some charters are developed around themes of community or technology or multiculturalism, much like magnet schools in that regard.
wick - Beth, have you read anything about the charter schools in North Carolina?
Kathleen - Is it the empowerment, the atmosphere of innovation, a select population of students (that doesn't seem the case), release from beaurocracy, what is making the charters successful?
Kathleen - U.S. Charter Schools: Status report: http://www.charterschools.ca/ucs.html
Beth Bruno - I know very little about charters in North Carolina. How long has NC been opening them?
wick - About five years.
wick - We have pretty close to 100.
Kathleen - CT charter schools: http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/charter/schools/list-ct.html
Beth Bruno - So much goes into the success - the sense of family and community, the freedom to innovate, welcoming alternative styles of learning and teaching, sense of entrpreneurship - there is excitement in these schools that almost everyone speaks about.
Kathleen - I think you're right, Beth
Beth Bruno - What are some of the NC stories, wick? what makes them successful?
Kathleen - So, how do we transfer those positives to the public schools?
Beth Bruno - Public school administrators need to visit, as do members of the board and community members - there is much to learn from what's going on in the charters.
Kathleen - North Carolina Charter Schools info: http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/sp/20
Beth Bruno - Gradually there will be more choices open to public school students, meaning that individual needs will steadily be better served.
wick - Some have not been successful, but others are flourishing. They are successful because a lot of parents complain that the teachers in the public schools are overwhelmed with discipline problems, administration, and large class sizes and the children are not getting an education. The charter school offers just the opposite. In our school we have older, more experienced teachers as opposed to the public school. They are hiring inexperienced teachers who are having a lot of problems in the classroom.
Beth Bruno - That's quite telling, Wick. So often people think that only the young, inexperienced teachers want to go to the charters. Often it's just the opposite, as you say.
MelbernaiPreKNY - i don't think that older teachers necessarily makes for better teachers
Beth Bruno - Has anyone here thought about starting a school?
wick - It is. Because retired teachers can go to the charter schools and teach as long as they don't receive state retirement.
Beth Bruno - I agree that older isn't better. But experience counts for a lot.
Kathleen - LOL Beth, I've often joked (dreamed?) about starting my own school, bringing in only the teachers and administrators I admire and trust
dan - I think I would love to work in a charter!
wick - The retention rate in the public schools here is very bad. The teachers are staying one or two years and then leaving. NC is having a hard time finding teachers.
Beth Bruno - I think I would love to work in a charter, too!
Beth Bruno - Wick, do teachers in charters tend to stay longer?
Kathleen - And in my dream school I'd take the kids who have the least social-economic advantages
Beth Bruno - What grade levels would your school have, Kathleen?
dan - The thing about a charter that attracts my interest is that they have students/teachers who WANT to be there.
Kathleen - Beth, wouldn't you agree that CT has a good supply of qualified teachers?
Beth Bruno - I agree, Dan. That's the feeling in every charter I've visited. The students come up to visitors and want to show them around and tell them about their school. There's so much pride!
wick - They do stay longer. We have not had a big turnover of teachers. Our principal retired after many years with the public school system, too
Kathleen - my school would serve families from birth through elem (I'm not qualified above that level)
dan - no dead timber!
Kathleen - It would be a neighborhood school, kids could walk to it.
Kathleen - It would be small...
Beth Bruno - Yes, I think CT has excellent teachers, although like anywhere else there are those who are burned out, but stay on because of the high salaries and few years left before retirement.
dan - that's a great idea to include "from birth"--the connections you could make seem limitless
Beth Bruno - I think the word small is important to many of us when thinking about school life.
Kathleen - Beth, yes, that's true, but we have no shortage of good teachers available. Some states are putting any warm bodies available into classrooms.
Beth Bruno - I like the idea of birth plus, too. Those early years are sooo important!
Kathleen - Connecticut State Department of Education: Charter Schools: http://www.state.ct.us/sde/charter.htm
Beth Bruno - Yes, CT is still a state where every opening attracts dozens of applicants.
Kathleen - We have a great deal to be proud of in CT
Beth Bruno - This has been a terrific chat - I've learned a lot about charters in other parts of the country tonight. Thanks everyone.
wick - The one thing I like is having the high school. The high schoolers help in the elementary grades as teacher cadets and mentors. I teach k-1 and I am as close to the older children as the younger ones.
wick - Nice talking to you Beth. Come see us in NC
Beth Bruno - A variation on the one room schoolhouse in some ways.
Kathleen - Beth, thanks for this chat and for your article on charter schools in the January 2001 issue of the Teachers.Net Gazette http://teachers.net/gazette/JAN01
Kathleen - good points, wick
Kathleen - okay, my dream school will be birth through 12
Beth Bruno - So long until next time.
Kathleen - grade 12 that is
Kathleen - Goodnight and thank you Beth and all participants vocal and silent!
