June 2011 Spotlight on Success
The charter school movement is dependent upon the hard work of visionary founders, leaders, and authorizers, plus dedicated teachers and volunteers and inspired students. The Association is proud to recognize several of them this month.
6/24/11 Charter News Round-Up
Charter school news for the week ending June 24, 2011.
Scenes from Schools: SIATech San Diego
"Scenes from Schools" is an occasional piece on the CCSA News Blog that offers a glimpse at the tremendous work taking place on charter school campuses across California. Today's "Scenes" is a first-person piece from Adriana Madrigal Meneses, a SIATech San Diego graduate who shares her story of transformation at SIATech.
CCSA Statement on CCSA v. LAUSD Prop. 39 Lawsuit
The California Charter Schools Association and the Los Angeles Unified School District agreed to stay the lawsuit regarding Proposition 39 non-compliance.
California Charter Building Fund Spotlight: Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools
With economic turmoil persisting nationwide and statewide, many California charter schools have few options to obtain financing to purchase, construct or renovate facilities. CCSA's California Charter Building Fund (CCBF) has continued to provide reasonably-priced capital for charter schools. Thanks in part to the CCBF, the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools recently secured permanent homes for three of their 16 Los Angeles-based schools.
Dispelling Special Education Myths in the State Capitol
It is often stated that charter public schools do not serve the same population of students with unique learning needs - such as students with disabilities - as their traditional public school counterparts. To dispel this myth, CCSA's Special Education and Government Affairs teams held a special event for policy makers and legislative staffers. The meeting, which took place at the State Capitol, attracted staff from Assembly and Senate education committees, the Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst's Office, the California Department of Education, numerous Legislative offices, and two Congressional offices. The roundtable discussion, which was fueled by questions from the attendees, focused on current successes and challenges of charter schools when it comes to serving students with disabilities.
California Charter Schools Association Responds to Newsweek's List of Top High Schools
Jed Wallace, president and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association, issued this statement today following the release of Newsweek's List of Top High Schools in the U.S., which includes some of California's top charter schools.
Getting to Know: Corri Ravare, the new Executive Director of Families That Can
Corri Tate Ravare is the new Executive Director of Families That Can, CCSA's statewide organization of charter school families. Ravare brings a wealth of experience to the job, most recently having served as president of Inner City Education Foundation (ICEF) Public Schools, a network of 15 high-performing charter schools serving 4,600 students in south Los Angeles. Read the interview with Corri.
6/17/11 Charter News Round-Up
Charter school news for the week ending June 17, 2011.
Member Perspective: CCSA Advocacy Day
Deirdre Fennessy, head of Golden Oak Montessori School, reflects on her experience on Advocacy Day in this first person piece.
California Charter Schools Association Responds to "USC School Performance Dashboard" Report
A new University of Southern California (USC) report names top 10 charter schools in California. Also includes dashboard on financial health and academic performance of California's charter schools.
Member Perspective: Starting a Charter School
This September, Jim Kennedy will be heading a new elementary school opening on the eastside of Los Angeles called Extera Public School. This exciting new beginning is also the culmination of two decades of work in education for Kennedy, who had two key pieces of advice for those thinking about starting a charter school.
Special Education Update
Charters interested in exploring LEA status for special education for the 2012-2013 school year, must submit a letter notifying your existing District and SELPA of your intent to exit the SELPA by June 30, 2011. If you are interested in learning more about charter schools and special education, register for "Special Education 101: Understanding your Rights, Responsibilities and Options when Serving Students with Special Needs."
The Trials and Tribulations (and Exhilaration) of Starting a Charter School
This September, Jim Kennedy will be heading a new elementary school opening on the eastside of Los Angeles called Extera Public School. This exciting new beginning is also the culmination of two decades of work in education for Kennedy, who in this piece reflects on the events of the past year since taking the plunge into the charter school landscape.
Families That Can Announces Hiring of Corri Ravare as new Executive Director
The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) is excited to announce that Corri Tate Ravare will be leading Families That Can, its statewide charter school parent organization.
State Senate Passes Bill to Ensure Higher Accountability For California's Charter Schools
State Senate approves SB 645, a CCSA-sponsored bill which would increase academic accountability in California's charter schools.
