Meeting Community Needs Through District Charter School Authorizing
Competencies
Authorizing Practice - The authorizer develops/maintains protocols for the effective oversight and support of charter schools.
Proficiency: Plan/set mission and vision for authorizer with clear goals that align with the community and geography allowing autonomy for charter schools.
Community Engagement - The authorizer develops/maintains communication and involvement with the community.
Proficiency: Engage in ongoing discussion and feedback from communities served about the vision and performance of schools.
Learning
Meeting Community Needs through a Charter School Slide Deck This slide deck can be used with the videos in the course. The slide deck covers the reasons why a school district would consider chartering a school. It also serves as an overview of the steps a school district should take to charter a school. Participants can use this slideshow throughout this module as a guide along with the videos. Format: PowerPoint Length: 21 slides
Why Authorize a Charter School in your district? Why would a district want to charter a school? Every community is different. Watch this video to learn and reflect on the different reasons for a charter school. This video aligns with slides 1-4 in the slide deck. Format: Video Length: 3:56 minutes
Wisconsin Charter School Case Studies Charter Schools can be a solution to better serving ALL students in a community. This document provides examples of how communities have leveraged charter schools to meet specific community needs. Format: Google Document Length: 10 pages
Reflection Video:What might a charter school look like? Watch this short video and use slide #5 in your slide deck to reflect on the questions provided. Charter schools can take many forms and serve many purposes. What might your charter school look like? What mission will your charter school have in your area? Format: Video Length: 2:12 minutes
Reinvigorating the Pipeline: A NACSA Report, March 2019 Use this report to help answer “What are some types of Charter Schools?” in the previous reflection questions and learn about various charter school models to determine which may be a good fit in your district. This report outlines the key findings of various charter school models as well as their approval rates. A list of models and approval rates is found on page 5. Implications for authorizers begins on page 15. The glossary, beginning on page 23, outlines several charter school models and provides a brief explanation of each model. Format: PDF Length: 27 pages
Understand your Community Needs This video discusses the importance of understanding what your community needs. Can a charter school help your district better meet the needs of your students and your community? This video aligns with slides 6-9 in the slide deck. Format: Video Length: 7:30 minutes
Charter Schools in Wisconsin that are Working with Their Local Community Use the following videos to learn more about how charter schools engage their community. How are these schools using their community to support the mission of their school district? What elements of these schools align with the needs in your district? What questions are created for you after watching these videos? You can share your answers on the share board of this course.
Wildlands School (Augusta, WI) Format: Video Length: 4:47 minutes
Initiating a Charter School This video explains how to initiate a charter school. The video covers the basics about creating a contract and ensuring that all state statutes are represented in this contract. What concerns would your district have that would need to be included in a charter school contract? This video aligns with slides 10-14 in the slide deck. Format: Video Length: 7:42 minutes
Responsibilities of School Board Authorizers This video explains the different roles and responsibilities of district charter school authorizers. Look for how being a charter school authorizer can help make the district school board stronger and increase the support of all schools in your district. This video aligns with slides 15-18 in the slide deck. Format: Video Length: 5:42 minutes
NACSA Principles & Standards 2023 District school boards are the authorizer of instrumentality charter schools of that school district. This resource created by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) outlines the responsibilities of charter school authorizers. This document provides important information to help charter school authorizers be more effective. Format: PDF Length: 28 pages
What Services Do Districts Provide for Charter Schools? This video discusses some typical services that a district provides a charter school they are authorizing. Every partnership is different. The services are clearly articulated in the charter contract. This video aligns with slide 19 in the slide deck. Format: Video Length: 2:17 minutes
Renewing an Existing Charter School What if a charter school is no longer needed to support community needs? Should the charter contract be renewed? How do you know if a charter school’s contract should be renewed? This video explains what a district authorizer should consider when making a renewal decision. This video aligns with slide 20-21 in the slide deck. Format: Video Length: 7:53 minutes
Applying
Applying
New Practice
Make a list of the community needs that your school district is currently facing. Based on your list and learning about various models of charter schools, discuss which model might work well in your district if you were to authorize a charter school proposal. Share your thoughts on the share board.
Discuss the level of parent and community interest there may be. Create a list of local businesses and community agency resources that may be available to support the learning model of the proposed charter school.
Evidence of Learning
Share your list of the community needs that your school district is currently facing and discuss which model might work well in your district if you were to authorize a charter school proposal. Share your thoughts on the share board.
Share your ideas on the share board on why community engagement may be an important consideration in a decision for a new charter school or to renew an existing charter contract.
