In a report released by Bellwether Education Partners, Andy Smarick examines the state policies that can hinder or foster the growth
of rural charter schools and argues for a new approach to charter schooling in rural America — one that's prudent and respectful of the unique characteristics of rural communities but more open to charter growth than in the past.
«There are numerous examples
of rural charter schools that have given families greater choice, produced outstanding student results, and reinvigorated the communities they serve,» said Smarick.
In the report «A New Frontier: Utilizing Charter Schooling to Strengthen Rural Education,» Smarick examines the state policies that can hinder or foster the growth
of rural charter schools.
The text is replete with interesting facts, such as the number
of rural charters in the nation (785), the percentage of charter schools that belong to national networks (40 percent), and a comparison of annual teacher turnover (18.4 percent in charters, 15.7 percent in district schools).
Not exact matches
CoBank is a member
of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network
of banks and retail lending associations
chartered to support the borrowing needs
of U.S. agriculture,
rural infrastructure and
rural communities.
The party's «Countryside
Charter» will create thousands
of new jobs and ensure people living in
rural areas have access to the facilities they need to prosper.
For instance,
charter schools in
rural areas are eligible for loan guarantees under a U.S. Department
of Agriculture program.
Stay tuned to the grant winners: Academy 21 at Franklin Central Supervisory Union in Vermont, which is focused on a high - need, predominantly
rural community; Cornerstone
Charter Schools in Michigan, which seeks to prepare Detroit students for college and health - focused careers; Da Vinci Schools in California, which will integrate blended learning, early college, and real - world experiences with its existing project - based learning approach; Education Achievement Authority in Michigan, which, as part of the statewide turnaround authority is trying to create a student - centric system for students in Detroit; Match Education in Massachusetts, which already operates high - performing schools in Boston and will now focus on using technology to increase the effectiveness of its one - on - one tutoring; Schools for the Future in Michigan, which will serve students significantly below grade level; Summit Public Schools in California, which aims to build off its experiments in blended - learning models to launch a competency - based school; and Venture Academies in Minnesota, which is a new charter organization that will focus on accelerated college credit attainment and cultivation of entrepreneurial lead
Charter Schools in Michigan, which seeks to prepare Detroit students for college and health - focused careers; Da Vinci Schools in California, which will integrate blended learning, early college, and real - world experiences with its existing project - based learning approach; Education Achievement Authority in Michigan, which, as part
of the statewide turnaround authority is trying to create a student - centric system for students in Detroit; Match Education in Massachusetts, which already operates high - performing schools in Boston and will now focus on using technology to increase the effectiveness
of its one - on - one tutoring; Schools for the Future in Michigan, which will serve students significantly below grade level; Summit Public Schools in California, which aims to build off its experiments in blended - learning models to launch a competency - based school; and Venture Academies in Minnesota, which is a new
charter organization that will focus on accelerated college credit attainment and cultivation of entrepreneurial lead
charter organization that will focus on accelerated college credit attainment and cultivation
of entrepreneurial leadership.
[5] This central finding, together with our study, only reinforces our ultimate conclusion: it is critical to consider what kinds
of choices we are offering families in urban, suburban and
rural areas across the country, and in
charter or traditional public schools alike.
While the national, state, and metro area analysis comprised the bulk
of our report, we did, in fact, examine the segregation
of students in
charter and traditional public schools by geography — comparing students in these school sectors within cities, suburbs, and
rural areas.
On the edge
of the Navajo Nation, in the state
of Arizona, sits a remote,
rural, learning community that is the first off - grid, solar and wind powered
charter school in the country.
In Arizona — a highly urbanized state with population primarily clustered in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas — both
charter and district schools are concentrated in urban areas, yet as
of 2010 there were more than 200
charter schools operating in suburbs, towns, and
rural areas.
This mind - set has prompted advocacy groups like the
Rural School and Community Trust to seek both small - district subsidies and protection against loss
of enrollment to
charters.
School districts that already had higher fractions
of students enrolled in private schools, even accounting for the urban or
rural location
of the district, had a greater likelihood
of having a
charter school open in their district by 2003 — 04 and a greater share
of their students enrolled in
charters.
• Contrary to public perception, only 56 percent
of charter kids live in urban areas; the rest are in suburbia,
rural areas, and small towns.
Kentucky is one
of the nation's poorest states, is the eighth most
rural state, underperforms on NAEP, needs school options, and is one
of only eight states left with no
charter law.
Dubbed «
charter school deserts,» these areas are predominantly located in urban and
rural settings and represent populations
of students in most need
of alternative school options.
We did, in fact, examine the segregation
of students in
charter and traditional public schools by geography — comparing students in these school sectors within cities, suburbs, and
rural areas.
Today, Bellwether released a new report on the promise
of charter schooling in
rural America — and the very real challenges facing it.
The rarity
of charter schools in the most -
rural states raises the broader question about the viability
of school choice in
rural America.
Once again the proposal was named the Betty L. Thompson Scholarship Program, but this time they eliminated the
rural districts in hopes
of getting the additional nine votes, the strategy used by the successful
charter school coalition, according to Rep. Hoskins.
Convincing traditional
rural schools to embrace and act upon this definition
of chartering, however, seems unlikely in the near future.
Among the 10 most
rural states, only Arkansas has
charter schools, thanks in part to this powerful alliance with
rural districts (although Reimagine Prep will open the first Mississippi
charter school, in Jackson, in the fall
of 2015).
While expanding
charters like Grimmway and Walton holds promise, districts remain the central providers
of education in
rural America.
Similar to our analysis
of charter schools, access to private schools is much higher for families from urban areas relative to families from
rural areas (although the difference is not as large).
The remote,
rural charter elementary school sits on the edge
of the Navajo Nation.
We're now operating in district,
charter, and independent schools; in urban and
rural schools; in red states and blue states; at schools with a variety
of enrollment and staffing levels; and across four US time zones.
Similarly, how does taxpayer support
of home - schoolers, who form a confederacy around the
charter banner but rarely see one another, advance civic cohesion in suburban towns and
rural areas?
Their summary
of the sector's academic outcomes, which draws heavily on a series
of studies by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University, is likewise relatively uncontroversial: there is a positive achievement effect for poor, nonwhite, urban students, but suburban and
rural charters come up short, as do online
charters, about which the authors duly report negative findings.
One finds little variation in the degree
of satisfaction with
charter schools by region: across the country, more than 60 percent
of parents in urban, suburban, and
rural communities say they are very satisfied with the
charter school that their child is attending.
In both urban and
rural communities, 64 percent
of parents say they are «very satisfied» with their child's
charter school, compared to 54 percent
of urban parents and 56 percent
of rural parents who say they are «very satisfied» with their child's assigned - district school.
Recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers is one
of the toughest challenges for
rural schools and for
rural charter schools in particular.
States should develop policies that acknowledge the challenge
of opening and operating
rural charter schools but also allow
charter operators, school districts, and state officials to consider where and when
charter schools might be a useful reform strategy.
But the core
of chartering, and its relevance to
rural areas, remains: to remove regulatory and legal barriers to innovation while retaining oversight by citizens and elected officials.
As part
of 2014 National School Choice Week, Bellwether Education Partners will host a webinar on Thursday, January 30 from 1:00 to 2:15 pm (ET) to discuss Andy Smarick's soon - to - be-released paper on
charter schooling in
rural America.
Terry Ryan, president
of the Idaho
Charter School Network, adds «Charter schools have provided an academic lifeline for students in troubled urban school districts for decades, yet charter opportunities are not available for most of the country's 11 million rural st
Charter School Network, adds «
Charter schools have provided an academic lifeline for students in troubled urban school districts for decades, yet charter opportunities are not available for most of the country's 11 million rural st
Charter schools have provided an academic lifeline for students in troubled urban school districts for decades, yet
charter opportunities are not available for most of the country's 11 million rural st
charter opportunities are not available for most
of the country's 11 million
rural students.
«Our research has uncovered a number
of things
rural areas can learn from the successes
of charters in urban and suburban areas as well as shined a light on issues particular to
rural America that make
chartering difficult and how we might help overcome them.»
In
Rural Innovators in Education, Terry Ryan of the Idaho Charter School Network looks at examples of this trend, using his findings to develop five policy lessons for Idaho and other rural st
Rural Innovators in Education, Terry Ryan
of the Idaho
Charter School Network looks at examples
of this trend, using his findings to develop five policy lessons for Idaho and other
rural st
rural states.
There have only been 2 suburban /
rural charters approved in Massachusetts this century, and most
of those areas aren't bumping up against the cap.
Andy will discuss the findings from his report, A New Frontier: Utilizing
Charter Schooling to Strengthen
Rural Education, with a panel
of experts Thursday afternoon at 1:00 pm.
Whether public or private,
charter or magnet,
rural or urban, all K - 12 schools seem to share the challenge
of limited resources and funding.
In fact, one
of the two rejected schools, which would have been located in the beautiful upstate town
of Truxton, would have been the first agriculture - based
rural charter school in New York State and their propo...
Hoxby says, citing one
of Massachusetts» best - performing and wealthiest suburban school districts to point out a flaw in any attempt to compare
charter schools, which are very often located either in inner cities or
rural areas, with American public schools in general.
They also list all
of the groups in the state they meet with throughout the year to discuss various issues, including Indiana Association
of School Principals, Indiana Federation
of Teachers, Indiana's
Charter School Association and Indiana Small and
Rural School Association, among others.
«This year, the fuel costs are killing us,» said Linda Duman, teacher / administrator
of the 49 - student
rural Lourdes School in Scio, the state's first
charter school.
In fact, one
of the two rejected schools, which would have been located in the beautiful upstate town
of Truxton, would have been the first agriculture - based
rural charter school in New York State and their proposal bears no resemblance to what we have become accustomed to seeing in the world
of New York
charters.
While most
charter schools are forced to divert operating funds to cover the cost
of facilities, the problem is more acute for
rural charters.
(September 1, 2015, Columbia, MD)
Charter Schools Development Corporation (CSDC) is pleased to announce that it has received a $ 5 million grant under the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Credit Enhancement for Charter Schools Facilities Program that will enable the organization to expand its lending and development capacity to multiple charter schools over a broad geographic area, with a new emphasis on serving schools located in rural commu
Charter Schools Development Corporation (CSDC) is pleased to announce that it has received a $ 5 million grant under the U.S. Department
of Education's (ED) Credit Enhancement for
Charter Schools Facilities Program that will enable the organization to expand its lending and development capacity to multiple charter schools over a broad geographic area, with a new emphasis on serving schools located in rural commu
Charter Schools Facilities Program that will enable the organization to expand its lending and development capacity to multiple
charter schools over a broad geographic area, with a new emphasis on serving schools located in rural commu
charter schools over a broad geographic area, with a new emphasis on serving schools located in
rural communities.
«Our organizations are dedicated to closing the financing gap so that educators can close the achievement the gap, and we'll now be able to serve a previously underserved segment
of the education reform movement —
rural charter schools,» said BH's Mark Medema.
This year's eight fellows were selected from a pool
of over 1200 applications from teachers and instructional specialists serving in traditional public and
charter schools, as well as alternative and private schools; from nearly every state, grade level and instructional area, and who teach in a wide variety
of urban,
rural and suburban settings.