“Go visit a charter school”
Ron Rice Jr., the senior director of government relations at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, published an op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch this week, urging candidates vying for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination to eschew divisive rhetoric on charter schools. Instead, he urges them to visit charter schools across the country to see how they are serving students and families.
The inestimable value of having a teacher who looks like them
Here is just one example of how charter schools are leading the way. Data show that just one percent of the 100,000 teachers in Missouri and Kansas are black males. The Ewing Marion Kauffman School, a charter in Kansas City, Missouri, has a two-year teacher residency program aimed at creating a pipeline for educators of color to earn their degrees and certification. As reported by the Kansas City Star this week, more than 60 percent of teachers from the residency program hired at the school are people of color, and 26 percent are black men, far outpacing district schools nearby.
Quality charter schools here at home
Here is a nice look at the work of staff and teachers at Richard Allen School in Southwest Ohio; specifically, the steps they have taken as a community to raise their report card marks dramatically over the last year. Kudos!
Breakthrough Schools blazing an electronic trail
Two Cleveland charters in the Breakthrough Schools network are the first and only in the nation to get Verizon’s cutting-edge 5G connection and access to a new app called Visceral Science. With it, students can launch themselves into space and see stars being born from close up. They can also interact with the universe through virtual reality, made seamless through the power of super-fast 5G service.
LAST CALL - School Performance Institute Workshop
Are you thinking of ways your team can improve this school year? School Performance Institute is changing the way schools think about improvement. The upcoming Study the Network workshop combines interactive sessions with live-classroom observations and conversations with key staff to help build your team’s capacity to create and implement change. Register today for the next workshop on October 17, 2019! For more information, contact John A. Dues.
Relay Leadership Training event
KIPP Columbus is hosting a one-day training event on January 16, 2020, focusing on teacher observation and feedback. It is ideal for anyone who coaches at least one teacher or who will be preparing to coach in the coming year. Leaders will learn the four keys to effective observation and feedback, including locking in frequent and regular observations, identifying the one or two most important areas for growth, giving direct face-to-face feedback that practices specific action steps for improvement, and creating systems to ensure feedback translates to practice. In addition, leaders will have opportunities to practice skills by participating in simulations and video reviews. For more information or to register, click here. Registration is now live, with seats on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Cecilia Shanahan with any questions.
