Continuing discussion of important research
Earlier this week, American Enterprise Institute’s Fredrick Hess published a detailed look at Fordham’s new charter school report. His Forbes piece places the results of the analysis—which differentiates charter schools operated by “for-profit” management companies from those operated by “non-profits”—into the current national debate over changes to the rules governing the Charter Schools Program (CSP). to the Charter Schools Program. And speaking of CSP, the list of FY 2022 awardees was announced last week. Unfortunately, for the second consecutive time, Ohio’s application fell short. In total, 25 entities across the country were awarded grants totaling more than $221 million. The grants will be used to open and replicate high-performing charters, support access to facilities finance, and support the USDOE’s national priorities. The full list of awardees can be found here.
Data tell the tale
Meanwhile, Fordham’s Mike Petrilli and David Griffith made the case that that data pretty well settles the question of whether urban charter schools outperform their traditional district peers (yes, they do). They also provided a great list of possible mechanisms as to why this is the case, citing innovative programming, nimble staff, and diligent authorizers on their list.
Communities of care
A new publication from the USDOE is aimed at providing new tools to help charter schools adapt to the changing mental health and wellness needs of their students and staff. It is hoped that leaders can use this resource to learn about the research base and strategies for comprehensive student and community well-being, including three charter organizations across the country whose innovative work is detailed.
More case studies
Another new report, researched by Bellwether and published by NAPCS and the Charter School Growth Fund, seeks to understand how charter schools have spent federal Covid-relief funding in support of student and school outcomes. Leaders of InspireNOLA Charter School in Louisiana, LEAD Charter School in New Jersey, Noble Schools in Illinois, Nurses Institute Middle College in Rhode Island, and Rocketship Public Schools across the country described how they prioritized their ESSER funds across all three funding rounds.
Roadblocks in Mississippi
Douglas Carswell, president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, published an editorial in the National Review this week chastising the state’s Charter School Authorizer Board for taking a heavy hand in rejecting charter school applications, saying no to four out five of the latest applicants, including the expansion of an already-successful model in the town of Clarksdale. He characterizes their rules—which focus on the how charters will impact traditional districts rather than student and family need—as “public-education protectionism” and calls for drastic change to expand choice in the Magnolia State.
*****
Did you know you can have every edition of the Ohio Charter News Weekly sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.
