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New NAPCS CEO announced
Congratulations and welcome to newly-announced National Alliance for Public Charter Schools CEO Starlee Coleman. She comes to the job from the Lone Star State, where for the last six years she has been CEO of the Texas Public Charter Schools Association. “I am honored to lead the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and to work alongside our dedicated team and partners to ensure every child has access to an excellent public education,” Coleman said in a statement. “I look forward to building on the Alliance’s legacy of advocacy and collaboration, and to elevating the voices of the students, educators and families who choose charter schools.” You can read more about Starlee Coleman and the announcement here.
Looking at an important tutoring program
The policy director of Georgetown University’s FutureEd think tank visited Summit Academy’s Akron Elementary a few weeks ago to take a look at the school’s high-dosage tutoring program. It’s unusual context (in a charter school focused on serving students with special needs) and robust format (aligned with the science of reading, utilizing a hybrid virtual and in-person model with lots of hands on help) are interesting factors to study. And test score data seem into indicate some notable success for participating students. Sounds like a great place to study and learn from.
Amazing graduation story
It’s graduation season across the country, with lots of great stories of impressive young people to be celebrated. Case in point: Meet Khaya Njumbe of Gary, Indiana. He will be receiving his high school diploma from 21st Century Charter School soon at the early age of 15. But thanks to his school’s intensive focus on college readiness and access for its students, Khaya had already earned three associate degrees before he hit his senior year. And this year he will also walk across the graduation stage at Indiana University Northwest to become what is believed to be the youngest ever bachelor’s degree holder in the state! Congratulations, incredible work, and look out world!
New sponsors, new schools
In the wake of a bill signed into law last year, two cities in Nevada are looking to become charter school sponsors for the first time. The City of North Las Vegas has already sent its application to the state department of education, with an eye toward opening its first school in fall 2025. The City of Henderson is finalizing their application to the state currently. The director of community services in North Las Vegas says, “This is an opportunity for us to really identify some [educational] deficits and fill those deficits with opportunity and options.” Nice!
Important new research
A pair of researchers from Stanford and USC have released the findings of new study on school segregation across the country. Its publication coincides with the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education and the findings seem problematic. Over the last three decades, they report, school segregation has been increasing after a period of decline. It has done so even as neighborhoods have become more racially mixed and as economic inequality between racial groups has declined, and it has increased the most within the large school districts that many of the nation’s students of color attend. The expiration of most Brown-related desegregation orders in that timeframe is one big factor, but fingers are also pointing at the expansion of charter schools.
CSP grant applications open now
Applications for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP) competitive grants are now open. These include Grants to State Entities, Grants to Charter School Developers and Charter Management Organizations for the opening of new schools and replication of high-quality existing schools, and the State Charter School Facilities Incentive Grants Program. Information, application details, and deadlines for all CPS grants can be found here.
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