2018 EdNext Poll shows increased support for charter schools
A new poll from Education Next (EdNext) found growing support for charter schools, particularly amongst Republicans. Forty-four percent of respondents supported the expansion of charter schools (up from thirty-nine percent last year) and thirty-five percent were in opposition. EdNext found consistent support across a variety of groups including fifty-seven percent of Republicans, forty-nine percent of Hispanics, and forty-six percent of African Americans. You can find the National Alliance for Public Charter School’s reaction to the news here.
DeWine Files Lawsuit to Recover Public Funds Related to ECOT
On Tuesday, Attorney General Mike DeWine filed a lawsuit to recover public funds disbursed by the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT). The lawsuit alleges violations of fiduciary duty and seeks to hold the school’s founder and school officers personally liable. Because of the nature of the allegations, all Ohio charters should keep an eye on the suit’s proceedings. More information about the lawsuit can be found on the attorney general's website.
New report examines why independent charters outperform district-operated autonomous schools
The Reinventing America's Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) released a new report this week comparing the performance of district-operated autonomous schools in four cities (Boston, Memphis, Denver, and Los Angeles) with local charter schools. In three of the four cities, charter schools outperformed the “charter-lite” district schools. The report offers five reasons for why this is occurring and suggests some ways the districts could improve. For more information on the findings, check out this piece from The 74.
Ex-Superintendent and current charter school CEO recognized for success
Mike Miles, the former superintendent of Dallas Independent School District, is receiving praise at the national level this week for going from being a high-impact district superintendent to being a “brazen charter school entrepreneur with the experience, motivation, and backing to grow a school network as large as he desires.” Jason Gaulden, Vice President of Partnerships at America Succeeds, writes about Miles’ success as the CEO of the Academy of Advanced Learning and explains how and why the school is quietly making history.
Upcoming events
You still have an opportunity to register for these upcoming events in Columbus: The School Performance Institute’s upcoming workshop (September 13), the 2018 National Dropout Prevention Network Conference (October 28-31), and the Ohio School Improvement Institute (November 15-16). And don’t forget to register for these national events: The National Forum to Advance Rural Education (October 11-13) in Denver and the 2018 NACSA Leadership Conference (October 22-25) in Orlando.
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