Data Transparency: “State of the Sector” Report and New Online Dashboards

What choices are charter schools providing? What are their results? Who are their students? And what is the outlook for charter schools' future? The Charter Center is pleased to release a new report on "The State of the NYC Charter School Sector," which provides a data-rich look at these critical…

Continue ReadingData Transparency: “State of the Sector” Report and New Online Dashboards

Open Line Live Town Hall

This weekend the Charter Center, KISS FM and Bronx Preparatory Charter School hosted an Education Town Hall that aired on KISS FM's Open Line radio show with Bob Slade, Bob Pickett and James Mtume. Panelists, including Valerie Babb, Recy Dunn, James Merriman, Charlene Reid, Drema Brown, Andrea Zayas and Samantha…

Continue ReadingOpen Line Live Town Hall

Believe Northside Charter High School Gets a Second Chance

Whenever a charter school authorizer starts the process of revoking a school’s charter, the reactions are predictable. Though the revocation is not final, edu-journalists are fascinated. Teachers and families are justifiably concerned. Authorizers are tight-lipped. Charter advocates like us try to calmly remind everyone that, in the charter school sector,…

Continue ReadingBelieve Northside Charter High School Gets a Second Chance

Hopelessly Muddled – Needlessly Public: Teacher Evaluations Need to be Treated with Caution

Today, teacher data reports for some 32 charter schools will be released to the public, following release of TDRs for district teachers as part of the Teacher Data Initiative. There are two distinct issues worth commenting on: the particularities of the charter school data and the errors therein, and the…

Continue ReadingHopelessly Muddled – Needlessly Public: Teacher Evaluations Need to be Treated with Caution

Bronx Charter School for Excellence Nominated for Prestigious National Honor

Recently, and unfortunately, much of the media surrounding charter schools has focused on school closures. So much so that one can forget how many amazing charter schools New York City is fortunate to have. This month, New York’s State Education Department reminded us of this fact by nominating the Bronx…

Continue ReadingBronx Charter School for Excellence Nominated for Prestigious National Honor

New York State Authorizers Accept 48 New Letters of Intent for Charter School Proposals

The State University of New York Charter School Institute (SUNY) and New York State Department (SED) have accepted 48 Letters of Intent to start charter schools in the fall 2013. The 48 new entrants have been given a green light to submit full proposals by February 29, 2012 in order…

Continue ReadingNew York State Authorizers Accept 48 New Letters of Intent for Charter School Proposals

NAACP: Hiring Flexibility Helps Kids!

Over Christmas break, the NAACP quietly released a resolution on charter schools. Among the expected anti-charter rhetoric are sprinkled some things of interest. First, in the midst of listing the advantages charters have, e.g., the supposed selection and removal of students, the resolution also states that charters operate more autonomously…

Continue ReadingNAACP: Hiring Flexibility Helps Kids!