What Characteristics are Shared by Successful Charter Schools? by Dr. Sarah B. Cunningham

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Most traditional public schools no longer have one staff member who remembers the first day that the school opened its doors. Thus, compared to their traditional counterparts, charter schools have an inordinate amount of entrepreneurial knowledge surrounding school start-up. As charter schools learn from their mistakes, this entrepreneurial knowledge continues to expand.

What foundation is required to make a good charter school? What internal structures need to be set in place to provide a quality academic experience for students and families?

1. Strong charter law: Without charter laws that support the opening of schools it is very difficult to get the charters going. CER (Center for Education Reform) has a wealth of information about this and recently issued a report on the strength of charter laws across the country.



2. A clear, decisive mission: A mission must be reviewed by the school community on a regular basis as the school develops. The goals must be achievable and realistic. Too many goals are difficult to achieve early on and dilute the power of providing specific, localized alternatives to current public school offerings. This mission cannot be so rigid that it does not allow administrators to make adjustments according the school’s evolving purpose.



3. Supportive charter authorizer: Throughout the country, there are district-based, state-based, university-based and independent authorizers. While authorizers have differing available resources, authorizers that require high standards in the application and renewal processes will contribute to founding strong charter schools.



4. Positive climate for school choice: Often supported by community members with libertarian sentiments, local support for school choice allows the school to avoid a variety of hurdles before, during and after its opening.



5. Facilities and properties that serve the mission of the school: Charter schools that can establish community partnerships – in financing and real estate – may be able to secure facilities with greater ease. Across the board, the facilities challenge draws unnecessary resources and energies from our new charter schools. One would hope that the growing “New Urbanism” movement might help draw together socially-active real estate developers with needy charter school founders.



6. Committed administration, principal, faculty, families and Board members: The founding administrative and faculty team must be willing to stick it through the first couple years of chaos while the school gets its feet on the ground. A committed Board of Trustees, willing to raise additional funds in order to provide the school with funding above and beyond the state/federal allocation. The Board of Trustees can have a huge impact on the success of the school, as long as they support the school and do not attempt to micromanage school programs. These Boards and financial structures make charter schools start to look like a cross between a private school and public schools. This is especially the case when some charter school organizations hire development officers. However, schools who avoid fundraising may especially require the support of Board members with business backgrounds in order to facilitate a lean business plan.



7. Association with experts who provide consultation on a national basis: There are so many curriculum programs available that schools can save a lot of work by consulting the national experts in a subject area. There is no need for schools to reinvent the wheel. Of course, innovation is the virtue of charters, so a combination of consulting resources and adapting resources to your locale and mission are what makes the schools innovative. Charter leaders who find other charter leaders running schools with similar missions (even out of state) can learn from real examples. This can also help a founder realize how the ideal mission of the charter application actually might come into existence.



8. Willingness to engage in external evaluation: We have found that, across the board, the best charter schools engage in school inspections and assessments from a variety of outside parties. While I work for an accreditor, many of our accredited schools have been evaluated several times before they seek accreditation. When we interview our candidates, their track record of third-party assessment often immediately indicates a level of quality within their program. Their experience in seeking feedback only makes the accreditation process easier for them.



9. Positive teacher recruitment and teacher development programs: Recruiting teachers is becoming more difficult and - because they work so hard to start a school - current faculty sometimes burn out and move on. Good professional development programs provide teachers with incentive to remain at the school as well as attracting new teachers.



10. Political savvy: This is closely related to the financing, obtaining local buy-in (including students), acquiring a charter and recruiting teachers. The charter school movement has an unusual combination of conservative and liberal impulses, depending on the community. The charter movement has the potential to be a model of bipartisan action to improve public education. Schools that can work with opposing forces will have better luck defusing difficult situations. A sound educational program, however, is a powerful antidote to criticism born of political debate. It is difficult to argue with high test scores, a satisfied parent community, excellent graduate rates and college placement with scholarships. Thus, school leaders must balance investment in the community with developing program excellence.