This new feature of NCSC News will bring you current state news.
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Arizona
Arizona State University West’s first cohort of charter school leaders will soon graduate and the school is beginning to accept applications for its next round of students, thanks to a $2.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement. The program, Leadership for Educational Entrepreneurs combines the College of Education's master's degree in educational administration with the school of management's MBA degree. Fellows from around the country learn online, at regional sites and at ASU West. The Business Journal of Phoenix (December 26, 2003).

California
The University of California, Berkeley, will open a charter school that will serve as an "early college academy" enabling high school students to earn college credit as they work toward their diploma. Funded through a $400,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation the school is intended to help prepare educationally disadvantaged students for college. Slated to open in fall 2005, it will serve about 420 students in grades six through 12. Tri-Valley Herald (January 29, 2004).

Legislative analyst, Elizabeth Hill, in a report to the state legislature affirms that charter schools have proven their effectiveness both financially and academically. After analyzing the findings of a recent study by the Rand Corp., she makes three recommendations: (1) Eliminate the cap that limits the number of new charter schools to 100 annually; (2) allow organizations other than school districts to authorize and monitor charter schools; and (3) equalizing funding between traditional and charter schools. San Francisco Chronical (January 22, 2004).

Aspire Public Schools, a non-profit organization managing 10 charter schools in Northern California, was named one of 20 social entrepreneurs selected to receive a Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Award (http://www.fastcompany.com/social/). Committed to small classes and schools, Aspire believes that every child is college material. Aspire’s operations are similar to those of a business with a focus on local autonomy, performance review, professional development, and collaboration. Tom Vander Ark, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s executive director of educational programs says that Aspire’s founder, Don Shalvey, is "the most important social entrepreneur in America." He goes on to state that one of the most important determinations that needs to be made in America today is what effective schools look like and that Aspire may provide an example. FastCompany (January 2004).

Most of the charter schools in San Diego County met or exceeded their target scores on the most recent Academic Performance Index, with outcomes slightly higher than many traditional schools. The San Diego Union Tribune (November 9, 2003).

Colorado
Two bills are under consideration in the Colorado legislature to ease the charter school appeals process in addition to proposals to create another authorizing agency. 21st Century Schools Project Bulletin (January 13, 2004)

Hawaii
A 2003 study commissioned by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs found that Native Hawaiian students attending Hawaiian-themed charter schools scored higher on standardized tests than Hawaiians attending traditional schools. Not surprisingly, the Citizens Achieving Reform in Education (CARE) committee has recommended that the state allow 25 new start-up charter schools and permit all of the proposed seven school districts to award charters. CARE also advocates equal funding so that charter schools will receive the same amount of money per student as other schools, as well as some funding for facilities. HonouluAdvertiser.com (January 12, 2004).

Massachusetts
A budget proposal by Governor Romney will recommend eliminating three caps on charter schools in Massachusetts: the nine percent spending cap; the four percent student enrollment cap, and the cap limiting the number of charter schools in the state to 120. This is in response to a 13,000-student waiting list for enrollment in one of the state’s 50 charter schools. Boston Herald (January 23, 2004).

100% of Codman Academy’s sophomore class met the state’s language arts standards, while at Dorchester High, only two blocks away, the passing rate was only 53 percent. At this small charter school, founder, Meg Campbell has implemented principles modeled on those of Outward Bound; here the focus is on learning by doing, teamwork, service and character development. The predominantly low-income, African American students at this college preparatory urban high school study Shakespeare, play tennis, follow a health-conscious regimen, and visit college campuses monthly. The New York Times (December 17,2003).

Minnesota
Team (Together Everyone Achieves More) Academy will open in Waseca serving kindergarten through fourth graders. Funded by federal and state money, this school will emphasize post-secondary education from an early age and will provide trips to college and technical school campuses. MankatoFreePress.com (February 3, 2004).

Will charter schools become the model for improving school district operations and efficiency? Superintendent David Jennings of Minneapolis has presented a proposal to move in this direction. Jennings' proposal calls for fundamentally changing how the district is run, including creating smaller districts, granting charter-like autonomy to district schools, and allowing principals to directly hire teachers. The impetus behind the recommendation for district reorganization and improvement is due to a loss of students to charter schools. 21st Century Schools Project Bulletin (January 27, 2004).

The Center for School Change (http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/school-change/) has launched a new resource for charter schools: Profiles of Minnesota Charter Schools (http://www.centerforschoolchange.org/main.asp). Facilitating the exploration of Minnesota’s diverse charter schools, the site provides the ability to search for charter schools by county. Other site features include a history of charter schools, strategies to use when evaluating schools, an explanation of standardized testing and its implications, and more.

The Minnesota Department of Education has approved a record number of charter schools this year. Twenty new schools were approved and could open next fall. John Welsh of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that this growth can be attributed to several factors including increased comfort with charter schools, new nonprofit support for charter schools and the availability of additional money and technical support. Duluth News Tribune (December 29, 2003).

New Jersey
Paterson’s third charter school is scheduled to open its doors to college-bound sixth, seventh and eighth graders in September 2004. Funded by the State Department of Education, the Great Falls Charter School will offer smaller classes, lessons emphasizing reading, writing and speaking, and a longer school day. 12 News: New Jersey (January 13, 2004)

New York
New York State has approved New York City's first girls-only charter school. The Girls Preparatory Charter School on the Lower East Side is scheduled to open next fall and will serve 80 students in kindergarten and first grade. It plans to grow to serve 329 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The New York Post (January 28, 2004).

Accountability is working in New York! Evaluators from New York Charter Schools Institute (SUNY) recommended only partial renewal for two of the state’s first three charter schools due to inconsistent academic progress. They recommended that the third school be denied renewal due to financial mismanagement and poor academic performance. While the SUNY State Board of Regents will make the final determination, it is expected to follow the Institute’s recommendation. 21st Century Schools Project Bulletin: Vol 4 (January 27, 2004).

Upon reviewing the results of a capacity study by the Education Innovation Consortium (http://www.buffaloschools.org/pdfs/Creating_a_Network_of_Charter_Schools_in_Buffalo.pdf) the Buffalo Board of Education resolved to use the New York State Charter Schools Act as a tool to reform the Buffalo school district. The board resolved to aggressively integrate charter school programs into their into their core support services for the purpose of improving student achievement, increasing parental options, and enhancing district financial stability. The full text of the resolution is available online at http://www.buffaloschools.org/pdfs/BoardResolution.pdf. Education Week (January 7, 2004).

Ohio
School Board members in Akron, Ohio voted to allow students enrolled in the district’s virtual charter schools to participate in extracurricular activities. Board members unanimously voted to extend this opportunity to those at virtual charter schools after being assured that the online charter school positively impacts the district financially and that opportunities will be extended as space permits. Akron Beacon Journal (December 9, 2003).

Oregon
A virtual charter school geared to homeschoolers may become a reality if the application submitted by Tami and Tim King, educators in the North Clackamas School District, is approved by the Oregon Department of Education. Enrolled students would receive a computer, follow an online curriculum based on state academic standards, and receive teacher guidance and assessment via the Internet or through visits. A boon for parents of homeschoolers facing numerous challenges such as financial burdens, state-mandated paperwork and testing, the Oregon Web Academy addresses such challenges through technology, teacher support and computer assisted instruction. The Oregonian (December 4, 2003).

Tennessee
The Tennessee charter school legislation is in dire need of clarification. In January, a review committee recommended that all Metro charter school applications be denied. Four applications were recommended for denial without a full review because an eligible pool of students did not exist as state education officials determined that school choice only applies to students attending low performing schools. The New Era Learning Center, received the fifth recommendation for denial based on deficiencies in their application. The Tennessean (January 12, 2004). Read the related story of the struggles of charter school founder overcame to start and continue to operate her school.

Utah
All twelve of the state's charter schools in operation long enough to require that they meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements this year met their goals on state tests in language arts and math for both participation and achievement. The Salt Lake Tribune (December 29, 2003).

Washington
Will 2004 see the long awaited birth of charter schools in Washington? Charter advocates hope that a new House Republican proposal would allow 30 charter schools to open over six year period. Schools would be authorized by local and regional school districts with appeals through state superintendent. Democratic Governor Gary Locke endorsed the current bill, but it was voted the bill down (7-4) in the House Education Committee due to concerns regarding the appeals process and collective bargaining in charter conversions.21st Century Schools Project Bulletin (January 27, 2004).

Washington, D.C.
The city school board has conditionally approved three new charter school applications: Bridges Public Charter School which will serve 58 special needs children, aged 3 to 5; Howard University Middle School of Math and Science which will start with 120 sixth graders; and William Doar Public Charter School for the Performing Arts which will start with 232 pre-K through 5th gradestudents. ABC 7 News (February 4, 2004).

At Maya Angelou Public Charter School the stress is on academics fostered by smaller classes and longer hours. Components of the program include academics, individual instruction, dedicated instructors, counseling, employment opportunities, technological literacy, service education and a residence program for those who need it. Housed in an abandoned, dilapidated men's lodge, in an inner city neighborhood in the District of Columbia, Maya Angelou Public Charter School is in session from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. This charter school, featured in the PBS News Hour is succeeding in educating students who had been struggling in larger traditional schools—almost all will earn a high school diploma and seven out of ten will go on to attend college. Online NewsHour (December 29, 2003). Due to the school’s success and to the fact that few programs exist for troubled students in the District of Columbia, administrators are turning to this charter school for help. In the fall of 2004, Maya Angelou Public Charter School will open a new campus in a D.C. school building. Acknowledging that the charter school can better serve these students, counselors will recommend the program to parents. WashingtonPost.com (January 25, 2004).

Schools for Educational Evolution and Development (SEED) is one of the most innovative and expensive educational experiments. SEED, a charter school, is the nation's only public inner-city secondary boarding school. Generally students enrolled at SEED live on campus from Sunday evening to Friday while participating in an academically challenging program. High school students must take four years of math and three of science and Spanish. Class sizes are small (14 students) and the school day is longer than at most other local public schools. The school is popular and enrollment is by lottery—last spring 213 students applied for 140 spaces. However the jury is still out on the school’s effectiveness. Although SEED students score higher on standardized tests than their counterparts in tradition schools in the area, scores are still low. Due to boarding costs, the expense for educating SEED students is $24,000-- more than double that of traditional D.C. public schools. Nevertheless, the school’s founders are committed to their mission and seek to expand this concept on a national level explaining that the true measure of success will be the number of students who attend college and are successful in their programs. Time Online (January 12, 2004).

The largest bond offering for a charter school--$44.8 million--has been issued for Friendship Public Charter School boasting an A rating from Standard & Poor's. Financially, Friendship is in the black having had a surplus for the past three years. Friendship, the largest charter school in the city, provides a longer school year; safe, well-maintained and well-equipped schools; professional development; and a comprehensive curriculum and extracurricular activities. The curriculum capitalizes on computers to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Its career-oriented high school program emphasizes the connection between school and real-world skills. Boasting impressive improvements on standardized test scores, Friendship has also scored high in the academic arena. Additionally, all but two students from the 2002-2003 graduating class enrolled in some form of higher education. WashingtonPost.com (December 19, 2003).

Wisconsin
Three of the state's virtual charter schools have launched large-scale media campaigns aimed at attracting new students during the three week open enrollment period which runs from February 2nd through February 20th. Wisconsin Connections Academy, Wisconsin Virtual Academy and, the newly approved iQ Academies at Wisconsin are using paid advertisements, billboards and direct mail to market their programs. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (February 1, 2004).

After more than two years of conflict, the Madison School Board unanimously approved Neustro Mundo Charter School. This Spanish/English immersion program, will be housed in a district school yet to be determined and will open its doors to 66 Kindergarteners and first graders next fall. The Capital Times (January 29, 2004).

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