A New School Takes Root in New Orleans—And Races Against Time
Twenty-five years ago CRPE was founded on the idea of the school as the locus of change. Today we are reexamining our old assumptions in light of new technical possibilities, changes in the economy, and a recognition that even the most effective schools may need to develop new approaches to better serve students whose needs […]
Working Smarter, Not Harder: Promising Local Strategies for Improving Charter School Teacher Supply
September’s jobs report gave us a picture of this year’s teacher shortfall compared to 2017. From last year to this, not much has changed. For some this could be good news—at least things aren’t getting worse—but we also know that teacher numbers haven’t returned to pre-2007 levels. The teacher shortage is a popular topic in […]
States Don’t Need to Wait on a Congressional Investigation to Improve Online Charter School Oversight
Once again, virtual charter schools are coming under heavy scrutiny. Last week, the Center for American Progress published a report that called for banning for-profit online charter school operators. Soon thereafter, two Democratic U.S. senators called for a Government Accountability Office investigation of virtual charter schools. While meaningful federal action might be unlikely under the […]
San Antonio ISD’s Innovations Offer National Lessons
The term “portfolio district” has taken on a life of its own these days. For some, it refers to places with a lot of charter schools and some coordination function. For others, it means having many district-run schools with themes. At CRPE, it’s neither of those. Rather, the portfolio strategy is what we often call […]
Entrepreneurs Can Breathe New Life into the Charter School Movement
Citing some recent CRPE work on charter school stagnation in the San Francisco Bay Area, Matthew Ladner has issued a grim assessment of the charter school movement’s health. The slowdown in Northern California mirrors the nationwide trend. So do the underlying factors: butting heads within the charter school ecosystem, a lack of accessible facilities, and […]
Partnering with Districts to Support System Transformation: An Interview with Samantha Olson of the Colorado Education Initiative
Samantha Olson is the Vice President of Strategy for the Colorado Education Initiative (CEI), which supports districts and schools in personalized learning and systems change. CEI was part of the Regional Funds for Breakthrough Schools initiative, the subject of a recent CRPE report. Olson spoke to CRPE’s Sean Gill about CEI’s work. Gill: CEI held […]
Unified Enrollment in Chicago: A New Tool Highlights Old Truths
Going into the new school year, Chicago Public Schools dramatically simplified school choice in the city by creating a unified high school enrollment system. Rather than submitting multiple applications to multiple district-run choice programs and charter schools with multiple deadlines and acceptance timelines, families were able to rank their preferred public school options in one […]
For Brandon: How One Family’s Struggle Can Help Us Imagine an Education System That Does Better by Exceptional Children
Twenty-five years ago CRPE was founded on the idea of the school as the locus of change. Today we are reexamining our old assumptions in light of new technical possibilities, changes in the economy, and a recognition that even the most effective schools may need to develop new approaches to better serve students whose needs […]
What John McCain’s Example Teaches Us about Character in Schools
Watching all of the tributes to John McCain this week, it’s been hard not to think about how much character matters and wonder whether our schools do enough to develop it. McCain was of a complex character. By his own admission, he had plenty of weaknesses. But what made him worthy of so many honorifics […]
In Washington State, New Choices for Students with Disabilities
In our recent special education study, we found that Washington state’s charter schools are serving students with disabilities at a higher rate than the national charter school average. When our data revealed the schools were also serving students with a wide range of disabilities in a mostly inclusive environment, I reflected on my own experience. […]