National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Issues New Report Showing How Successful Charters are 'Free to Lead' and Innovate

When Teachers at One School Balked at a New Math Program – They Won, and

So Did Their Students... With a 90 Percent Pass Rate

WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools today released a report showing how public charter schools can produce outstanding results when they have the freedom to hire highly qualified teaching teams, build innovative professional development programs and adjust curriculum or class structure to boost student achievement.

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One hallmark of a charter school is its ability to do things differently. This report, Free to Lead: Autonomy in Highly Successful Charter Schools, uses the experiences of five schools leaders to describe specific ways freedom produces excellent results. "Freedom and flexibility have long been regarded as crucial to charter school success because they give principals and teachers authority to make decisions that directly enhance student achievement," said Nelson Smith, president and CEO, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. "These case studies illustrate why policymakers need to protect charter schools' freedom to innovate and to act quickly when student success is at stake."

As the report shows, charter schools usually have direct control over curriculum, class structure, use of time and other key factors. When one charter principal introduced a new math program that her teachers didn't like, she gave teachers freedom to produce their own curriculum and held them accountable for results. The teachers were right. Students achieved a 90 percent pass rate on the end-of-year math test. Another charter school's 5th graders entered the year at a 3rd-grade reading level. The school immediately shifted the school day to include two reading classes and a writing class, for a total of 210 minutes of language arts instruction daily. The result was school-wide test scores that dramatically exceeded the state average for all subject areas including writing and reading.

Another charter leader hired a former NASA scientist who responded to an online posting for a science teacher. The candidate was considered unqualified by the traditional district's standards, which required specific teaching certifications. However, the teacher is a successful teacher at the charter school. Charters in some states may apply for a waiver from teacher certification requirements; in some jurisdictions certification is not required at all.

The report also shows, charter schools have the freedom to use teacher feedback as a meaningful professional development tool that improves teaching practices. Teachers at one of the profiled schools meet weekly with instructional coaches. Every teacher is observed weekly for at least 20 minutes and then given immediate, specific feedback for improvement. By contrast, many traditional districts evaluate teachers one or two times each year and give little feedback.

The case studies define seven distinct ways autonomy promotes academic achievement. These findings compliment those in a separate report released today by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Charter School Autonomy: A Half-broken Promise. It finds that charter autonomy is being seriously shortchanged in a number of states.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (Alliance) is the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. The Alliance works to increase the number of high-performing charter schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. The Alliance provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement. More than 1.6 million students attend nearly 5,000 charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia.

SOURCE National Alliance for Public Charter Schools