Charter Chat with Katy
The 7th Annual National Charter School Conference was held on April 24th - 27th , 2007 , at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque , New Mexico . The theme of this year's conference was "Rising to New Heights: The Next 15 Years" and will bring together Charter School Stakeholders from all over the United Stated committed to expanding high quality charter schools and increasing the national understanding of the charter school model in their prospective cities and states. Nelson Smith, President of National Alliance for Public Charter Schools stated:
The Charter movement has come a long way since the first charter school opened in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1992. Fifteen years later, there are more then 4,000 charter schools serving over a million children in 40 states and the District of Columbia (Smith 2007).
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, who organizes the conference annually, is the national leadership and support organization for the charter school movement and works to "expand and improve charter schooling so all families have access to high-quality public education options." Their priories include movement leadership, industrial development, advocacy, and communications.
Keynote speakers included:
• Jon Meacham, Editor, Newsweek Magazine
• Kevin Johnson, Chairman, St. HOPE Public Schools (a non-profit community development corporation designed to revitalize inner-city communities through public education, economic development, civic leadership and art enrichment)
• Margaret Spelling, U.S. Secretary of Education
The conference also established the National Charter Schools Hall of Fame at this year's conference to recognize individuals for their contributions in the following areas:
• Pioneering efforts in the development and growth of charter schools
• Commitment and contribution to charter schools and education
• Innovative ideas and successful implementation of those ideas
• Inspiration to others in the charter school movement
The inaugural group of the National Charter Schools Hall of Fame 2007 inductees include:
• John T. Walton (Deceased), The Walton Family Foundation - one of the nation's leading private funders of school choice and believer in the charter school model of quality, accountability and results.
• Howard Fuller PH.D., Founder/Director, Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The mission of the institute is to support exemplary education, options that transform learning for children, while empowering families, particularly low-income families, to choose the best options for their children.
• Ted Kolderie, Senior Associate, Education/Evolving - Worked on "public service redesign" at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and active in the Citizens League which assisted in adopting charter laws in Minnesota.
• Sonia Gutierrez, CEO/Founder, Carlos Rosario International Career Center & Public Charter School - First public adult charter school in the country and provides more then 1,200 students with English as a second language, GED in Spanish and English, courses in different areas of technology, citizenship classes, culinary arts, family literacy, and Spanish classes.
Breakout sessions where held throughout the conference and consisted of 7 groupings:
• Advocacy & Messaging
• Charter School Design, Instruction & Leadership
• Charter School Funding, Facilities & Finance
• Federal, State & Local Policy Environment
• Governance & Operations
• Performance & Accountability
• State of the Movement
I attended the majority of the "Advocacy and Messaging" sessions which included "Working with the Media - Building Awareness of Charter Public Schools" and "The Power of Your Message - Making Your Story Count. Table-talk sessions where also held throughout the conference. As usual, I have all my notes, PowerPoint Presentations, Handouts and numerous materials from the exhibitors located in our resource library. Please contact me if you would like any of the information I collected.
Mark your calendars now for the 2008 National Charter School Conference at the Ernest B. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 21 st - June 25 th , 2008.
Farewells
We lost or are losing two very special people in the charter school movement this year from the Florida Department of Education's Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice.
Dr. Carlo Rodriguez, the Executive Director and passionate quality choice advocate passed away unexpectedly June 23 rd . He was a respected colleague and good friend who will forever impact my life in tremendous ways. We love you Carlo and I will always remember your voice in my head telling me "It is about the Children!" I will do my best to continue the vision!
• Here is a link that leads to a downloadable PowerPoint of numerous picture that was created to honor him: Remembering Carlo
• Donations can also be make by clicking on the "Make a Wish Foundation" link embedded on the bottom of the page in the link above.
Steve Adams, the Director of Charter, Virtual & Home Education is another passionate school choice advocate and we will miss him dearly. He is resigning from his position and his last day will be August 24 th . I would also like to congratulate him come the end of the year when he will be receiving his doctorate. We are so proud of you. I will always remember the in-depth history lesson he gave us on our nightly tour of Washington, D.C. Whatever you pursue will be a success because your heart is always in it.
Informational Links
Here are a fee good links regarding Public Charter School Programs
• U.S. Department of Education: Public Charter School Program
• U.S. Department of Education: Building Choice
• US Charter Schools
• Florida Department of Education: Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice
• National Association of Charter School Authorizers
• National Institute for Educational Options
• National Center on School Choice
• National Charter School Research Project
• National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Master of Science in Charter School Education/Leadership Program
If you would like more information about our Master of Science in Charter School Education/Leadership Program, please contact me.
NEW - Upcoming Doctorate in Education: Educational Leadership with a specialty in Charter School Leadership to start FALL 2007. Contact me for details
Remember, we at the Florida School Choice Resource Center, are here for all School Choice professionals with resources to assist. Feel free to contact me at tkaty@nova.edu with any questions.
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