In partnership with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Public Impact profiled several geographically and racially diverse charter schools to see how they used their flexibility and resourcefulness to respond quickly to the needs of their students at the start of the coronavirus outbreak in spring 2020.
Profiles of Leaders of Color: Building an Effective Staff
How has being a person of color affected the ways in which successful charter school leaders built schools where students, families, and staff learn, grow, and thrive? In this first of a three-part series, produced in partnership with National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Public Impact profiled three such leaders about how they trained teachers in empathy to fight biases, developed a leader training program, and founded an alliance to develop future charter school leaders of color.
Profiles of Leaders of Color: Engaging Families
In this second of a three-part series examining how being a person of color affects the ways in which successful charter school leaders build schools where students, families, and staff learn, grow, and thrive, Public Impact profiled three leaders who involved parents in creating a more inviting campus, reset expectations for parental involvement, and adjusted systems and structures to make it easier to engage families. This series was produced in partnership with National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Profiles of Leaders of Color: Building a Strong School Culture
In partnership with National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Public Impact produced a three-part series looking at how being a person of color affected the ways in which successful charter school leaders built schools where students, families, and staff learn, grow, and thrive. This third in the series profiles two such leaders who use language to bring together students from diverse backgrounds and communities, and provide students with opportunities to follow their dreams by learning to code, traveling, and being exposed to a wide array of extracurricular activities.
The Impact of School Restarts: Lessons from Four Indianapolis Schools
In this report, Public Impact considers the impact of four charter school restarts in Indianapolis, IN. Researchers analyzed how enrollment, demographic, and student performance data changed following the restarts, and how those changes compared to other low-performing schools in which the district was also making significant improvement efforts. In addition, Public Impact interviewed the restart operators, district representatives, and the leader of an influential city-based education organization to identify the processes, challenges, and opportunities restarts offer.
Meeting the Potential of a Virtual Education: Lessons from Operators Making Online Schooling Work
In general, virtual charter schools have had poor outcomes. But when we scanned the field for virtual charter schools with positive learning results, we found a few. What can others learn from them to make virtual school success the rule, not the exception? This report highlights the experience of two nonselective virtual charter schools making online schooling work for their students—Idaho Distance Education Academy (I-DEA) and New Hampshire’s Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS).
Better Together: Why Charter School Champions & Parent Advocates Should Partner to Better Support Students with Disabilities
While the charter sector has much to celebrate, the country can do more to put great schools—including excellent charters—within reach for our most vulnerable students. Students with disabilities represent one such group. The best solutions start by partnering with the parent groups that advocate for students with disabilities, and have been doing so for decades. As partners, charter school champions and organizations working with parents of children with disabilities can collectively improve outcomes for students with disabilities, create better school options for them, and advocate for better policies. This call to action for charter champions to launch and deepen their partnerships with parent advocates explains how they are better together—why such partnerships are needed, the forms they might take from partnerships highlighted in Washington, DC, New York City, and Los Angeles, and how to get started.
