Tuesday鈥檚 conversation will focus on how these schools are now serving as incubators for new AI tools and advancements. Joining Curtis Valentine, director of PPI鈥檚 Reinventing America’s Schools Project, will be Yourway Learning President Jason Green, EdSolutions CEO Jeff Livingston and Morehouse College鈥檚 Metaversity Director Dr. Muhsinah Morris. Click here to RSVP

Sign up for the Zoom or tune in to this page Thursday at 3 p.m. ET to stream the event.

More artificial intelligence coverage from 蜜桃影视: 

• Q&A: Khan Academy鈥檚 Kristen DiCerbo on the Promise & Limits of AI in Schools 鈥� and How It Could Spark a New Era of 鈥楥onversational鈥� Testing

• A Cautionary AI Tale: Why IBM鈥檚 Dazzling Watson Supercomputer Made a Lousy Tutor
  
• Leanlab Founder Says Ed Tech Should Root Itself in Community Voice, Co-Design

• Artificial Intelligence and Schools: When Tech Makers and Educators Collaborate, AI Doesn鈥檛 Have to be Scary
  
• Class Disrupted: How AI is Democratizing Access to Expertise in Education 

The state Charter Schools Review Board on Monday approved 10-year renewals for 18 charter schools, despite concerns expressed by at least one board member about granting such long terms to some schools with lower academic performance.

鈥淚 know that we don鈥檛 have a choice because we鈥檙e following the law as it is written, but I just have to go on record saying that 鈥� it does not sit well with me to give a 10-year renewal to schools that are performing at a D status,鈥� said board member Shelly Slope.

This debate over renewal lengths is not new. Last year, board member Alex Quigley questioned the necessity of 10-year renewals.

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Other board members have argued that the renewal process is costly for both schools and the state, particularly as the number of charter schools continues to grow.

Under 10-year renewal guidelines, schools must demonstrate that their student academic outcomes for the preceding three years have been comparable to those of students in the local school district. They must also provide sound financial audits and be in compliance with state and federal laws.

in Guilford County, originally slated for a 7-year renewal due to a single year of underperformance, received a 10-year term after three consecutive years of meeting or exceeding growth targets.

The board postponed renewal votes for and until its next meeting, as both schools have yet to submit their required audits.

At least four other schools received five-year renewal terms.

Another ten schools were granted three-year renewals, a designation reserved for schools that show a 鈥減attern of unresolved or consistent issues鈥� and an inability to provide sound audits for the immediately preceding year, or if the school is currently on financial noncompliance disciplinary status. Schools with academic outcomes that have not been comparable to the local school district鈥檚 outcomes but have met growth one year out of the immediately preceding three years, may also be granted three-year renewals.

The board voted not to renew the charter for , citing issues related to financial management, governance, and compliance.

The board also discussed , noting the school had defaulted on small business loans. 鈥淲hen payments were only $600 a month or $7,000 a year, it does concern me that they would have defaulted on that loan,鈥� said a DPI official. 鈥淚t鈥檇 be a big indicator, as I stated before, we do monitor, for us, every school is a one-year school in finance, and so we will be closely monitoring the school expenses, already seeing revenues.鈥�

The board ultimately tabled the renewal decision for United Community School, pending further clarification and information from the school.

The board did vote to grant a three-year renewal for in Halifax County, despite concerns about its low academic performance. This decision reflected the board鈥檚 consideration of the school鈥檚 cultural significance within its community.

鈥淭here is a very, very strong cultural aspect here, community aspect that I fully appreciate for how important this school is for the tribal community,鈥� Board member Bartley Danielsen said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com.

A state bill introduced earlier this month comes as elected officials tackle an issue facing cities across the country: how to share state and property tax dollars between public schools that are losing students and charter schools that are gaining them.

The bill targets districts where so many students have left for charter and private schools that fewer than half remain in district schools.

It would shut all five districts, including the Gary Community School Corporation near Chicago, by 2028. Schools would then be turned over to charter schools that would be overseen by new panels appointed by the governor, Indiana charter school boards and local officials. 

If passed, experts say it would be an unprecedented action against a city school district, reaching far beyond temporary state takeovers 鈥� and even the reshaping of New Orleans schools after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

鈥淚t is sending a message to several school districts that things have to change,鈥� said 

State Rep. Robert Behning, chair of the house education committee where the bill will have its first hearings. 鈥淪tatus quo is not okay.鈥�

Behning said the bill goes too far for his comfort, but it is forcing a discussion about how to better support charter and voucher schools that are popular in the state.

鈥淚t鈥檚 actually encouraging some districts to come up with strategies that could improve academic success for all students,鈥� Behning said.

“I authored this legislation鈥� to find solutions in districts where the current governance is failing its students,鈥� said bill author Jake Teshka, a Republican from the South Bend area.

In Indianapolis, less than 40 percent of students attend schools run by the district. Enrollment fell by more than 900 students in the last year to about 20,000. 

Nearly 27,000 other Indianapolis students attend charter schools or Innovation Schools, an the district helped create. 

The funding difference between traditional districts and charter schools is also driving the bill. A 2023 study found Indianapolis Public Schools spent $18,500 per student with the help of local property taxes, while charters spent roughly $10,600.

Bill author Jake Teshka, a Republican from the South Bend area, said it is unfair for parents that send children to charter schools to pay property taxes to the school district where charters receive little property tax money or transportation for students.

鈥淭heir property taxes are funding a school system they don鈥檛 attend,鈥� he said in a written statement to 蜜桃影视. 鈥淭his is an important conversation to have.鈥�

Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EDChoice, a national organization promoting charter schools and vouchers, praised the bill for calling attention to the 鈥渕onopoly鈥� districts have on property taxes even as their enrollments fall and charters grow.

鈥淭hey’re only educating 30 percent of the kids, and they’re getting 100 percent of the dollars,鈥� Enlow said. 鈥淭here’s a dramatic and systemic problem with districts who can’t even attract one out of two of their students.鈥� 

The proposal drew immediate protest from the Indianapolis school board, which said the bill 鈥渢hreatens local authority and community control of public schools.鈥�

The Indiana State Teachers Association also opposes the bill.

鈥淩ather than supporting schools and addressing critical issues like poverty and underfunding, House Bill 1136 would unfairly target districts based on student transfers,鈥� union president Keith Gambill wrote. 

The bill also has notable critics in the national charter community, who would prefer a more moderate way of providing charter and voucher schools more resources.

鈥淚t’s a bad idea, for several reasons,鈥� said Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which backs school choice. Petrilli said districts serving only about half of the students still serve a lot of them and a change can鈥檛 happen quickly.

He also said the bill could also bring an unintended backlash.

鈥淧roposals like these give ammunition to opponents who argue that charters are out to destroy traditional public education,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat’s not what the vast majority of charter leaders and educators are trying to do. We want the public schools to respond to competition and get better.鈥�

He added, however, 鈥淚f policymakers wanted to force IPS and similar districts to close some of its under enrolled schools, that I would support.鈥�

The National Association of Public Charter Schools directed questions to Scott Bess, a member of both the Association鈥檚 board and of the Indiana State Board of Education. Bess is also founder of the new Indiana Charter Innovation Center, which is

Bess wants to find more ways to share property tax revenue, busing and school buildings with charter schools. He鈥檇 like to expand on two bills the state legislature passed in 2023 that – gains from both increased property values and from passing new taxes – with charters based on the percentage of students they serve.

鈥淚f a charter school has 10% of the students who live in that district, then they would get 10% of the proceeds,鈥� Bess said.

He also wants the state to create a regional board as a pilot program to treat all charter, private and district schools in a region as common property, then allocate buildings and busing to operators as best serves students.. Such a plan would be similar to states that have countywide school districts that share all resources with charter schools, he said, 

For such a board to work, districts and charters alike would have to  give up control of buildings and money to the board. That could be a sticking point, Bess said.

鈥淭his is where everything gets complicated,鈥� Bess said. 鈥淭his is why no one has solved this issue across the country, because it’s really complicated.鈥�

Several other local officials, including two former Indianapolis mayors, have joined the call to send more resources – cash, busing or buildings – to charters. In a letter to the Indianapolis Public Schools, they in the city.

鈥淲e call on IPS and legislative leaders to ensure all public school students within IPS boundaries are served by a system that uses its resources fairly and efficiently,鈥� said the letter from former mayors Bart Peterson and Greg Ballard joined by four other current or former city and school officials.

Maggie Lewis, majority leader of the Indianapolis City-County Council and a signer of the letter, said she opposes the bill to close the district. She wants the school board to be part of a local plan to help charters, not one forced by the state. She also said that penalizing the district because it lost students to Innovation Schools it helped create sends the wrong message.

鈥淔or over two decades, Indianapolis has been known as a hotbed for education innovation,鈥� the letter states. 鈥淣ow it is time for Indianapolis leaders to ensure we sustain this progress through needed structural changes.鈥�

Her youngest two attend the Mesa Public Schools, Arizona鈥檚 largest district. But public school wasn鈥檛 a good fit for Kain, who at nearly 11 still doesn鈥檛 speak. He needs constant supervision and requires help with tasks like handwashing and opening snacks.

The state鈥檚 education savings account, held up among conservatives, allows Pihlman to spend state funds on private school tuition or homeschooling costs. But that program didn鈥檛 work for her either. Schools that accept the ESA only offered to put him on a waitlist. For now, they鈥檙e homeschooling.

鈥淗e’s not aggressive. He’s not violent. He just has high support needs,鈥� she said. She used ESA funds for a music therapy program, but her husband had to attend class with him in case Kain tried to leave or needed to use the bathroom. 鈥淭hey tried their best to work with him, but they weren鈥檛 able to accommodate his needs.鈥�

For parents like Pihlman, school choice hasn鈥檛 lived up to its promise as an alternative to traditional classrooms. With states like and aiming to pass voucher programs next year 鈥� and President-elect Donald Trump vowing to nationalize 鈥� a from the Center for Reinventing Public Education focuses on the families that choice has left behind. Confusing admission policies, transportation challenges and inadequate supply means that minority students, kids from low-income families and those with disabilities often miss out. 

鈥淵ou can’t use choice as a solution to the quality problem,鈥� said Ashley Jochim, the author of the study and a principal at CRPE, a think tank. 鈥淧olicymakers should make it so there aren’t any really bad choices. That’s priority number one.鈥�

Jochim examined more than 30 years of research on the competitive education landscape, from district lotteries to education savings accounts, with an eye toward challenges faced by families trying to access such programs. 

She points to Milwaukee as an example of the limitations of market-based education. Home to the nation鈥檚 first private school voucher program, launched in 1990, the city has a reputation for 鈥渞obust competition鈥� between the public, private and charter sectors. But involving charter operators and a among private schools participating in its voucher program has sent families scrambling for other options. In a separate, forthcoming paper for Education Next, Jochim notes that between 1990 and last school year, 41% of the private schools participating permanently closed.

Overall, she said, Milwaukee families are left with a system of schools that is 鈥渜uite middling.鈥� 

A from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, a think tank, echoed that assessment. It shows that the city鈥檚 Black students are the least likely to attend high-performing schools. Almost three-quarters of Black students in grades three through eight, in both district and charter schools, score below grade level in math, compared with 29% of white students and 59% of Hispanic students. 

But national data tells a more promising story. A from Stanford University鈥檚 Center for Research on Education Outcomes concluded that on average, charter students 鈥� including Black, Hispanic and poor students 鈥� perform better than their peers in traditional schools. 

To Karega Rausch, the president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, CRPE鈥檚 report means two things can be true at the same time: Charters have improved outcomes for poor and minority students and there are still 鈥渞eal barriers鈥� to increasing the number of high-quality schools. 

A meant to encourage innovative school models and efforts to extend credit to Colorado charters waiting on federal grant funds are examples of policies that can help meet the demand, he said. 

鈥楬igh-cost mistakes鈥�

But the momentum building around private school choice demonstrates that parents can sometimes get lost in an abundance of options, Jochim wrote.

Florida, for example, added 1,700 private schools to its voucher program between 2010 and 2020, and Arizona families using an ESA can choose from thousands of , including private schools, tutors, and sports or arts programs. 

鈥淣avigating this rapidly evolving landscape without reliable information increases the risks that families will make high-cost mistakes,鈥� Jochim wrote. 鈥淭he search for a 鈥榞ood鈥� school can be time consuming, and when the chosen school disappoints, families must begin their search again.鈥�

Families whose children have disabilities often end up in a 鈥渉olding pattern,鈥� said Lauren Morando Rhim, executive director of the Center for Learner Equity, which focuses on ensuring that students with disabilities receive needed services from charters.

鈥淚’ve spoken to parents who said 鈥業 tried a district school and they couldn’t serve my child. I tried a charter 鈥� they couldn’t serve my child,鈥� 鈥� she said. Out of 鈥渄esperation,鈥� they sometimes turn to an ESA-funded private school, but that often means their children won鈥檛 be able to interact with non-disabled peers. 鈥淭hey say, 鈥業’m not happy about it, but it’s the least bad option right now.鈥� 鈥�

Jochim supports choice 鈥渁s a means to introduce some competition and improve all schools,鈥� but thinks that for its most passionate advocates, it has become 鈥渁 value unto itself.鈥� She recommends that states collect data on students who exit school choice programs to get a fuller understanding of what is driving turnover. 

She also urges policymakers and foundations to fund what school choice experts call 鈥渘avigators鈥� 鈥攖hose who can help families evaluate options, stay ahead of key deadlines and go into the process more informed. 

鈥楶eople trust people鈥�

That鈥檚 the work that Colleen Dippel, of Houston-based Families Empowered, has been doing for 15 years. Even with public school choice, she said parents remain confused about how lotteries and magnet schools work. And with Texas likely to pass a voucher bill next year, families are looking at even more options. 

With ESAs also come multimillion-dollar state contracts for payment systems, websites and online vendors marketing supplies and curriculum. Dippel said that parents benefit from having someone to field their questions.

鈥淲e have underinvested in people in the school choice space and overinvested in technology,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople trust people, not institutions.鈥�

Funded largely by donations, Families Empowered is neutral about which models work best, she said, and might steer a family toward a traditional school if its a better fit. She once lost a funder because she wouldn鈥檛 agree to direct families to IDEA Public Schools, a large charter network with over 100 schools in Texas. 

She also hopes that Texas learns from other states about how to ensure families can use the programs without having to spend their own money and wait for reimbursement. 

鈥淭hat would be very concerning for us,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e believe that’s a barrier that does not need to be in place for low-income families.鈥�

Families using ESAs often wait months to get paid back or say they have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to get . In Arizona, Pihlman uses an ESA debit card to buy books, Legos, puzzles and other supplies for Kain, who is just beginning to write. But she worries that months later, state officials will deny a purchase and she鈥檒l have to pay it back.

Some ESA proponents argue those obstacles aren鈥檛 a mark against school choice 鈥� just evidence of birthing pains as states explore new options. 

During the pandemic, Kevin Gemeroy relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, from Seattle, where in-person school wasn鈥檛 an option. He uses the state鈥檚 ESA program to send his oldest son, a bright student with dyslexia, to a private school, but is considering public school for his youngest. 

鈥淗aving a system where you can choose between public school, private school, homeschool, religious school 鈥� and be able to use your lifetime of education tax dollars 鈥� is a huge advantage,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust because some people have problems using the resources available or some people are abusing them doesn’t mean that the other 98% of people that aren’t should have their options limited.鈥澛�

The launch of the , an initiative to help train school leaders in their efforts to develop more charter schools in the state, is the latest push for more school choice options in Connecticut.

The fellowship was created out of a partnership between education organization , or LEAD, which has been a strong proponent in an  to open a charter school in Danbury, and , an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that has opened over 50 charter schools in Indiana in the last 18 years.

鈥淲e need something that is transformational and disruptive,鈥� said Jose Lucas Pimentel, the CEO of LEAD, who noted that students of color, particularly Black and Latino students,  their white peers in almost all academic metrics.

鈥淲e realized that 30 years have gone by. Three decades waiting for things, and changes, and conversations, and forums, and speaking and nothing has happened and things have gotten worse,鈥� Pimentel said. 鈥淲e believe, unless somebody suggests some other way, that a charter school 鈥� can be a very creative way to empower leaders, like ourselves, to create a model tailored to our communities.鈥�

The creation of more school choice options has , with advocates arguing that existing public schools aren鈥檛 serving all students鈥� needs and opponents countering that charter schools take away funding from the public school system, which is already stressed with limited resources.

Under the fellowship, four people 鈥� with a preference for Connecticut residents 鈥� will receive a full salary with benefits for up to two years as they undergo 鈥減ersonalized coaching and support from a network of educational and executive leaders,鈥� collaborate with a cohort, travel and engage with other charter schools across the country.

The group will also have access to 鈥渆xpertise and feedback on the school development, Connecticut charter approval, launch and local community engagement processes,鈥� according to the North Star website. Applications opened in late October and fellows are anticipated to be chosen in the spring.

鈥淚 think that every community has different needs and we want to encourage everybody from all demographics to apply,鈥� Pimentel said. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e looking at in the fellowship are innovative schools that are not just traditional college prep 鈥� almost the same additional school 鈥� but things that prepare kids right out of high school to have life-changing jobs, that can really transform communities, because we have just seen a stagnation, especially in the Latino community.鈥�

The initiative may face challenges, as Connecticut is the only state in the country that requires legislative approval in the creation of charter schools, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Despite an initial approval from the state Board of Education, some charter schools can get delayed or stuck in the legislative process if lawmakers decide not to fund them.

This has been the case for over a handful of years in Danbury, and recently in Middletown, after both schools were  of the state鈥檚 two-year budget during the 2023 legislative session after hours of debate and some lawmakers . A new budget approval process begins in January for the next biennium.

In the past, Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, and leadership from the Connecticut Education Association, the largest teachers union in the state, had been vocal opponents of charter school expansion in Connecticut. 

Kushner and CEA officials did not respond to recent requests for comment.

But during the 2023 legislative session, Kushner said she believed funding was the biggest barrier for traditional public schools and that a charter school would not be a solution for districts facing overcrowding or large populations of high needs students.

鈥淭here are people like myself and others within the community that have decided the best approach would be to resolve those issues of overcrowding and underfunding by working on improved funding for our traditional public schools,鈥� Kushner told The Connecticut Mirror in a March 2023 interview. 鈥淭hat has been the focus of a lot of [our] opposition. We should invest in really finding good solutions for the whole student population, as opposed to a charter school solution, which would really only address a very small percentage of the student population.鈥�

In 2023  for a proposed bill that would have removed the legislature from the charter school approval process, the Connecticut Education Association also argued charter school funding has outpaced that which is provided to traditional public schools and 鈥渇or some [charter schools] cannibalizing the public school systems in urban districts (and beyond) is the goal.鈥�

The , which made it out of two committees but ultimately failed, was opposed by Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, who had a proposed charter school in his district in 2023. His opposition to the Capital Preparatory Middletown Charter School garnered from members of the local community, including from NAACP membership.

Lesser, in an interview last week with the CT Mirror said he didn鈥檛 鈥渃onsider himself a charter opponent,鈥� but that 鈥渢here are different dynamics around the state.鈥�

鈥淚 think there have been places where charters are what community is looking for, and they may work, but wherever you鈥檙e looking to change the environment, you should be fundamentally listening to the community in their wants and needs,鈥� Lesser said, adding that there needs to be continued efforts to strengthen traditional public schools and 鈥渕ake sure that everyone is entitled to a world class education.鈥�

Lesser also said he didn鈥檛 know much about the launch of the North Star Fellowship, but did express reservations about a partnership with an out-of-state organization.

鈥淭he fact they鈥檙e looking to bring in out-of-state activists sort of seems like just one more effort to impose a top down solution on Connecticut鈥檚 educational system,鈥� Lesser said.

But, Pimentel said the Indianapolis organization was 鈥渋nvited by an organization that is on the ground and that has deep roots in Connecticut.鈥�

鈥淢ost of us were raised here. Some of us were born here, lived our entire lives here,鈥� Pimentel said of his team. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 come to us, 鈥� we went to them and convinced them to come because what they had that we didn鈥檛 is the expertise in running fellowships that work. We have the communities. We have the leaders that want to be trained. 鈥� [The fellowship] is the most homegrown you can possibly get.鈥� 

Pimentel said he hopes the fellowship begins 鈥渢o spread a conversation that needs to be had,鈥� where charter schools aren鈥檛 鈥減itted against traditional schools the way they are now,鈥� and that instead it offers an avenue that promotes innovative curriculum. 

鈥淚鈥檓 not a proponent of all charter schools and some of the legacy ones that been there from the beginning,鈥� Pimentel said.

鈥淲e are a proponent of new kinds of charter schools that are transformational. 鈥� I believe that the gap is going to widen and our people are going to be left behind, and instead of kind of just sitting there and always asking someone else to do something about it, we wanted to pilot a kind of school that will really meet the need of this population,鈥� Pimentel added, referring to the state鈥檚 growing number of multilingual and other high needs students.

Pimentel also said, despite challenges in Danbury and Middletown, that not all charter schools are controversial, pointing to the 2023  of Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy for Young Men in New Haven and  in Norwalk.

鈥淚 think that what the fellowship tries to do more is not try to get bogged down into the Danbury issue, because the Danbury issue has not been replicated everywhere else. Most of the state does not have issues with charter schools,鈥� Pimentel said. 鈥淲e sometimes focus so much on the place that it鈥檚 not being accepted, but we see schools doing amazingly well and getting along really well with the ecosystem of schools in their districts, and that鈥檚 what we want.鈥�

This was originally published on .

A federally funded program designed to increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students attending North Carolina charter schools has met most of its goals, Barbara O鈥橬eal, administrator, told the NC Charter Schools Review Board this week.

Program goals included training 160 school leaders to work with educationally disadvantaged students, as well as increasing the number of such students attending the state鈥檚 more than 200 charter schools, O鈥橬eal said.

Educationally disadvantaged students include those who are economically disadvantaged, those with disabilities, English language learners, immigrants, migrants and homeless or unaccompanied youth.

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The state received a $36.6 million federal Charter School Program Grant in 2018 to fund NC ACCESS. The program was supposed to end this year but received a 12-month extension in September.

鈥淚 think we鈥檝e met our purpose, and I want to know, in the end, is it sustainable without funding?鈥� O鈥橬eal asked. 鈥淭he one thing that I鈥檝e learned about this grant is that everything that improves charter schools costs money.鈥�

O鈥橬eal said the program had more than $14 million left to spend at the end of fifth year. In its final year, NC ACCESS will focus on an Assistant Principal Academy to provide training for assistant principals, and an 鈥渆xecutive leadership program鈥� to train 40 or more school leaders.

鈥淚 get emails weekly [from schools asking] if I can add my team this group [Executive Leadership Program],鈥� O鈥橬eal said. 鈥淭his too was open to all charter schools but we had a priority enrollment for low-performing schools.鈥�

Most of NC ACCESS鈥檚 grant award 鈥� $33 million 鈥� has been handed over to charter schools in the form of subgrants. The program made 62 school level awards, just over its five-year goal of 60. Awards helped to assist 33 new schools, expand 26 existing schools and to replicate two others.

O鈥橬eal said the average award was $530,000 but some schools received up to $1.2 million.

She said the program goal that 40% of subgrantees serving at least 51% of economically disadvantaged students has been met. Forty-eight percent of schools served more than 51% of economically disadvantaged students, she said, and 26% of them are within 10% of the goal.

Overall, subgrant schools served nearly 25,400 economically disadvantaged students, who made up 60% of their enrollments.

Schools receiving awards also met school lottery, transportation and school lunch goals, O鈥橬eal said. Transportation and school lunch concerns are often identified as deterrents to low-income families sending their children to charter schools.

The schools fell short of the goal that 90% maintain high academic standards. Only 41% maintained school performance grades of A-C, while just 65% met or exceeded expected academic growth.

Several school leaders shared how NC ACCESS grants helped them to fulfill their missions and increase access to economically disadvantaged students.

鈥淸The grant] really allowed us to do more of a good thing,鈥� said Robin Hollis, principal of The Arts Based School in Winston-Salem. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing good stuff for many years and we had a long waiting list, then NC ACCESS grant came along and gave us a roadmap to how we could provide that for more students, to increase access for more educationally disadvantaged students.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on and .

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has 45 days to draft a policy that makes co-location 鈥� as the arrangement is called 鈥� off limits at schools that serve low-performing, minority and poor students.

Charter school advocates lobbied hard against the plan, arguing that it unnecessarily pits the two sectors against each other and violates a state law requiring school systems to provide classrooms for both charter and district students. 

The state鈥檚 charter school association is threatening legal action. 

鈥淲e will not back down from protecting the rights of students,鈥� said Keith Dell鈥橝quila, an advocate for the California Charter Schools Association in the greater Los Angeles area. 鈥淭he board is bringing forward this notion that charter school students only deserve the leftovers. That’s not what the law says.鈥�

While conflict over co-location has flared up in , the tug-of-war over facilities has been most intense in Los Angeles, which is home to almost a quarter of the state鈥檚 1,285 charters. The arrangement has offered some benefits to districts. When voters passed in 2000, the measure made it easier to pass local school construction bonds by lowering the percentage of yes votes needed from two-thirds to 55%. That compromise seems less relevant now to board members and district staff who argue that charters squeeze district students out of space they need for everything from special education therapy rooms to clothing closets.

鈥淭here should be a sensible and reasonable way of looking at co-locations that makes it much less likely that schools that are struggling to raise student achievement will be interfered with,鈥� board president Jackie Goldberg, who wrote the resolution with board member Rocio Rivas, said during Tuesday鈥檚 meeting. The resolution has support from United Teachers Los Angeles, and Rivas 鈥� a union-backed board member 鈥� promised to address the facility-sharing issue last year during her campaign.

Rivas and Goldberg want Carvalho to write a policy preventing co-location at schools that fall into three school improvement categories 鈥� the , which provides extra staff and emphasizes culturally relevant curriculum; the 100 low-performing 鈥減riority鈥� schools, and community schools, which offer services for families like food pantries and counseling services. These schools 鈥渉ave enough on their plate,鈥� said Goldberg, who argues that co-location hurts enrollment because charters lure families away from district schools.

, a special education teacher running to replace Goldberg, who is retiring from the board, said co-location requires schools to relinquish classrooms often used for meetings with parents or restorative justice programs. 

鈥淭his resolution protects all of the investments that the district has made in bringing innovative programs to our schools,鈥� she told the board.

Board Member George McKenna, is also retiring from the board, which means the charter-district conflict would likely carry over into next year鈥檚 election.

鈥楧etrimental to families’

Those who oppose the resolution say it could actually lead to more shared facilities. If a charter school has to vacate its space, it might have to split its grades up across multiple sites. That鈥檚 what worries David Garner, the principal of Magnolia Science Academy-2, a charter.

鈥淲e believe that this resolution is detrimental to families 鈥� most importantly, high-need families,鈥� he told 蜜桃影视. Parents who depend on public transportation, he said, might not be able to send their children to his school if it has to relocate.

Magnolia Science Academy-2, part of the Magnolia Public Schools network, is currently one of seven schools 鈥� four district schools and three charters 鈥� on the same property in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County. Despite limited use of athletic facilities and other common areas, he said he has good relationships with administrators of the other schools. One of his daughters even attended Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, a district facility on the same campus.

鈥淚’ve been on both sides of the district and charter space,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don’t care about the politics; I just care about what the kids and the families want.鈥� 

Goldberg said the vote won鈥檛 disrupt the 52 current co-location sites. But Dell鈥橝quila isn鈥檛 convinced, and said it will depend on how Carvalho writes the policy. The association wants the district to offer co-located charters long-term facility agreements to create more stability for staff and families.

The meeting underscored long-standing confusion over which spaces are available to charters. Goldberg said she鈥檚 always understood the law to say that charters could take over any empty classroom not assigned to a certified teacher with a roster of students. That interpretation would favor charter schools because it would make more rooms used for a variety of purposes, including the arts, STEM or discipline programs, up for grabs.

But Jos茅 Cole-Guti茅rrez, who runs the district鈥檚 charter school division, said that was a district practice and not written into state law. McKenna added that no one challenged it while charter-friendly board members were in the majority.

Rivas called the revelation an 鈥渋njustice鈥� that has disadvantaged district schools for years.

Carvalho, meanwhile, said ambiguity over the issue has only contributed to the conflict.

The superintendent鈥檚 challenge is to write a policy that protects the district from litigation. The charter association has sued the district three times over facility arrangements and in a Tuesday letter, accused the district of having a 鈥渟ordid history of undermining and not complying鈥� with the law. 

The resolution has been unpopular, not just with charter supporters, but also among organizations that work closely with the district. 

Ana Teresa Dahan, managing director of GPSN, a nonprofit advocacy group that opposed the resolution along with 25 other organizations, said she understands the challenges on both sides. It鈥檚 difficult for district schools to plan for growth because they don鈥檛 know which classrooms they might have to give up. Charters, meanwhile, have to frequently relocate and struggle to find 鈥渘ormal鈥� office and cafeteria space. 

鈥淐learly, there’s a need for a better policy,鈥� she said. But she called Tuesday鈥檚 resolution a 鈥渇ailure-to-launch effort鈥� because it still favors district schools. Ultimately, she said, it will be difficult to implement anything that completely resolves the dispute.

鈥淭here’s no uniform way that all of these campuses use their space. Every school prioritizes their space differently,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don’t know how a school board can make these decisions.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 very easy for a child on the spectrum, even one with the mildest case of autism, to get lost and overwhelmed in the mainstream public school system,鈥� says Kerrie Mallory-Thompson. 

That鈥檚 why, when it was time to enroll her son, Conor, in school, she knew she wanted him to attend Arizona Autism Charter School (AZACS) in Phoenix, the first and only autism-focused  in the Southwest. 

Conor was born nonverbal and with severe social and sensory issues. Now age 13, he just lost his nonverbal status and has become much more open to other people and experiences. 

鈥淐onor has made a tremendous amount of progress in the last couple of years. Just the social aspect, in general, has been huge,鈥� she says. 鈥淏eing on campus and around friends and staff who help and encourage him has made a difference. If he had been in a large mainstream school, he wouldn鈥檛 be as successful as he is today.鈥�

Thompson credits her son鈥檚 progress to the support he receives from the staff at AZACS 鈥� and especially to the hard work and vision of its founder, Diana Diaz-Harrison.

Meeting A Need

Diana Diaz-Harrison never imagined that her life would take the direction that it did. A former teacher in California, she transitioned into broadcasting and worked in Spanish-language media. But when her son, Sammy, was diagnosed with autism, she immersed herself into his care and the educational best practices for the disorder. Like many parents, she struggled to find affordable schooling that met his needs.

鈥淚 did pay for private school for a couple of years, but that was not sustainable,鈥� she recalls.

In 2014, Diaz-Harrison established the first AZACS campus for 90 students in grades K-5. Today, the school has expanded to more than 700 students across four campuses, including a high school and an online component. She expects that number to increase to 1,000 students for the 2023-24 academic year. AZACS also will be opening a high school in Tucson in fall 2023. 

Arizona is a leader in school choice, thanks to former Gov. Doug Ducey, who signed some of the most expansive educational options into law. His support of AZACS was common knowledge.

鈥淚鈥檓 greatly inspired by the work the Arizona Autism Charter School has done over the last decade. Diana鈥檚 act of true, unconditional love for her son has positively impacted thousands of Arizonans and revolutionized education nationwide,鈥� he says. 鈥淐harter schools such as AZACS have an enormous impact on our communities 鈥� they lead with purpose by mentoring and empowering the next generation of leaders through a personalized education, innovative spirit, and undeterred commitment to extending their efforts beyond the classroom to make a difference in the lives of families.鈥� 

Meeting Demand

There is a growing need for specialized learning opportunities for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

According to a recent study from the CDC鈥檚 Autism and Development Disabilities Monitoring Network, 1-in-36 children at age 8 are estimated to have ASD. That鈥檚 up significantly from 2018, when the numbers were 1-in-44, with the greatest increases in Black and Hispanic children.

In Arizona, the prevalence of autism has nearly doubled since 2014, when the reported rate was 1 in 71 8-year-olds.

This data, which was released in the CDC鈥檚 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in March, highlights the need for enhanced infrastructure to provide equitable diagnostic, treatment, and support services for all children with ASD. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 a need for a really individualized type of school for this specific disability,鈥� says Caroline Allen, vice president of The Yass Prize, an annual award that celebrates innovative providers who are transforming education across the U.S. 

 The Arizona Early Intervention Program offers access to services for families with infants and toddlers. But when it comes to school-age children, options are more limited 鈥� and costly. There are almost two dozen private schools and institutions throughout Greater Phoenix that cater to students with ASD and other disabilities, but tuition can run upward of $40,000 to $50,000 per year. 

And while the state offers an Empowerment Scholarship Account program that allows parents to receive a portion of the public funding as financial assistance for private school tuition or online education, the amount offered is capped at $7,000 per year.

鈥淭here are a lot of great services for children who are two-to five-years old,鈥� Diaz-Harrison notes. 鈥淏ut sadly, when Sammy was ready to go to school, those services were not available in a traditional school setting.鈥�

Lourdes Sierra鈥檚 son, Reece, has been a student at AZACS for about seven years. Initially, he attended a private autism-focused academy in Tempe, which became too cost-prohibitive, before moving to a mainstream school with an autism education department. 

鈥淭he big difference with Arizona Autism Charter School is that the teachers and staff have the experience and the passion to work with this population,鈥� Sierra says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy to work with students who are neurodiverse. Their physical, mental, and social abilities run the gamut. So to be able to deal with such a wide-ranging population of students and to be able to manage them so effectively and so professionally really makes AZACS stand out.鈥� 

Set Up for Success

With a 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, AZACS is set up to help students master the foundations in reading, math, and science and help them develop behavior and social skills. 

鈥淏y grouping our students based on their strengths and needs, no matter where they fall on the spectrum, we鈥檙e able to meet them where they鈥檙e at and help them apply those skills into projects and tasks that are of high interest to them,鈥� Diaz-Harrison explains.

Small class sizes and hands-on coursework have proven effective. 鈥淥ur kids require a lot of small-group instruction, sometimes one-on-one, depending on where they fall on the autism spectrum,鈥� she continues. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to get that in traditional schools.鈥�

Learning modules based on Woz ED, an individualized STEM program designed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, teach both academic and social skills. Students also can participate in cooking classes, sports, dance and even help take care of the school鈥檚 two desert tortoises.

鈥淭hey learn not only building skills, but also collaboration, teamwork, and negotiation,鈥� says middle school science teacher Tyler Sherrill. 鈥淲e鈥檙e able to individualize our education plans for each student, so they have all their needs met, behavioral-, communication- and education-wise.鈥� 

Research from 2015  that two-thirds of young adults with ASD are not working or in higher education in the first two years after high school. The transition academy at AZACS for students ages 18 to 22 offers career and vocational training. Field trips and internships with local businesses provide additional real-world training.  

National Recognition

In December 2022, Arizona Autism Charter School won the prestigious Yass Prize. This $1 million recognizes the most innovative and transformative educational providers throughout the country and 鈥渁ims to amplify their work through financial support, collaboration, coaching, encourage and an extensive mentorship network,鈥� according to the Yass Foundation. 

The award is based on four core principles: 

• Sustainable, meaning they exist without continual philanthropy
• Transformational, by utilizing new approaches, tools and understanding
• Outstanding, meaning they measure success not only by retention and test scores but through each student鈥檚 personal achievement
• Permission-less, or operating independent of regulatory bodies

鈥淒iana wants to make sure that there鈥檚 an autism-focused charter school in every state around the country, in order to provide really individualized, exceptionally tailored support for students and families,鈥� Allen says. 鈥淭he traditional school system doesn鈥檛 always work for typically developing kids. Then you throw in a neurodiverse learner who has different social and cognitive needs and requires different supports to thrive 鈥� these kids deserve great teachers who are experts in the learning style of autism.鈥�

In April 2023, Diaz-Harrison received the Sustained Benefactor of Education Award from the Pete C. Garcia Victoria Foundation. The organization seeks to improve conditions in impoverished communities through higher education. 

Diaz-Harrison was nominated for the award by Lourdes Sierra. 鈥淒iana has been such a huge advocate for education, and that came as a result of her determination to have a place where her son could attend school in a safe and nurturing environment with people who understood him and cared for him,鈥� she says. 鈥淎s we surveyed the landscape, seeking out those who are advocating for education, we needed to honor Diana for all the work she does, especially for the Hispanic community.鈥� 

More than 50% of students at AZACS are Hispanic.

鈥淐hildren with autism are great learners, and they can contribute to their community 鈥攖he school community and society. I want to give hope to parents who are just learning that their children might be neurodiverse or have autism. There is help. Our schools are here,鈥� Diaz-Harrison says. 鈥淧erhaps it鈥檚 a different journey that parents thought they were going to have, but it鈥檚 a beautiful journey, and I wouldn鈥檛 trade it for anything.鈥�

Editor’s Note: To learn more about supporting young people with autism, read . For more on community charters and their innovative practices, read our profiles of schools in ,,, and .

This piece originally appeared on 

DFER promotes education reform-minded Democratic leaders who push for innovation and accountability in schools with an eye toward improving equity, teacher preparedness, public school choice, data transparency and accountability. They support those who wish to make higher education affordable for all. The organization, founded in 2008 at a time of greater consensus around education reform, seeks these goals in a fractured 2023 political landscape where schools have become fodder for the culture wars.

Elorza, 46, a Harvard-educated lawyer, served two terms as Providence mayor, from 2015 to 2023. Former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, now U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and Elorza called for an outside review of Providence Public Schools after its 2018 test scores showed . The results released by  Johns Hopkins University were damning, paving the way for a state takeover. 

Elorza made in 2019 by bringing his 15-month-old-son to work with him in City Hall. He said in December he to his city鈥檚 troubled .

The law school professor sat down with 蜜桃影视 last week, just before his new job was announced, to talk about growing up in an immigrant community, building consensus in education around what works for students and who he can rely upon in Congress.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

蜜桃影视: Tell me about your parents.

Jorge Elorza: They came from Guatemala in the mid-1970s, fleeing the civil war. They came here to Providence because there were a lot of factory jobs in the textile and jewelry industry. They were undocumented for the first 12 years of my life. (They became citizens in the 1980s under President Ronald Reagan鈥檚 .) My father dropped out of school in the 7th grade and my mother in the 5th grade. That鈥檚 a big part of my story. Even though I was born and raised here, I identify so strongly with immigrants because that’s the household that I was raised in and that鈥檚 the community where I grew up.

You say immigrant families put a tremendous emphasis on education, yet you floundered in K-12 before eventually graduating from Harvard. Do the problems/obstacles you faced back then have relevance today? 

All (immigrant families) place their hopes and dreams on public schools. I’d love to say I was that model student that always listened to their parents and was just destined for success. But the reality is I didn’t have a sense of direction as a young person: I got rejected from every college and university I applied to. When I was 17 years old and graduated from high school, that was a big pivot point for me in my life. I had to decide whether I was going to work in the factory with my parents, aunts and uncles or get my act together. And so that’s when I applied to community college.

You say part of your struggle was that your parents, who worked opposing shifts to manage child care, were not able to help you with schoolwork in part because of the language barrier. 

My father never spoke too much English. They would come home after work, we would have homework and they could only help us to a certain point. 

You attribute part of your success to your ability to score a seat at a coveted magnet school. It was a guidance counselor who urged you to take the admissions exam. 

So, you had to sign up for the test and then they had sent several papers home, but if they were in English, my parents couldn’t read them. My guidance counselor had seen something in me, some potential, and literally came and picked me out of my chair, took me to his office and he made me sign to register. 

You鈥檙e plagued by the arbitrary nature of that success. 

What if I happened to be absent that day or if an emergency came up and my guidance counselor just didn’t have the chance to get me? My entire life would have been completely different. We want to live in a world where every kid succeeds as a matter of course. But the reality is that so many kids who do succeed, succeed by overcoming all of the odds and, frankly, by just being fortunate at key moments in their lives.

Will your own ethnic background play a role in your leadership?

I’m absolutely a product of my upbringing and my past. When I think about the importance of education, I think about my friend Juan, one of the most brilliant, smart, sharp kids I have ever met in my life. He had those critical moments in his life where it was a combination of bad decisions and being unlucky. Juan is still a very good friend. He has a great family. He works hard every day, but he鈥檚 a laborer. He should have been a doctor. 

I think about my friend Jose 鈥� who had grown up next door, who was a year older than me and who I always looked up to. I found out that he had been murdered. I think that many of those stories, unfortunately, are still being recreated today 鈥� kids with limitless potential, having that potential either cut short or never being allowed to fully blossom.

The nation has been politically fractured for years. Where do you see consensus in education? 

Speaking about my community here in Providence, the number of Black and Latino families that support charter schools, for example, and that support common sense education policies that research has shown works, is extraordinarily high. Part of the challenge we have is lifting up their voices to make sure that voice on the ground is what’s driving public perception within the Democratic Party.

For example, there’s a lot of support for high-impact tutoring programs, especially as we’re coming out of COVID: Dedicated 1-to-1 tutoring that can help us not only make up that lost learning time, but also make learning gains. Those are things that are strongly supported across the board.

We also very much support summer learning programs that go beyond remedial to actual enrichment classes. Many of our students fall behind: They lose about two months of learning during the summer when other families move forward. 

There’s also mental health investments that make a lot of sense and pathways that can connect our students to careers. 

And you note these programs don鈥檛 just have support in Providence, but far beyond. Who are your allies now?

What’s different today than say, 10 years ago, is that there’s this critical mass of progressive and reformers of color. There are organic, grassroots efforts out there: There’s so much energy around this work. Part of my job as a leader of this organization is to organize and harness that enthusiasm and energy that we see at the grassroots level and amplify their voices so they drive more and more of the national conversation in this space. 

Your organization works with the National Parents Union, The Education Trust, Unidos, KIPP, Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, Educators for Excellence, Alliance for Excellent Education and others. But who are your friends in Congress? 

Sen. Cory Booker has been an early supporter and he’s been steadfast throughout. Sen. Chris Murphy from Connecticut has been an amazing champion of this work 鈥� and Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (of Washington state). We’ve identified about 200 elected champions around this work throughout the country.

Democrats have lost ground in education as Republicans have succeeded in using race, gender, immigration-related and transphobic rhetoric to whip up their base. How do you manage that environment?

On the one hand, you have Republicans who are infatuated with their culture wars right now: Republicans want to ban books while Democrats want to teach kids to read them. What we want to do is speak to the real issues as problem solvers. 

I get extremely frustrated hearing the way that education is being exploited for political gain and this is part of the performative aspect of politics today. But as Democrats, we’re going to continue to focus on the substance of it, call out things that are not working and propose solutions that are proven to work. And ultimately that’s what people want.

Three members of the San Francisco school board were recalled in 2022 after focusing on issues like renaming schools rather than core academic concerns as their city suffered through the pandemic. Do Democrats and progressives miss the mark? 

I’ll tell you what I know. Families want high-quality education options for their kids and they want them now: They’re just not getting enough of them. We see families continuing to apply for the charter lotteries and oftentimes in excess of 10 applicants for every one seat that’s available. It’s really clear what families want most and what they care most about is great public schools for their kids. 

Our job is to make sure that our focus remains on that, that we continue, in our party and in this movement, to always be about substance. That doesn’t mean being blind to the issues happening in society 鈥� but in order to meet the moment and what our families are demanding, it always has to be about ensuring that there are great public school options for our kids.

But first his staff had to respond to the 鈥減andemic鈥檚 aftershocks,鈥� including student learning gaps and parents鈥� loss of work. Now with 106 students 鈥� 99% of them Black and Latino 鈥� the school has leaned on a $1 million grant from the federal Charter Schools Program for new technology, curriculum materials and furniture.

Schools like Long鈥檚 could have a much harder time getting off the ground if the Biden administration鈥檚 plans to revamp the $440 million grant program become final. The U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 would give preference to charters that districts view as potential partners and discourage new applications in communities with voluntary integration efforts. And if districts are losing enrollment 鈥� as they are in D.C. 鈥� new charter schools might not be well-received. 

鈥淎s a Black male who leads a single-site school in Washington D.C., this is extremely concerning,鈥� Long said. 

The rule could significantly alter a program that has given a boost to almost 4,100 existing charter schools 鈥� roughly 53%, according to the department. like KIPP and Success Academy Charter Schools are among the grantees.

Nina Rees, CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said the funds help launch new charters, which typically don鈥檛 receive state and local funding until they begin admitting students. The program is especially important for 鈥渁spiring school leaders of color鈥� who might not have financial backing from a foundation, she said. 

With nearly 65% of charters being single-site schools, Rees added, “these proposed regulations are a direct attack on new schools like this.鈥�

Congress has taken note of the backlash. North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx, ranking member of the House education committee, said in a statement that the 鈥渁dministration is manufacturing authority it doesn鈥檛 have to add unworkable requirements to these charter school grants.鈥� On Monday, the department to comment on the rule from Wednesday to next Monday after six senators for more time. In a statement to 蜜桃影视, the department said the 鈥渁dministration recognizes that there is a place for high-quality public charter schools and supports continuing important investments.鈥�

The debate comes amid a period of change and growth for the charter sector. Last school year, charters saw their largest jump in enrollment in six years 鈥� a 7% increase. Initial reports from states such as Alabama and Massachusetts show growth is continuing.

At the same time, Democrats have soured on charters in recent years after a long period in which they enjoyed bipartisan support. 

鈥淭he Biden administration breaks that tradition,鈥� said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center. 鈥淚t is clear that they looked around and decided that hewing closely to the wishes of their political patrons in the teachers unions was the way to go. Since they cannot kill us directly, they must resort to attacks on start-up funding.鈥�

Advocates say the department didn鈥檛 consult with them before writing the regulation. North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr鈥檚 letter noted that the department turned down his staff鈥檚 request to meet. 

鈥淚t doesn’t feel like charter school leaders are a valued part of the process,鈥� said Sonia Park, executive director of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition, which promotes efforts to create charters that are more racially balanced. As written, the regulations would 鈥渕ake it very challenging for even a diverse charter to get approval if enrollment is declining in a district,鈥� she said.

She pointed to Prospect Schools in Brooklyn, New York, which opened in September 2020, and Atlas Public Schools in St. Louis, which opened last fall. Both designed their schools to reflect the make-up of their communities, but because enrollment is declining in their , the schools 鈥渨ould have had extreme difficulty in being approved鈥� today, she said.

The department stressed that U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona spoke last year at the National Charter Schools Conference and has gathered input from charter leaders throughout the pandemic. 

One organization the department heard from was The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank that in 2019 for ways the program could promote integration. Halley Potter, a senior fellow at Century and a co-author of the report, said she had a call with the education department before the draft of the rule was issued March 14.

Her report cited showing that charters are more likely than district schools to have student bodies that are more than half Black or Hispanic. In some pockets of the country, however, charter schools are more likely to draw higher-income, white families away from district schools, contributing to racial segregation. Studies have borne this out in and .

Derek Black, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, said in communities with long-standing integration efforts, charters often 鈥渙perate as an exit strategy for white families who are resistant  鈥� consciously or subconsciously 鈥� to more diverse environments.鈥�

Potter called the department鈥檚 proposal an effort to make sure charter schools 鈥渇it in with the context of [their] local community.鈥� 

鈥淚 really hope that we could see a broad base of charter supporters getting on board with this,鈥� she said.

鈥楢 lifeline鈥�

The , begun in 1994 under the Clinton administration, is a competitive grant that provides funding for start-up expenses. Smaller networks have also used funds to add more schools. When Uplift Education, based in Texas, expanded from Dallas to Fort Worth, where it would serve another 2,000 to 3,000 students, the federal grant program supported planning, expanding staff and family engagement efforts, said Rich Harrison, formerly the network鈥檚 chief academic officer. 

Under the proposed rules, states applying for the funds would have to prove that there is 鈥渟ufficient demand鈥� for charters, including support from the local community and evidence that district schools have more students than they can serve. 

In districts with declining enrollment 鈥� a trend across most urban districts nationwide 鈥� new charters would face a tougher time getting approved, said Harrison, now CEO of Lighthouse Community Charter Schools in Oakland. 

鈥淭he anti-charter rhetoric in Oakland is at an all time high,鈥� Harrison said, after the district voted in February to close seven schools. 

Community impact

Charter opponents argue that the grant program has been a vehicle for and financially benefiting for-profit entities. In a commentary for , Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, called the new requirements 鈥渟ensible rules of the road鈥� and downplayed the rule鈥檚 impact. 

In a comment to the department, she pointed, for example, to Torchlight Academy, a North Carolina school and grant recipient operated by for-profit Torchlight Academy Schools. The state voted in March to revoke the school鈥檚 charter, citing alleged that benefited the family operating the school. The charter is appealing the state鈥檚 decision, saying it has cut ties with the family.

The proposal would require schools receiving the grant funds to pledge that they won鈥檛 contract with a for-profit organization to assume most or all of the operation of the school. Grantees would also have to make those agreements public.

Karega Rausch, president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, said he appreciates the focus on transparency. But he and other charter advocates have problems with a requirement that states applying for the funds conduct a 鈥渃ommunity impact analysis.鈥� Such a process would have to take 鈥渋nto account the student demographics of the schools from which students are, or would be, drawn to attend the charter school.鈥� 

Rausch said local authorizers, not state officials, should be responsible for determining whether there is adequate demand for a charter school. He added that the department is sending a mixed message.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 simultaneously say that it鈥檚 a good thing to listen to communities and families and then federally impose specific kinds of schools on communities,鈥� he said.

The education department would give preference to charter applications in which current and former educators are deeply involved in leadership and development of the schools. Another priority for the department is that districts and charter operators work together on issues such as joint teacher training or transportation. At least one district school would have to provide a letter in support of working with the charter. 

Rausch said that provision gives the districts leverage, adding that charter demand has increased because they 鈥渕eet the needs of families鈥� who feel their children aren鈥檛 being well-served in traditional schools.

鈥淲e are all in favor of collaborative efforts, but it鈥檚 got to go both ways,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want us versus them. That is old politics.鈥�

At Digital Pioneers Academy, the city鈥檚 first computer science-focused middle school, founder and principal Mashea Ashton recognized the toll the pandemic, hybrid learning and police brutality were taking on educators and the school’s predominantly Black and Latino students.

Beginning last September, through a partnership with , staff and teachers were encouraged to set personal goals, listen to their bodies and use deep breathing and meditation techniques to adapt to the stresses of the year. About half of the school鈥檚 staff also received individual, virtual coaching twice monthly.

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Each team member was paired with one class for the semester to build trust. Jacqueline Baron, one of the school’s social workers, said that having the key monthly lessons with a range of adults 鈥� beyond students鈥� usual teachers 鈥� enabled more staff-student relationships.

Each day at the academy began with a 鈥渕ood meter鈥� check-in, where students shared how they were feeling with words or colors. The meter gave teachers a moment to gauge students鈥� mental health that day and check in with specific students as needed, Baron said.

They learned and used deep breathing exercises, like stretching or counting, drawing, music and yoga to cope with stress, and talked through scenarios, like what to do to support a friend who isn鈥檛 logging into online school. Before last semester鈥檚 first math exam, they focused on managing anxiety for test taking.

鈥淭hey already possess many of the tools that they need to be successful,鈥� Baron said. 鈥淚 think that the tools just need to be unlocked and built upon in practice.鈥�

The homeroom advisory also offered time for students to talk freely about what current events might be weighing on their minds, and what it means to be a racial minority in America.

The conversations, Ashton said, encouraged scholars to 鈥渞espect their identity, respect their culture, to be proud of who we are and who they will become 鈥� but also understand that the world is changing, and that they are impacted by what’s happening around them. We want them to ask questions, we want them to be curious, we want them to be innovative, and not feel victim.鈥�

For rising eighth-grader Leila Graham, it was the first year she鈥檇 tried mindfulness exercises. She said she鈥檚 now made deep breathing a habit, something she can turn to in stressful or uncomfortable situations.

鈥淚t let me know that even though we are suffering, that they still cared about how we were affected by the pandemic,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome people don’t have the opportunity to talk about their feelings at home that they would at school.鈥�

Her mother, Lisa, said she and her daughter have always had open communication, but this year, conversations about her well-being have been different; Leila now has vocabulary to express herself more accurately.

鈥淚 just love that my daughter gets to experience this at such a young age 鈥� she doesn’t have to wait until she’s in her 30s, like me, in order to be able to get introduced to it,鈥� Lisa Graham said.

This fall, Digital Pioneers Academy will enroll over 480 students in grades 6 through 9, and 40 percent of sixth-graders have siblings in upper grades. At a time when schools face historic declines in enrollment, the school is nearing full capacity, at about 90 percent of its enrollment goal for lower grades, and with a wait list for ninth grade.

Attendance averaged around 93 percent from the 2020-21 school year, . The mindfulness model, Ashton said, was key to keeping the community together and engaged.

Staff satisfaction increased from 80 percent at the end of 2020 to 95 percent at the end of this school year, and 97 percent of staff agreed to return for 2021-22. Just 56 percent returned after the first pandemic year.

Tarneil Miller, dean of social emotional learning, told 蜜桃影视 that the 2020 school year was somewhat of a collective 鈥渨hole year of bad days鈥� for educators nationwide.

He said the trauma, emotion and fear of recent months needed to be acknowledged during the school day. The Jan. 6 Capitol riot, for instance, took place a few blocks away from the school.

鈥淚t’s a lot for us as adults. So you have to also think about scholars as well 鈥� they’re seeing the same thing we’re seeing,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲hy not have this in place, to give them that space to at least feel like they’re seen, at the bare minimum. And to have something in place that gives them a moment to have both feet on the ground.鈥�

Miller has kept practicing some of the mindfulness techniques he鈥檚 learned over the last year for his own well-being, including a daily reflection on what went well, what happened and how he can be better the next day. He also visualizes clearing his head space 鈥� comparing closing iPhone apps running in the background to scenarios or situations that may overwhelm him or cause anxiety.

The school will continue monthly mindfulness lessons in advisory periods in the 2021-22 academic year, set to begin Aug. 30, with most students returning in person. Staff already reconnected with a mindfulness coach in summer professional development sessions.

Baron said that the school is also considering ways to support students in smaller groups focused on issues such as social skills, grief and loss. Washington, D.C. ‘s 7th and 8th wards, where many students live, were among the neighborhoods hit hardest by the pandemic. As of February, they accounted for .

Some staff sessions have supported the school鈥檚 team in managing transferred and individual trauma. Like students, the academy鈥檚 staff are encouraged to use wellness tools, like small breaks, breathing, and psychological, emotional and physical self-assessments.

鈥淭hat’s not selfish 鈥� to prioritize ourselves, too 鈥� because in order to do the work that we do, we have to make sure that we’re taking care of ourselves,鈥� Baron said.