Charter schools are mapping a course for education
Charter-school teachers, administrators trade tips
"I'm brand new to charter schools," said teacher Mathew Kennington, as he headed to the first workshop.
Kennington, a teacher at Maeser Prep Academy in Lindon, is transitioning from Meridian School, a private school in Provo. He planned to soak up all the knowledge he could during the two days of charter-school seminars.
Some of the classes were held at the Utah County Academy of Sciences, a charter early college high school on the UVSC campus.
It's the second annual conference for charter educators, sponsored jointly by the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools and CharterSTAR, a grant through John Hancock Charter School in Pleasant Grove.
Besides about 60 presenters, the keynote speaker is UVSC President William A. Sederburg. He is slated to speak today at 8 a.m.
Dozens of vendors are targeting the conference with offers including textbooks, SMART Boards, lockers and uniforms.
This fall, there will be 67 Utah charter schools serving about 28,000 students. Nationwide, there are more than one million students attending more than 4,000 charter schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia.
Marlies Burns, director of state charter schools, said a new issue charter schools are facing is the Legislature's new requirement for an official accountability process.
"Charter schools have been held accountable, but this is a very formalized process that is outlined in legislation, which will put them on a five-year plan," Burns said.
At the end of five years, there will be a high-stakes review to determine whether the charter schools have met their goals. Some schools could face corrective action or assistance, she said.
Charter schools are public schools created by a group of parents, teachers or community leaders who see an educational need in their community and want to meet that need.
To operate, charter founders must submit an application for approval by the State Charter School Board or the board of a school district. Charter schools are funded by taxpayer dollars, must abide by state law and are held to the same testing requirements as mainstream public schools. Charter schools may not discriminate in admissions nor charge tuition.
Opening a charter school is no small task. Every school is different and faces varying challenges. Burns said the state has been focusing on training charter-school leaders for an entire year prior to their opening a school. "Because of that, I believe they are more ready to open than some of the schools that opened up the first few years," she said.
Recent comments
Yes Anonymous, the UEA is a political "association" with...
Professor | June 18, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Puzzled:
Yes Charters have less money to work with. However...
Steven Jarvis | June 18, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.
UEA is not a union.
It is an association.
Your...
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