Moved the Blog

I've transferred the blog to our website...so keep up with it over there.

www.aberdoveyschool.org

On the Cusp

Another thing to mention...the more I research, the more I realize that charter schools are really on the cusp of exploding into a common market.  With all of the discussions that have taken place around the elections, charter schools are being targeted as a point of interest.  I am certainly interested to see what our officials have in store for the educational system and many are point to charter schools as a great alternative.

I think that as the US education system is looked at, people are realizing that we need to do something to increase success.  The No Child Left Behind Act attempted to address this, but it left many challenges still standing.  I think that the option of a charter school gives parents the ability to make informed decisions about how their children learn.  Not all kids do well in the traditional environment and charters give a vast number of choices.

More prospects.

I had the opportunity to talk with several amazing women this weekend and a couple of them sounded interested in helping with the school.  One is certain that this is something she would like to be a part of.  It's great because not only does she have a teaching credential, she has legal experience.  She has expressed a desire to be on the board.  I think she would be a great asset to our team.

I talked with two current public school teachers.  It was interesting to hear their perspectives. One was confused as to why I would want to talk with her, as she is not going to teach at a charter (I think she mentioned a bad experience at a charter).  I really hope that she doesn't generalize her experience to that of all charters...they are all very different.  She did ask about STIRS (?), the public employee retirement fund for California and whether or not our charter would be participating.  I honestly had not thought about this topic, but it is nice to hear what public teachers are looking for when they consider teaching at a charter school.

The other public school teacher seemed more interested in helping out.  She had some good questions as well, about salary comparisons and benefits - two more topics to consider.  She seemed much more willing to help out with her connections.  She is a member of a prestigious group of teachers and felt like her connections might lead me to many educators interested in helping with the school.

It is so great to talk with other people.  Granted, this weekend was a social event so we kept our conversations to a minimum, but still...good stuff!  I can feel the team coming together.

Thoughts on Administration

When the guys at CCSA mentioned that I would be the Executive Director, I was shocked.  I have no experience in administration and while I think it is important to have a teacher's perspective when in administration, I think that you also need to have an administrator's perspective.  So...I've been working on a mental list of the qualities that I have seen and admired in my administrators (and the qualities that I could do without).  Granted I get that administrators will NEVER be able to please everyone at the same time, but I figure I should at least start thinking about it.

Here are a couple of thoughts (incomplete to say the least)...

Great administrators...

  Spend time in the classroom - both observing and participating.

  Provide continual feedback to teachers from a mentoring perspective.

  Make themselves available to parents, students, and teachers alike.

  ALWAYS back their teachers in front of parents (kind of like parents do in front of kids).

  Have high expectations for their staff and students.

  Make a habit of publicly recognizing effort - with students, staff, and parents.

  Have concise and organized weekly staff meetings.

  Ask staff for input on professional development and scheduling needs.

  Foster an environment of mutual respect between staff, students, and parents.

  Communicate with parents on a weekly basis - through email, newsletter, coffee meetings.

PLEASE feel free to add other things that you have noticed about your administrators.  I'm focusing on the positive things at the moment, but I am mentally creating the opposite list as well.  I would love input from the community at large...parents, teachers, students...

Slowly but surely

I am working on building a team.  I have little in the way of flexibility to get out and about town without a vehicle, but I am drawing on my other networking skills...the internet and phone.

I have talked with two women now who are interested in helping.  To what degree, I'm not sure.  And then there is another friend of a friend who has voiced an interest.  Interest is good.  But what I'm going to need to find is commitment.  I need people who will step up and say, "Yes, this is a GREAT idea and I am willing to give my time to make it happen."

The woman I was going to meet with today had to reschedule due to an illness.  I hope that we can get together this week.  I would like to give her a task or two to work on.  I may just give her a call and chat instead of wait for the face to face.

Meeting with CCSA

I had an informal meeting with the General Manager and Assistant General Manager for Riverside County Region California Charter School Association (mouth full, eh?).  We talked for about an hour about where I am at in the process, how the Charter Launch program could help me, and what I need to work on next.

Bottom line is...I need a TEAM.  I need to network until I come up with 3 or 4 like-minded individuals who believe enough in this charter school to dedicate their time and energy to its creation.  Where will these people come from?  I'm not sure.  I am new enough to the area that I don't have much in the way of connections, but I will talk with everyone I know.

My team needs to include people with experience in governance, education, finances, administration, and real estate...to name a few suggestions.  I want to create a team that comes from diverse backgrounds in this community, but who are able to come together with their knowledge to work toward a common goal.  Honestly, at this point, anyone with the passion to help is welcome.

The Charter Launch program will start in January 2009 and all team members will be welcome to attend workshops and benefit from the professional advice that CCSA will give us.  We will have many resources available and CCSA will guide us through the process to when we (hopefully) submit our petition in September 2009.  There is a general meeting on December 6th that CCSA has invited me and any potential team members to that will step us through the process of creating a charter school.  I hope to have at least two people coming with me to that meeting.

More Business Plan Finished

Well, I've been plugging away at the Business Plan.   I am in the Research and Market Analysis section at the moment and find it easy to get side-tracked while researching.  There are so many exciting articles about charter schools.  And it seems like everything is on a dramatic incline!

For example:

One school in San Diego County went from 17 students in 2000 to over 3800 students in 2006.

The Press-Enterprise reported that businesses and chambers of commerce were looking to charter schools for their employee base.  "Public charter schools should be actively supported by local businesses and chambers of commerce in light of the unprecedented need for a highly educated workforce allowing the nation to compete in the global economy" (www.prnewswire.com).  It stated that due to the high demand for well-educated employees, businesses and chambers are looking at supporting charter schools to increase their output of qualified applicants because of a downturn in public school students who are prepared "...for further education and jobs of the 21st century" (www.prnewswire.com).  

The public school system is doing what they can, but they are severely limited by the mandates of their districts and state.  They are doing their best to meet those expectations, but what people are realizing is that there need to be more options available to students so that ALL types of students will be able to succeed.  The general public school system works well for certain students, but it doesn't have the resources to meet all of the diverse needs that a community presents.  Charter schools are one way that this need can be met.

But I digress...I've got the National Trends section done and am working on the Local Trends.  I should be finished with it by the end of the day, depending on the boys.

Next week I have a possible team member coming over to talk with me about what she would like to add to our venture.  She is ECE trained and has some background in EL.  I am hopeful that this will become my first official crew member.