Journalist-only Seminar on Charter Schools.
Barely a day goes by that charter schools aren’t in the news somewhere. A quarter century after the first state law allowing charters was enacted, the sector has expanded to serve upwards of 2.5 million students in 43 states. With this growth has come increased attention — and intense scrutiny.
How do key goals of charter advocates — whether choice and competition, improved student outcomes, or innovation — square with the reality today? What’s going right, what’s going wrong? In this EWA seminar for journalists, we examine some of the most pressing issues in charter schooling today, including academic achievement, access and equity, student segregation and diversity, innovation, discipline, special education, and teacher unionizing efforts. Participants will come away with a deeper understanding of the issues and context of charter schools, plus a wealth of story ideas to pursue.
This journalists-only seminar was held January 26 and 27 in Los Angeles, California.
Journalist-only Seminar on Charter Schools.
Barely a day goes by that charter schools aren’t in the news
somewhere. A quarter century after the first state law allowing
charters was enacted, the sector has expanded to serve upwards of
2.5 million students in 43 states. With this growth has come
increased attention — and intense scrutiny.
How do key goals of charter advocates — whether choice and
competition, improved student outcomes, or innovation — square
with the reality today? What’s going right, what’s going wrong?
In this EWA seminar for journalists, we examine some of the most
pressing issues in charter schooling today, including academic
achievement, access and equity, student segregation and
diversity, innovation, discipline, special education, and teacher
unionizing efforts. Participants will come away with a deeper
understanding of the issues and context of charter schools, plus
a wealth of story ideas to pursue.
This journalists-only seminar was held January 26 and 27 in Los
Angeles, California.
North Ogden Montessori Charter School to Allow Students to Opt out of Black History Month Curriculum
A decision by Maria Montessori Academy in North Ogden to allow parents to opt students out of Black History Month curriculum after receiving multiple requests to do so has ignited a debate over whether parents should have such an option.
Girls Get Fresh Start at All-Female Charter School
Ask the principal of any U.S. high school and they’ll likely tell you their goal is to graduate all of their students “college- or career-ready.” That is, students should be prepared to begin postsecondary education or enter the workforce and be successful.
Andrea Purcell, the principal of an all-girls charter school, is no different, despite the fact that her group of 120 or so high school-aged students are among the most at-risk for dropping out.
USC Charter School Sets Students’ Sights on College
The waiting list to get into USC Hybrid High College Prep in downtown Los Angeles is long – about two students for every one admitted – and so is the commute for many of the students who go there. An hour-and-a-half each way by bus or car isn’t uncommon.
Trump Begins to Flesh Out School Choice Agenda, But Questions Remain
There was no missing the symbolism in President Donald Trump’s first school visit since taking office — a stop at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida, this month.
St. Andrew is “one of the many parochial schools dedicated to the education of some of our most disadvantaged children,” Trump noted, and it’s been helped along by school choice policy.
After 25 Years, No Shortage of Charter Schools Research
Do charter schools really outperform traditional public schools? Is any such comparison skewed by the caliber of students who attend charters and their district-run counterparts?
Few questions are more contested in education policy circles, but 25 years since the first charter school opened in Minnesota, there is more data available than ever to find answers. Two prominent education researchers waded into the debate over charter schools and charter research at a recent Education Writers Association seminar in Los Angeles.
What’s Ahead for School Choice in the Trump Era?
If anyone doubted that school choice would be a top educational priority for the Trump administration, the Republican president’s first address to a joint session of Congress laid that question to rest.
“I am calling upon members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children,” he declared. “These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.”
What Does Charter School Innovation Look Like?
At Summit Public Schools campuses, you won’t see PowerPoint lectures on “Antigone” in English class or witness lofty explanations of the Pythagorean theorem in geometry. Instead, you’ll hear a discussion about the morals and ethics in the ancient Greek tragedy tied to students’ own teenage identity formation and observe discussions on how real-life problem-solving skills can be applied to math.
How Should Charter Schools Be Held Accountable?
In the contentious debates over what is a good school, parents are frequently pitted against public officials. The stakes are especially high for charter schools, which periodically must be granted a new lease on life.
It’s a case of one side pointing to test scores or compliance with various rules of operation, and the other invoking their satisfaction with the school in ways that may be hard to measure. While regulators may be tempted to close a low-performing school, parents regularly object.
Camino Nuevo Offers Families a Bilingual Choice
At 10 years old, Audrey Campos is the one who helps her 18-year-old cousin communicate with their grandparents. Unlike her cousin, Audrey speaks Spanish. That’s thanks, in part, to the public school she attends, part of the Camino Nuevo Charter Academy network.
Audrey was in the inaugural kindergarten class for the school’s bilingual program in 2011. She spent 80 percent of her day learning in Spanish that first year, though now Audrey speaks and hears mostly English in school.
School Segregation: Are Charter Schools the Problem?
Kriste Dragon grew up in Atlanta, a mixed-race child in a segregated school system.
When it came time to find a school for her children in her new Hollywood home, Dragon was hopeful that the neighborhood’s highly diverse demographics would be reflected in its schools. But instead, she found a low-performing school system that was as segregated — or worse — as what she’d experienced growing up.
VIDEO: School Choice Policy & Politics in the Trump Era
Covering Charter Schools
What will President Trump and his administration mean for charter schools and school choice? Will the new president put political muscle behind his campaign pledge to create a new, $20 billion school choice program? How will the GOP-led Congress respond? What are the ramifications of key statewide elections, especially gains by Republicans and the defeat of a high-profile Massachusetts ballot measure to raise that state’s charter cap?
Covering Charter Schools: Program
Los Angeles • January 26–27, 2017
Please check the online agenda for any future changes to the program.
Covering Charter Schools: Agenda
Los Angeles • January 26–27, 2017
This agenda is subject to change. Check back for any updates.
Thursday, January 26
Welcome & Lunch
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Information for Charter Schools Seminar Attendees
Addresses, Hours & Logistics
Registration & Badge Pick Up
Thursday – Friday
Opens at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday and 8 a.m. on Friday.
Location
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Wallis Annenberg Hall
3502 Watt Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Badges are required to attend all seminar events and meals.
Session Location
Location
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
3502 Watt Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089