Seminar on Charters & Choice
Charters & Choice: Making Sense of the Fast-Evolving Landscape in K-12 Education
Journalist-Only Seminar
Charter schools. Vouchers. Education tax credits. The “portfolio” model of schooling in cities. It’s nearly impossible to find consensus on these hot-button issues, but one thing is clear: American families are seeing more school options at the K-12 level than ever before, especially in urban areas. And the Republican gains in the 2014 elections at the federal and state levels are widely expected to provide further impetus for expanding school choice.
At this journalists-only seminar in Denver, join fellow reporters and experts to make sense of the evolving landscape of school choice. Get a better handle on places to watch, emerging trends, and enterprising angles to cover.
There’s no shortage of pressing questions to explore, including:
- What exactly will the new political leadership in states and Congress mean for policymaking on school choice?
- How meaningful is school choice proving to be in American cities, especially for disadvantaged students?
- Is enough being done to ensure the quality of charters and voucher schools? What strategies are policymakers pursuing?
- Is voucher participation likely to hit a critical mass anytime soon? If yes, are enough private schools ready and willing to step up?
- To what extent are charters and school districts starting to collaborate rather than compete?
We’ll explore these questions and many more during this two-day event in Denver. Reporters will also get the chance to take a field trip to a local charter school in Denver.
Seminar Registration
Registration is Closed
L.A. School Board Election Seen as Victory for Charter Advocates
The Los Angeles school board is about to undergo a political sea change, as two candidates backed by charter school advocates won victories in a bruising runoff election that shifts the panel’s balance of power.
The Los Angeles Times describes the outcome as “a watershed moment with huge implications” for education in the nation’s second-largest city.
Virtual Choices: Opportunities and Challenges for Online Schools
For students looking for greater flexibility in their learning environment, virtual schools can be a better option than a traditional bricks-and-mortar K-12 campus. But some online programs operating in more than two dozen states have come under scrutiny for reaping profits while yielding poor academic academic outcomes.
Two Authors, Two Views on Future of Charter Schools
Where are charter schools headed? Two authors offer different takes on the movement.
A pair of recent books provide notably different takes on the charter schools sector, including its strengths and weaknesses, as well as what the main focus of these public schools of choice should be.
Debating the Special Education Challenge in Charter Schools
As the charter schools sector faces increased scrutiny for educating a smaller share of students with disabilities than traditional public schools, the conversation is increasingly focused on better understanding the reasons and looking for ways to improve the situation.
School Choice Policy and Politics: What’s Ahead?
Charters & Choice Seminar
Republican gains in the 2014 elections set the stage for a renewed push to expand school choice at the state and federal levels, including charter schools, vouchers, and tuition tax credits. What legislation is emerging and what stands the greatest likelihood of becoming law? To what extent will policymakers respond to concerns about quality and accountability in schools of choice?
Private Schools and Public Funding
Charters & Choice Seminar
Public policy efforts to expand private school choice continue to grow, and may well get a boost from GOP gains in the midterm elections last fall. From vouchers to tuition tax credits and education savings accounts, what’s happening, what’s on the horizon, and why? How do these initiatives vary across states and cities? What role does and should testing and accountability play in publicly subsidized choice initiatives? Where do key legal challenges stand?
Holding Charter Schools Accountable
With charter schools serving about 6 percent of America’s public school students, most everyone — from teachers’ unions to researchers to right-leaning advocates — seems to agree that the publicly funded but independently run schools are here to stay. That much was clear from an Education Writers Association panel on the future of charter schools, held last month in Denver.
But what happens next is up for debate.
The Charter School Quality Conundrum
Charter schools increasingly are being scrutinized for the exact problem many advocates hoped they would help solve: poor student outcomes. How exactly to deal with those schools that do not meet academic expectations—or fail in other regards, such as employing questionable business practices or not being equitable in welcoming all students—have become key concerns.
10 Years After Katrina, What Are the K-12 Lessons From New Orleans?
Nearly a decade ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and, in doing so, catalyzed one of the most dramatic expansions of school choice in the country. With so many schools destroyed and students displaced, the state and city started from scratch.
The Debate Over Private Schools and Public Funding
Top journo tweets from #EWAChoice’s fourth Saturday session.
Charter School Lessons in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Top tweets from #EWAChoice’s third Saturday session.
Do Parents in Cities with Many Charter Schools Get the Information They Need?
Top tweets from reporters about the second Saturday session of #EWAChoice.
What Goes Into Charter School Quality and Accountability?
Top journo tweets about the first session of the second day of #EWAChoice.
Special Education and Charter Schools
Charters & Choice Seminar
A worrisome dimension of charter schooling is the oftentimes disproportionately low share of students with disabilities served by this sector of public education. Experts explore what explains the situation, what’s being done about it, and highlight examples where intensive work is underway to ensure that charters effectively serve the needs of all children, including those with disabilities.
Two Writers Give Tips on Covering Charter Schools
Top tweets from #EWAChoice’s fourth panel.
Virtual Charter Schools
Top tweets about the panel on virtual charters at #EWAChoice
Eye on Denver’s Charter and Choice Landscape
Top tweets from “Eye on Denver” — the second session at #EWAChoice
School Choice Policy and Politics: What’s Ahead?
Top Tweets from #EWAChoice’s first session
Lessons From New Orleans
Charters & Choice Seminar
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the storm that sparked an unprecedented experiment in public education in New Orleans. Nearly all public schools in the city are now charters. A decade in, what have we learned about the New Orleans experience and what lessons does it offer to other states and communities that are looking to ramp up the role of charters and choice in public education?
Eye on Denver
Charters & Choice Seminar
This city has developed a robust and diverse set of public school options for students, including several dozen charter schools as well as the district’s own “innovation” schools. Denver is also seen as a place, unlike many, where the district and the charter sectors play well together. What does school choice look like in Denver? How meaningful are the options for students? Is the choice landscape promoting equity?
Charters & Choice Seminar
Charters & Choice: Making Sense of the Fast-Evolving Landscape in K-12 Education
This agenda is subject to change. Review the onsite program for the final schedule and speakers.
Friday, Feb. 27
8:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Site Visits to Local Schools
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Lunch
12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
Welcome & Introductions
Sen. Alexander: Federal Dollars Should Follow Students
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a leading Republican on education issues, delivered a pitch for expanding school choice, including by making federal Title I dollars “portable.” The idea, which is not exactly new, is that money under the $14.5 billion program for disadvantaged students would follow low-income children to the public school of their choice.
EWA in Denver: Talking Standards, Charters & Choice
Writing about new academic standards in your state? Join EWA Feb. 26 at the University of Colorado Denver for a seminar on covering assessments in the era of the Common Core State Standards.
Mark Your (New) Calendar: EWA’s Upcoming Events
As we wrap up a holiday week, a few reminders for your 2015 calendar: