BREAKOUT SESSIONS
MONDAY, JUNE 12
Governance •••
25 Years of Charters: Lessons Learned and Moving Forward Policy •••
Room 146 B
There has been much discussion about the 25th anniversary of the first charter school law. This panel will lead a conversation about the next 25 years of school choice: What’s working, what’s not working, and identifying issues that must be addressed moving forward. Chester Finn, Thomas B. Fordham Institute; Howard Fuller, Marquette University Institute for the Transformation of Learning; Eric Lerum, America Succeeds; Caroline Roemer Shirley, Louisiana Association of Public Charter School A Match Made in Heaven: Career and Technical Education Charter Schools Leadership
•••
Room 149 AB
Once one of the most disparaged forms of education in the U.S., career and technical education has emerged in recent years as one of the most promising approaches to preparing students for the future. Charter schools are uniquely well-positioned to deliver on the promise – less rule-bound and more flexible, they often find it easier to engage employers, hire industry-trained teachers and schedule work-based learning. An educator, an employer, and a student will share their experience. Tamar Jacoby, Opportunity America; Kristin KearnsJordan, Urban Assembly; Mike Petrilli, Fordham Institute; Tori Stephens-Shauger, Ace Leadership High School A Roadmap for Successful Technology Implementation in New and Growing Schools Operations
•••
Room 144 AB
When opening a new charter school or expanding an existing network of schools, having a well-defined IT roadmap is critical, both to encourage strategic technology steering and to ensure that all impacted parties are aligned concerning budget and operations planning, IT security, reliability, scalability, and much more. Presenters from Uncommon Schools and mindSHIFT Technologies will explore best practices and proven strategies for developing a technology roadmap that will help your organization meet the demands of today’s students and their futures. Heather Evans, Uncommon Schools; Adam Rosso, Uncommon Schools; John Stewart, mindSHIFT Technologies, Inc. (a Ricoh company) 46
•••
Am I an Effective Board Chair? Responsibilities and Reflections
11:15am - 12:30pm
2017 National Charter Schools Conference | ncsc.publiccharters.org
Room 145 A
You’re a charter school board chair–how’s it going? Come meet other board chairs and compare your experiences. We’ll walk through some big picture best practices, engage in a quick self-assessment, and make plans to streamline your oversight systems. Karen Drezner, Lynch Leadership Academy, Boston College; Sonia Park, Diverse Charter Schools Coalition Be Prepared! How to Manage Your Finances in Uncertain Times Operations
•••
Room 144 C
Over the last few years charter schools have seen an increase in funding levels, but what comes next? Given the uncertainty around future funding rates, one-time funding, and rising costs, schools will face tough decisions around building sustainable budgets. Participants will hear from a panel of charter finance experts from different parts of the country and leave with practical strategies for maximizing revenues, evaluating expenses, and strategically managing reserves. Bryce Fleming, EdTec Inc.; Sam Todd, Peak to Peak Charter School; Lisa Tovar, PUC Schools Board Governance: The Art of Asking the Right Questions Governance
•••
Room 145 B
In these “data-driven” times, Board members can be inundated with mounds of data that, if not presented clearly, can lead to confusion or obfuscation. Volunteer board members are responsible to track academics, budgets, and school climate so effective tools are essential. Participants will have the opportunity to evaluate numerous key performance indicators to identify the ones that enlighten their work of oversight. They will discuss best practices and share effective dashboards. Candace Sorensen, CS3 Law, PLLC
MONDAY | Breakout Sessions
LEVEL GUIDE Beginner
•••
Intermediate
•••
Advanced
From Student Compliance to Engagement Instruction
•••
Room 147 B
The 21st century requires people who think critically, solve problems collaboratively, and pursue continual learning independently. To cultivate these skills and dispositions, schools must demand students’ engagement–not merely their compliance. Learn how to shift your practice to emphasize engagement. Inspired Teaching’s transformative professional development is backed by best practices, based in improvisational theatre, and proven to shift mindsets and practices to increase student engagement. Come ready to be 100% engaged: intellectually, emotionally, and physically.
How Evidence-Based Preschool Boosts Charter School Students’ Outcomes Instruction •••
Room 146 C
One of the best educational starts we can give young learners is access to an evidenced-based preschool model. In Washington, D.C., AppleTree’s award winning Every Child Ready program has seen remarkable results. In addition to running 14 PreK charters, AppleTree is also providing PreK programming to several existing K-12 schools. Come explore this proven instructional model and hear school leaders discuss the opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned from building and running an evidence-based PreK program. Anne Malone, AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School; Jack McCarthy, AppleTree Early Learning PCS/ AppleTree Institute
Caitlin Wolf, Center for Inspired Teaching; David Yarmchuk, Center for Inspired Teaching Great Schools by Us, for Us: African-American Institutions and Charter Schools
I Need a Better Facility for My School: Now What?
Policy •••
Operations
Room Salon G
Pier Blake, Jack & Jill of America, Inc.; Shirley Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia; The Honorable Al Lawson, U.S. Representative, Florida; Ronald Rice, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools; Dr. Paulette Walker, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Stuart Ellis, Charter School Capital; Mike Morley, American Charter Development, LLC and M-13 Construction, Inc. Realizing MLK’s Dream: Best Practices in Achieving Integration
How Can Alternative Discipline Practices Change Student Outcomes?
•••
Leadership
Room 147 A
Charter school leaders from three different regions will share their before and after stories of implementing alternative discipline practices that focus on keeping students in the classroom and repairing harm instead of punishing misbehavior. Panelists will then facilitate audience groups in a role-playing activity that looks at the impact of different discipline approaches on student outcomes. Groups will share the lessons learned from the activity and have Q&A time with the panelists. Amanda Aiken, A. Leigh Solutions; Randell Erving, Camino Nuevo Charter Academy; Nora Kern, National Charter School Resource Center
Room 143 C
Access to adequate facilities is one of the biggest challenges facing charter schools nationwide. Learn about the financing options and best practices to get the facility that meets your needs today and accommodates your growth for tomorrow. Hear from experts about options available to your school for financing, balancing all the options, budgeting appropriately, planning for your facility’s needs, and thinking about the future.
In lieu of the calls for a charter school moratorium by the national NAACP and Black Lives Matter movement, many have asked: what is the role of Black institutions in the charter school movement? Come hear leaders of Black institutions talk about the creation of schools and how they can be the Black community’s best 21st century way to close the achievement gap in America.
Instruction
•••
•••
Room 152 AB
Join leading education entrepreneurs and thinkers in a lively presentation and discussion on best practices and challenges in the implementation of racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically integrated schools. How do schools successfully deliver, sustain, and refine the “diverse by design” model over time? What are the common challenges and considerations? We will discuss curriculum and pedagogy, student recruitment, school culture, family engagement, and other key components to successful integrated schools. Emilie Linick, Capital Impact Partners; Sahba Rohani, Community Roots Charter School; Jonathan Rosenberg, Hebrew Charter School Center; Priscilla Wohlstetter, Teachers College, Columbia University
2017 National Charter Schools Conference | ncsc.publiccharters.org
47