Top 10 Charter & Performance School Increases 06-07

Check out below which charter and performance schools made the biggest jumps.

RENAISSANCE 2010 REPORT

100 New Schools for Chicago 

 

August 2007

Volume 3, Issue 8

 

Letter from the Chief

 

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

As we near the start of the school year, I am honored to be in a new   city joining the Chicago Public Schools team as the Executive Officer of the Office of New Schools.  I am a practitioner with 16 years of experience teaching high school social studies in public, public charter and independent schools; being a youth development program director within a public school; and serving as a principal and school replicator for a charter boarding school serving the urban youth of Washington DC, most recently at the SEED Foundation.   I loved my previous work, but I could not pass up the opportunity to work with a district, within an office, and with school operators, leaders and teachers dedicated to offering a diverse range of high quality school options to all our youth. 

 

Chicago Public Schools is moving with a sense of urgency to make the necessary changes to prepare all students for the rigors of college and the work world.  I am eager to work with all of you in making that happen. Over the next several months, I plan to visit each school with whom our office works so I can see teaching and learning in action.  I have spoken with or met several members of our community already, and I look forward to meeting and working with you all in the near future.

 

Yours in Service,

 

Josh Edelman

Executive Officer

 

REN10 TOP TEN

 

 

 

TOP 10 New Schools¹ that experienced the highest gains on the % of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the ISAT from 2006 to 2007

2007 Data Preliminary

 

                                                                 

	School Name	Percentage Point Gain
1	Sizemore Academy of Betty Shabazz International Charter School	15.1%
2	Galapagos Charter	14.7%
3	University of Chicago – Donoghue campus	13.7%
4	Williams Prep Medical	9.7%
5	CICS- Basil  campus	9.7%
6	CICS – Wrightwood campus	9.2%
7	UNO – Tamayo campus	6.5%
8	Tarkington	5.5%
9	Young Women’s Leadership Charter School	5.4%
10	Alain Locke Charter	5.1%

.

 

^[1] Includes Performance and Charter Schools

 

 

EVENTS

 

 

Cohort III School Opening Celebrations

 

As the fall 2007-2008 school year rolls around, help ONS celebrate the opening of several new schools.  The chart below details the information about several of the schools opening this fall.

 

                                                                                                 

School	Event Date		Event Time	Event Location
Collins Academy High School	Saturday,   August 4		10am-2pm	Douglas   Park, 1401 S.    Sacramento
Chicago International Charter School-Irving Park Campus	Friday,   August 17		4-8    pm	Brands Park, 3259 N. Elston Ave
Catalyst Elementary School	Saturday,   August 18		11am-1pm	1616   S.    Spaulding
John Harvard Elementary School for Excellence	Saturday,   August 25		11am-3pm	7525     S. Harvard Ave
UNO   Charter Schools-Officer Donald Marquez Campus	Thursday,   August 30		10:30    am	2916   W. 47th     Street
Polaris Charter Academy at Morse	Saturday,   September 1		10am-2pm	620   N. Sawyer
TEAM Englewood Community Academy	Tuesday,   September 4		6pm-8pm	U   of C International House 1414 E. 59th St.
North Lawndale College Prep	Wednesday,   September 5		11am-1pm	NLCP;   1615 S Christiana
Perspectives Charter Middle School	Wednesday,   September 12		5pm-7pm	8131   S. May
Perspectives Charter Schools-Calumet High School of Technology	Wednesday,   September 12		5pm-7pm	8131   S. May
Frazier International Magnet School	Thursday,   September 13		9:30am	Frazier   Gym

 

 

If you would like more information about the school opening celebrations, please contact Jaime Guzmán (jguzman4@cps.k12.il.us).

 

 

Illinois Network of Charter Schools: Charter Up!  Celebration for All Charter Schools

 

The Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) is pleased to invite the charter community to the 2007 Charter Up! celebration, their second annual performance recognition program for charter public schools in Illinois.

 

This year's recognition ceremony will celebrate the innovation, passion and successes of all charter public schools by highlighting the strides they have made in education.  In addition, several outstanding schools whose programs best exemplify the essence of charter schools will be given an award distinction.  The charter public school community including parents and students will attend. Members of the media and other notable citizens will be invited.

 

All charters are encouraged to attend Charter Up!  The ceremony will be held on Thursday, August 23^rd at University of Chicago Charter School – Donoghue Campus located at 707 E. 37 ^th Street Chicago at 10:00 A.M. Please RSVP by August 9^th to Marvin Smith at INCS 312-235-0798 Ext 26 or e-mail msmith@incschools.org.

 

 

37^th Annual National Black Child Development Institute Conference | Hyatt Regency, Chicago | October 21-23, 2007

 

The 2007 Annual Conference will provide over 150 seminars, forums and workshops led by renowned experts on child development issues. The conference is your chance to:

à Learn about the issues that enhance the overall development of our children.

à Expand your knowledge and skills to achieve greater outcomes for children.

à Experience the Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) to increase parental involvement, and empower parents to become real advocates for their children.

à Engage in public policy discussions that focus on Universal Pre-Kindergarten and other issues from national, state and local perspectives.

à Receive cutting-edge, research-based early literacy and reading strategies to improve student achievement.

à Discover the latest culturally relevant tools and practices used to promote the social and emotional development of children.

à Attend hands-on strategy sessions and forums that will help you get children ready to learn.

à Network and share ideas with a diverse group of professionals from around the country to make the NBCDI conference a yearlong experience of learning and professional development.

à Meet with representatives from companies and other organizations that work on behalf of children to learn about their products, services and research.

à Obtain CEU credits toward professional development

 

Register by 7/31/07 to secure the discounted fee.  For more information, call (800) 556-2234 or (202) 833-2220.

 

Visit www.nbcdi.org/ac, periodically, for updates on special events, speakers and much more

 

 

Certified Teachers Career Fair | Soldier Field, Cadillac Club | Friday, August 10, 2007 from 9:30am to 2pm 

 

Charter School principals and administrators are encouraged to participate in the upcoming CPS Certified Teacher Career Fair on Friday, August 10, 2007, and meet highly qualified, certified teacher candidates to fill their vacancies for the upcoming school year.   

 

As space is limited, reservations will be processed on a first come, first served basis.  Registration for this event will close promptly at midnight on Friday August, 3, 2007 or when the event is full.

 

To register and learn more about this Career Fair, please call Raquel Saucedo at (773) 553-1047, or contact an ONS school coordinator

 

 

Early College Teaching Seminar | Great Barrington, MA | August 19-22, 2007 

 

The Institute on Early College Pedagogy at Bard College-Simon’s Rock offers four-day residential seminars for school leaders and educators to learn the philosophy and pedagogical practices that have made Simon’s Rock the pioneer early college in the United States.  Seminar participants’ experience, through observation and participation, a curriculum and pedagogical model specifically designed for adolescent learners.  Participants learn how to engage students of 15 and 16 years of age with college level curriculum regardless of their previous academic achievements.  The seminar demonstrates how students:

 

• Become      aware of and develop their thinking and learning processes
• Heighten      their critical-analytical and creative skills
• Value      writing as a tool for exploration and open-ended learning
• Engage      in reasoned academic discourse and enjoy the challenges of intellectual      work

 

These seminars are designed to meet the needs of teachers individually, or as part of a school team, who work with students and with high school-early college programs.  They are also useful to principals, college administrators working in partnership with early college high schools, and educators and policy makers interested in alternative programs for adolescents.

 

With the generous support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, seminars are available to participants for a non-refundable $50 registration deposit.

 

To learn more about these seminars and to register visit www.earlycollegepedagogy.org or contact Christine Somerville, Director, Institute on Early College Pedagogy, at (413) 528-7216. 

 

 

NEWS

 

 

 

Profile of KIPP Ascend Charter School’s First Graduating Class

 

Founded in 2003, KIPP Ascend Charter School is an open-enrollment, public college prep middle school (grades 5-8) serving 300 students from the West Side of Chicago. 100% are African-American or Latino, and 90% qualify for the federal free/reduced lunch program (an indicator of poverty). With an extended schedule (over 70% more time in class than traditional public schools), high expectations, and a relentless focus on results, KIPP Ascend is proving that the achievement gap can be closed for traditionally underserved students.

 

KIPP Ascend is one of over 50 KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools serving over 13,000 students nationwide. KIPP’s success in raising student achievement in low-income neighborhoods has been heralded by national media outlets such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes, New York Times, and Washington Post.

 

What is KIPP Ascend’s track record for success?

Most students enter KIPP Ascend in the 5^th grade performing 2-3 grade levels behind in core academics. Through hard work and commitment they are able to outperform neighborhood, district, and state test averages by the end of 7^th grade.

 

This is the first year that KIPP Ascend will have a graduating class of 8^th grade students.

 

· 100% of KIPP Ascend’s 8^th graders will attend selective, college preparatory high schools next year.

· 85% of students applying to Catholic Schools were accepted to their first choice school.

· Over $1,000,000 in scholarships and financial aid has been awarded.

· 13 students were accepted to 7 of Chicago’s 8 selective public magnet schools.

· 10 students were accepted to Lincoln Park High School for their IB, Double Honors, and Performing Arts programs.

· 3 students were selected as Daniel Murphy Scholars.

· 5 students were referred to private boarding schools through A Better Chance.

 

 

Charters Renewed for Five Year Terms

Congratulations to the following four schools which received Board approval for a charter renewal:

 

· The Academy of Communication and Technology Charter School (ACT)

· Youth Connection Charter School (YCCS)

· Chicago Charter School Foundation (Chicago International Charter School, CICS)

· Perspectives Charter School

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

 

 

ONS Staff Travels to Springfield 

 

On Friday, July 20, 2007, Office of New Schools staff, including Executive Officer Josh Edelman joined other local advocates in Springfield to testify in front of the Illinois Senate Education Committee about the need for more charters in Chicago. This day of testimony capped off a week of hearings by the Education Committee on a variety of education topics, including a discussion on accountability and charters.  Josh’s testimony highlighted the high demand for charters in communities across the city, the success they had on academically and other measures, and the need for more charters to support the development of more educational options.  The Office of New Schools will continue to work with partner organization such as the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and the Civic Committee on these efforts.

 

 

TAC Training Meeting a Huge Success

 

TAC members were invited to participate in an organizing training facilitated by Gerald Taylor of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) last Wednesday, July 18 and Thursday July 19, 2007.

35 TAC members attended the dinner and engaged in a lively conversation about the importance of getting parents and community members involved in school reform and the new schools movement.

Thursday, July 19^th 31 TAC members and 5 guests (4 from Grand Boulevard Federation and 1 from Bethel New Life) participated in a powerful organizing workshop focused on:

›     Helping participants conduct an analysis of their community

›     Preparing participants to conduct “relational meetings” with community members and

› Inviting community members to meetings to learn more about and support the creation of new schools in the community.

The workshop was practical and interactive offering participants several opportunities to get “hands-on” experience using organizing techniques.  For example, each TAC team generated a list of organizations in their community listing the names of TAC members who had established relationships with the organization.  Participants also did some role playing to give them practice conducting “relational” meetings.  To prepare for community meetings, a list of guiding questions was generated that could be used to spark discussions about what community members want to see in new schools.

To obtain a copy of the minutes from this meeting please contact Brenda Bell, bjbell1@cps.k12.il.us

 

 

Have a Great School Year!

 

Good luck to all the schools that are starting this month.  We know it will be the most successful year yet.

 

 

www.ren2010.cps.k12.il.us

 

The Chicago Public Schools is committed to leading the nation in education reform and through Renaissance 2010 we will create opportunities for high quality educational programs for the youth and families of Chicago.

Comments

[why]

Can anybody explain to me, in a few sentences, why Chicago Public Schools needs to create charter schools to improve education? Why doesn't it just improve the regular neighborhood schools? Maybe this is a really dumb question, but it keeps knocking around in my brain. Can you help me understand?

[Skalinder]

In my cynicism I don't see education improvement playing a role. Charters and neighborhood schools are essentially equally successful taken as a whole. But charters are cheaper. When you have two products that are essentially equal, why pay more?