CHARTER SCHOOL INFORMATION
for Military-Connected Families
At this time, there is no national clearinghouse that specifically addresses the school choice needs of military-connected students. MCEC supports school choice with reliable information but does not endorse specific options or specific schools.
MILITARY CHILD EDUCATION COALITION® (254) 953-1923 • (254) 953-1925 (fax)
909 Mountain Lion Circle Harker Heights, Texas 76548 www.MilitaryChild.org CFC #10261
INCREASING INTEREST IN CHARTER SCHOOLS
Nearly 60 percent of the children of active duty service members are school age, and only 160 traditional public schools operated by school districts are still open on military bases according to the Department of Defense (DOD). The Department of Defense Educational Activity (DoDEA) also operates 64 schools in the United States; however, according to the DOD, over 1.1 million military dependent children attend schools off base installations or are home educated. Although MCEC provides significant resources and support, neighborhood public schools are typically designed for the children in civilian communities with few altering academic programs to specifically address the needs of military-connected students. In some of these communities, challenges with poverty, academic performance, and school safety override the school district’s capacity to specifically address the needs of military-connected students.
Research conducted by the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) estimates military-connected children move six to nine times during their K-12 academic experience and have unique academic and socio-emotional needs. Due to their highly mobile lifestyle and the uneven availability of high quality public schools near urban, suburban, and rural military installations, military-connected parents must research the educational options available in each new community as well the enrollment nuances of each option. Although traditional public schools are the most popular option, many military-connected families elect to home educate, select a private school, or educate their children through virtual or distance learning programs. Currently, an increasing number of parents are selecting public charter schools on or near base installations. Eight charter schools have opened on military installations, and several more charter schools are in development to specifically address the needs of military-connected students. According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools:
Charter schools are unique public schools that are allowed the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Because they are public schools, they are:
• Open to all children, including students with special needs; • Do not charge tuition; and
• Do not have special entrance requirements. National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (2014)
Charter schools foster partnerships among parents, educational leaders, and students to create environments where parents can be more involved, teachers can have the freedom to innovate, and students are provided the structure they need to learn. Parents, teachers, and students are all held accountable for improved student achievement. The number of students attending public charter schools has exceeded 2.57 million; however, since charter schools are not available in all communities, many military families have little understanding of this option.
Figure 1: Student Enrollment Growth
MCEC provides valid and current information for parents regarding educational options for their children. The intent of this paper is to discuss the option of public charter schools, not to endorse or recommend them. Charter schools have grown in availability and popularity since 1991, when Minnesota passed the first legislation authorizing these schools. With the recent adoption of charter school legislation in the state of Washington, 42 states and the District of Columbia currently have legislation in place authorizing charter schools. Like all educational options, each charter school must be assessed individually to determine the quality of the academic program.
Nearly 70 percent of Americans favor charter schools, up from 40 percent only 11 years ago (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2014); however, further research is needed to determine how many military-connected families favor and understand this school choice option. In 2008, the DOD commissioned a study recommending that charter school options be offered to military families stationed in locations with public schools perceived as poor performing. The report was commissioned to address concerns that the poor performing schools were affecting readiness, retention, and morale. Families were hesitant to relocate to communities with schools labeled as chronically failing, and two charter schools had opened on military installations which made family relocation to those bases more attractive. Currently eight charter schools are operating on military installations with several more in development. Challenges with facilities, funding, academic performance goals, security, and the authorization process have curbed the growth of charter schools on military installations.
In February 2013, the Government Accountability Office released study findings that showed charter school developers seeking to open schools on base installations and the stakeholders in these communities needed significantly more guidance than is currently available (GAO-13-67). According to the report, all of the charter schools on military installations also serve between 10-58 percent of civilian students. Civilians must complete background checks prior to entering the gates of installations, further hindering additional development of new charter schools.
CHARTER SCHOOLS ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
• Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter School: Flightline Upper Academy, Little Rock Air Force Base (AFB), Arkansas • Sonoran Science Academy Davis-Monthan, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
• Manzanita Public Charter School, Vandenberg AFB, California • Wheatland Charter Academy, Beale AFB, California
• Sigsbee Charter School, Naval Air Station Key West, Florida • LEARN 6 North Chicago, Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois
• Belle Chasse Academy, Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Station New Orleans, Louisiana • Imagine Andrews Public Charter School, Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility, Maryland
Other installations that have demonstrated interest in charter schools are Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.; Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; and Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
WHAT MILITARY-CONNECTED FAMILIES NEED TO KNOW
Charter schools are schools of choice open to all students; however, many high performing charter schools have waiting lists, and all are subject to public lotteries to ensure equitable access if demand exceeds the space available.
Figure 2: Charter school wait lists
Parents seek to enroll their children for a wide variety of reasons. Some zoned schools do not meet academic expectations or are perceived as unsafe. Some parents prefer a specialized curriculum such as the International Baccalaureate Programme or an arts-themed academic program. Many parents seek specific academic or disciplinary practices such as uniforms, a longer school day, or a virtual school experience. Some children have highly unique special education or gifted needs that parents perceive might be met in smaller, more specialized environments.
Parents often rely on recommendations by peers and select schools that have positive reputations in the community or opt for schools located in a convenient area. It is important to note that all charter school programs are unique designs, and selecting a charter school involves significant parental research. A good educational fit for one student might prove ineffective for another due to the unique designs of each charter school. The research on charter schools is not definitive due to their widely varying structures and academic programs. There are almost equal numbers of studies finding better, worse, or no differences between charter schools and traditional public schools.
Depending on the state, a charter school may be for-profit or not-for-profit. All are required to have governing boards with public meetings subject to open meeting law requirements. While the first charter schools were independent, locally designed schools, the majority of charter schools authorized today are replications of high performing schools led by Educational Management Organizations (EMO’s) such as KIPP, Imagine Schools, High Tech High, and Rocketship Education. These “franchise” like schools have the potential to offer a level of consistent educational opportunities for military-connected students. The National Education Policy Center reported in 2010-2011 that 35 percent of all charter schools were now operated by EMO’s and that EMO operated schools educated 42 percent of the students attending charter schools. All charter schools must enroll students using a public lottery if demand for enrollment exceeds the classroom space available. The schools may not discriminate based on race, home language, or special needs and must provide appropriate support services for English Language Learners and
children with special needs. According to the U.S. Department of Education non-regulatory guidance on charter schools updated in January 2014, the lottery may be “weighted” to give priority to those students who live in the
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (2014)
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (2014)
school zone (on and off base installations) or to create a more integrated environment by increasing the number of economically disadvantaged students. The siblings of students already attending the charter school and the children of staff and board members may be exempt from the lottery so long as they do not exceed 10 percent of the school’s enrollment.
For military students, public lotteries may result in an enrollment barrier due to the spring registration windows. Some charter schools in military communities allow students to participate in the lottery if their parent/parents have orders for the area prior to their Permanent Change of Station (PCS). In most communities, state and district policies prohibit enrollment prior to establishing state residency. A few states have passed legislation to allow charter schools on military installations to prioritize enrollment for military-connected students; most states require that lotteries and enrollment be open for all students. The federal Charter School Program grant also creates a barrier for prioritizing enrollment for military-connected students. Although this grant offers priority points for serving this population, a lottery separating military and civilian students to limit the number of civilian students in a charter school may result in the school being ineligible for the grants.
Military-connected students who arrive after the enrollment lottery may not have the opportunity to apply until the following year if the school is full. Although charter schools are public schools, the Interstate Compact does not apply regarding guaranteed enrollment since charter schools must follow enrollment guidelines grounded in state and federal legislation. Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools are not required to expand to meet the needs of all students who reside in a geographic area.
It is important for military parents to be aware of the fundamental goals and objectives of a particular charter school as well as the enrollment periods and requirements. Families should plan in advance if possible if their student is interested in a particular school in the receiving district. Parents should also make sure that the school is a good fit for their student and understand the requirements of the charter, to include the application process and academic expectations.
AUTHORIZATION OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
Charter schools sign renewable contracts for a set number of years with their authorizers allowing specialized curriculum and teaching styles to meet the individual needs of their students. The contracts range from three to fifteen years depending on the state in which the charter is located and offer a wide range of autonomy. These contracts typically exempt charter schools from some state regulations; however, they do not exempt charter school students from state and national assessments or the academic standards in place in each state. If the Common Core has been adopted in that state, the charter must align their educational program accordingly. Charter schools must also comply with federal charter school legislation. The greatest difference between a public charter school and a traditional public school is that the authorizing agencies are responsible for closing a charter school if students do not succeed academically or if the school leaders do not effectively manage their finances. It is important for military families choosing a charter school to know what type of entity authorizes the charter schools in their respective state. This knowledge allows parents to communicate with authorizers to research the performance of the school and to express concerns, if necessary.
Source: NASCA: State of Charter School Authorizing (2010) 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%
53%
20%
14%
8%
4%
1%
Districts State Ag encies Independent Char ter Boar ds Higher E ducation Institutions Non-P rofits MayorsPERCENT OF CHARTER SCHOOLS APPROVED PER AUTHORIZER
WHO AUTHORIZES CHARTER SCHOOLS?
States legislate who may authorize charter schools, and the most common authorizers are local school districts. Other authorizers, depending on the state, are higher education institutions, state boards of education, charter school boards, nonprofit organizations, municipal governments, and in Indiana, the mayor of the capital city of Indianapolis. As of 2013, a total of 1045 authorizers were responsible for 6,440 charter schools and 2.57 million students in the nation according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Figure 4: Percent of charter schools approved per authorizer
Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, State Charter Law Rankings Database, 2010*Mississippi’s charter law expired at the end of 2009, bringing the total to eleven states without charter school legislation: AL, KY, ME, MS, MT, NE ND, SD, VT, WA, WV.
Figure 3: Who authorizes charter schools?
Local school board alone
State board of education alone
Local school board and State board of education First local school board then State board of education State charter school review board
Local school board and State charter school commission Combination (in some cases including higher education and not-for-profit organizations)
IL, MD, OR, PA, TN, VA WY CT, MA, NJ
AR, DE, LA, NH, NM, RI, TX AK, IA, KS
D.C., HI GA, ID, SC, UT
AZ, CA, CO, FL, IN, MI, MN, MO, NV, NY, NC, OH, OK, WI
CHARTER SCHOOLS ON OR NEAR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
Although they did not choose to enlist in the military, the children of our military service members serve too. Military-connected families have a long history of innovative approaches to ensure their children’s educational and socio-emotional needs are addressed as they sacrifice through moves and separations from friends and family. Charter schools also have a history of responsive adaption to the personalized needs of the students they target to serve. Developing and implementing a charter school typically takes two to three years, thus coordinating the design of charter schools with military families is a sustainability challenge. Mobility factors challenge the growth of charter schools in military communities where public school options are not attractive for military families. The charter schools off base installations have traditionally been designed for populations underserved in neighborhood public schools without consideration of the fragile, military-connected student population.
Figure 5: Who enrolls in charter schools?
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (2014)
ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF A CHARTER SCHOOL
Military families have the same concerns for their children’s education regardless of the type of school they attend. They want a safe, welcoming, and positive environment; a rigorous, high-quality, up-to-date curriculum; and skilled, caring, and inspiring teachers in a school that welcomes and encourages parent participation and involvement. Since one of the hallmarks of charter schools, according to individual state designs and legislation, is to remove administrative roadblocks and constraining rules, it is not clear whether charter schools will serve the wide spectrum of student needs within the military community or whether there will be a standard level of service. Although
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (2014)
No reliable studies have specifically been conducted on the impact of charter schools for military-connected students, although a growing number of charter schools are opening in areas that serve a high number of military-connected students. For example:
• There are at least six charter high schools in the Fort Carson area: Colorado Springs Early College, Community Prep Charter School, James Irwin Charter High School, Life Skills Center of Colorado Springs, the Classical Academy High School, and the Vanguard School.
• The Fort Hood area has two charter schools: Richard Milburn Alternative High School and Transformative Charter Academy.
• Fort Bliss has one charter school in Canutillo: Northwest Early College High School.
• Charter schools in New Orleans outnumber traditional schools with 47 charter schools in the Recovery School District; sixty-one percent of the schools in the New Orleans Public School System are charters.
Figure 6: Charter school studies
• The District of Columbia Public Schools has the next highest percentage of charters at 38 percent. • The school district with the most students enrolled in charter schools is the Los Angeles Unified School District with over 68,000 students, or ten percent of the total district enrollment.
CONCLUSION
The Military Child Education Coalition supports programs that recognize the unique needs of military students and that meet the high expectations of military parents. We observe that many types of schools including public, private, parochial, virtual, home, and charter schools are committed to these children and perform in an exemplary manner in meeting these expectations.
As we continue to study and advocate for school choice, we learn that the charter school movement is one that has had a great impact on the education system in the United States. With the implementation of additional charters designed to meet the needs of military-connected students and the growing trend toward the dissolution
Charter - 5% Choice - 12%
Magnet - 8% Title 1 - 34% Other - 41%
Many of the charter schools operating on or near a military installation are award-winning schools. According to the National Blue Ribbon Schools Association, 5 percent of the 268 recognized Blue Ribbon schools were charter schools.
Figure 7: National Blue Ribbon Schools
The 12 charter schools that received the National Blue Ribbon Schools award are as follows:
• The Charter School of Wilmington, Delaware • D.C. Preparatory Academy, Edgewood Elementary
School, Washington, D.C.
• Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College, Florida
• Hartridge Academy, Florida
• Prairie Crossing Charter School, Illinois
• Lake Forest Elementary Charter School, Louisiana • International Spanish Language Academy, Minnesota • Albuquerque Institute of Math & Science at UNM
Charter School, New Mexico
• Harding Charter Preparatory High School, Oklahoma • The Laboratory Charter School of Communication and
Languages, Pennsylvania
• Souderton Collaborative Charter School, Pennsylvania • Tidioute Community Charter School, Pennsylvania This award is given to schools “where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students’ levels of achievement,” according to a statement released by the Department of Education. Therefore, charter schools are competitive for national awards due to their high standards, diverse student population, and specific charter requirements which maintain standards and ongoing monitoring of student outcomes.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
WORKS CITED
Broy, A. & Rees, N. (2014). Study: charter high school students have 7-11% higher graduation rates. Forbes. Retrieved June 26, 2014 from www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/03/17/study-charter-high-school-graduation-rates-than-their-public-school-school-peers/. Charter School Resource Center. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2014, from http://www.charterschoolcenter.org/grants.
Government Accountabilty Office. (2011). Education of military dependent students: better information needed to assess student performance. Washington D.C.
Lake, R., Bowen, M., & Demerritt, A. (2012). Learning from charter management organizations: Strategies for student behavior and teacher coaching. Reinventing Public Education.
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. (2014). Retrieved June 26, 2014, from http://www.publiccharters.org/.
National Association of Charter School Authorizers. (2010). The state of charters school authorizing: a report on NACSA’s authorizer survey.
Retrieved on June 23, 2014, from http://www.qualitycharters.org/publications-resources/annual-authorizer-survey.html.
Shen, Y. (2011, May). National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved June 26, 2014, from http://www.ncsl.org/documents/educ/ AuthorizingCharterSchools.pdf.
United States Government Accountabily Office. (2013). Charter schools: guidance needed for miliary base schools on startup and operational issues. Washington, D.C. : Government Accountability Office.
MILITARY CHILD EDUCATION COALITION® (254) 953-1923 • (254) 953-1925 (fax)
909 Mountain Lion Circle Harker Heights, Texas 76548 www.MilitaryChild.org CFC #10261
