Webinars

Sign up now for NACSA's practice-oriented webinar series. Webinars on additional topics will be added in the coming weeks. Webinars are free of charge.

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PAST WEBINARS / DISCUSSIONS

Does Innovation Matter Anymore? Shifting Priorities in Chartering’s Second Decade.
Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 12 p.m. CT
Moderator: Paul O'Neill, President and Founder of Tugboat Education Services
This was an interactive 60-minute discussion on the new questions facing charter school authorizers.
Listen: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/425236190

Authorizer Index Report - An Overview
Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 1 p.m. CT
Presenter: Sean Conlan, Director of Research and Evaluation, National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Listen: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/581305558

Join Sean Conlan, director of research and evaluation, NACSA, for an overview of NACSA's recently published Index of Essential Practices.

This index, for the first time, articulates 12 essential authorizing practices and presents information about how many of these essential practices are being implemented by the nation’s largest authorizers.

The 12 essential practices are taken directly from NACSA’s long-standing and universally-recognized Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing.

Using responses to its 2011 authorizer survey, NACSA scored each authorizer on the Index of Essential Practices. Authorizers received one point for each of the 12 essential practices they reported. The scored responses of each authorizer that responded to NACSA’s 2011 authorizer survey are included in this report.

This report, and the discussions that will follow, mark an important step in instilling best practices amongst the nation’s charter school authorizers.

Best Practices in Application Process Decision Making – A NACSA 2011 Conference Preview
Presenter: Rachel Ksenyak, Consultant to the National Assocation of Charter School Authorizers
Date: September 27, 2011
Listen: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/409025294

Funding and Policy Frameworks for Virtual Learning
Presenter: Susan Patrick, International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)

Virtual learning, cyber charters, and blended learning stretch policy makers and authorizers to think about new ways to evaluate, monitor and determine school success.  The presenter discussed the policy, funding and practical issues that arise in virtual learning, and address pressing questions such as, should the rules for bricks and mortar schools apply to virtual learning and what policy concerns arise and what potential solutions exist in this emerging education method?

Charter School Closure: A Practical Approach
Presenter: Matt Shaw, President, MDS Advisors

Charter school closure, though sometimes challenging and emotionally charged, is an essential aspect of the charter school movement.  School closure is difficult for all stakeholders, including the authorizer. However, the authorizer, in conjunction with the school leadership, has the opportunity to orchestrate a smooth, successful closure.

This webinar highlighted various issues related to the school closure process and how authorizers can close schools in a responsible, orderly, and efficient manner.

Investigating Quality Authorizing for Online and Blended Learning Charter Schools
Presenter: Chris Rapp, Evergreen Education Group
Date: Thursday, April 14

Online and blended learning have grown dramatically in K-12 education in the past dozen years, creating countless new opportunities for students and educators, and, in many cases, demonstrating improved student outcomes.  As of late 2010, online and blended charter schools existed in more than 20 states, serving more than 100,000 students.  Despite the presence and growth of online charter schools, little research has been done regarding the practices of online charter school authorizers.

Recently NACSA teamed with the Evergreen Education Group to conduct a preliminary environmental scan in order to identify key issues that authorizers of online charter schools experience.  This webinar presented the key issues along with a brief discussion of the next steps to ensure quality authorizing of online and blended charter schools.

What Research Tells Us About Charter Management Organization Success
Date: Tuesday, March 8
Presenters: Robin Lake, Center on Reinventing Public Education; Penny Wohlstetter, University of Southern California

This session provided insight into a study from the Center on Reinventing Public Education that highlights the successes, challenges and steps along the way as management organizations are founded and start to grow. The presenters shared their research on management organizations on a variety of topics, including replication and governance. This session fulfilled its promises to change the way attendees look at management organizations in the future.

How Pre-K Multiplies Education Reform Efforts
Date: Thursday, February 24
Time: 2pm Central Time (3pm Eastern Time)
Presenters: Marci Young, The Pew Charitable Trusts; Jack McCarthy, AppleTree Institute

A vast body of research demonstrates that high-quality pre-k raises literacy and math achievement, lowers grade retention, reduces remedial and special education needs and increases high school graduation rates. The evidence is clear and compelling: like a child's developing brain, the most successful school reform plans begin in the earliest years. This session allowed authorizerLearn what you can do as an authorizer to ensure successful charter schools are supporting high-quality pre-kindergarten to prepare and motivate students to achieve at higher levels, multiplying the impact of other reforms. 

Is there an advocacy role for authorizers in education reform?
Date: Wednesday, February 16
Presenters: Andrew J. Rotherham, Bellwether Education Partners; John Deasy, Los Angeles Unified School District; Jonah Edelman, Stand for Children

Turn on the T.V. news, scroll through recent movie releases, or surf the web - Education reform is a hot topic not only in the news, but in state capitols and homes across the nation.  Where do authorizers fit in the education reform puzzle?  There are so many different types of authorizers with varying levels of political barriers.  What should be the expectation in authorizers being advocates for school choice?  NACSA advisory board member Andrew Rotherham and special guests from his "11 Education Activists for 2011" list discuseds this issue.  

Building the Foundation: How Strong Application Practices Lead to Strong Charter Schools
Date: Thursday, February 10
Presenter: Doug Thaman, NACSA

This session provided attendees with an overview of a model application process – from establishing an RFP, to evaluating applications, to presenting recommendations to the deciding board for a charter approval or denial vote. The session included a detailed walk-through of a model evaluation rubric, and attendees had the opportunity to use the rubric to evaluate pieces of a written application and develop follow-up questions for the applicant. 

Follow the Money: How to Monitor Financial Health Effectively
Presenters: Katie Piehl, Volunteers of America of Minnesota; Ben Aase, LarsonAllen; David Hruby, SUNY Charter Schools Institute

Just exactly how does a quality authorizer analyze financial performance effectively without monitoring every transaction? This session examined the practices of authorizers who effectively monitor school finances without micromanaging the money. Attendees received examples and tools used by authorizers that they can use in their own practice. They also gained experience in analyzing mock financial documents, sharing their findings and discussing what corrective actions they should take in a given situation.

What NACSA's Research on Authorizing Reveals About Quality Charter Schools
Presenters: Alex Medler, NACSA; Sean Conlan, NACSA

The State of Charter School Authorizing 2010: Third Annual Report on NACSA's Authorizer Survey provided an overview of the policies, practices, and characteristics of the nation's charter school authorizers both large and small. It also built upon the data presented in the first two reports on NACSA's authorizer survey and is organized around the NACSA Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing. In this webinar, Alex Medler and Sean Conlan discussed key findings from the report and offered analysis and insights drawn from The State of Charter School Authorizing 2010. Participants also discussed the implications of national authorizing trends on individual authorizers. View Webinar

NACSA's 2010 Principles & Standards and the Challenge of High Quality Authorizing 
Presenter: Alex Medler, Ph.D., Vice President of Policy and Research, NACSA
 
In 2010, NACSA embarked upon a major revision to its Principles & Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing. Participants of this session explored how this document articulates and promotes the concept of high quality authorizing. Attendees examined how they can apply the elements of this guide to enhance their practices and heard examples of how authorizers with high quality schools use these principles and standards to ensure school success.

Principles & Standards is recognized as the sole source for guidance on how to best implement and maintain high standards in charter school authorizing. NACSA releases the publication annually to help further strengthen the charter school sector, and foster the growth and number of high quality charter schools. Download the Webinar Power Point Presentation