NACSA | For Members | Member Spotlight
College of Education, University of Missouri
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August, 2009
Interview by Erica E. Jones
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Type of Authorizer: Higher Education Institution
Number of Charter Schools Currently Authorized:1
Number of Charter School Campuses: 2
Contact:
Dr. Deborah Carr, Chair, Dept of Educational School and Counseling Psychology
(573) 882-5081
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Suzanne Love, Charter School Liaison
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Judy Forrester, Charter School Liaison
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Authorizer Profile: The College of Education at the University of Missouri began authorizing in 2007 when approached about becoming a charter school sponsor. The University felt like it would be an excellent opportunity to learn more about charter schools and be involved in improving public education in Missouri. The University currently authorizes one charter school on two campuses (k-5 on one campus, and 6-12 on the other).
What is your vision for charter schools?
Suzanne Love (SL) & Judy Forrester (JF): The opportunities and possibilities for charters and kids are phenomenal. Our ultimate goal is for students to perform well academically and be prepared for the transition into life after graduation. Our vision for charter schools is a school of choice that is a better alternative than what is provided within the host district. Schools need to be safe, but we also need to push harder on the academic side and meet all student needs.
How did you get involved in authorizing?
SL & JF: We had both been teachers and administrators with the Independence School District in Missouri for over 20 years. A few years ago, the Independence School District partnered with the University of Missouri via the MU Partnership for Educational Renewal. The partnership provided opportunities for pre-service teachers studying at the University to work in Independence public schools. We served as liaisons between the University and the district, so we had a lot of contacts at the University. With our knowledge of public schools and our relationships with the University, it was a great transition from retirement into the position of Charter School Liaison.
How do you describe a “quality” authorizer?
SL & JF: A quality authorizer makes academic achievement and compliance with state statutes its primary goals. A quality authorizer realizes that it is their responsibility to see that their schools perform - it’s the ultimate accountability piece.
How do you describe a “successful” authorizer?
SL & JF: A successful authorizer provides avenues for success, regular oversight, and site reviews that set the standard for high quality and direction for the school improvement process. We monitor progress yearly to track the growth of students.
In our role as authorizer we work very closely with our Board of Directors specifically in the areas of roles and responsibilities. We also work closely with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education monitoring compliance and oversight. A successful authorizer should serve as a link between the state and the school, connecting resources and providing guidance in meeting state requirements.
We also work collaboratively with other sponsors and Charter organizations to keep abreast of best practices for Charter Schools. In Kansas City we work with sponsors to provide training for Charter School Board members and Business Managers.
What are the major challenges your office faces annually; how do you address them?
SL & JF: One of the most glaring challenges we face is a lack of knowledge about charter schools. Another challenge is that we have to demand that schools improve the academic achievement of their students. However, in the realm of public schools, a lot of parents are simply satisfied if the school is safe. Yes, all schools need to be safe, but we are in the business of education, so we have to get beyond the safety issue and into the learning realm. Keeping students safe is not enough; they need to learn.
Getting everyone to believe that all kids can learn is also a challenge. We work with various stakeholders with the belief that all students can learn if they receive quality instruction in a safe, supportive environment.
Finally, the charter school we authorize is not in close proximity to the University. In Missouri, most authorizers are within the district where their charter schools are located. However, our charter school is 150 miles away from the University, which presents a challenge.
What inspires you?
SL: My current passion is teaching teachers. We have a lot to offer people – just seeing and working with teachers and school leadership and learning from each other is motivating. The kids also inspire me – working with them and thinking about what our efforts can mean for their lives. When we walk in the door, the kids greet us warmly.
JF: I am inspired by knowing that all kids can learn. Money does not have to be the mitigating factor in achievement, it’s problem solving and working together to find the best solutions to meet the needs of kids.
SL & JF: We work as a team to do one full-time position. We each bring different skills to the table, which helps us perform our authorizing duties more effectively than either one of us could do alone. We have a great synergy that helps us to effectively carry out our authorizing duties. Through our work, we hope to make an impact and contribute to improving the overall quality of education in Missouri. However, there is still a high learning curve for us. Neither of us were very knowledgeable about charters when we first started this work less than two years ago, so we are quickly getting up to speed.
What is the most pressing issue that authorizers must tackle in the next 5 years if we are to grow a high quality charter sector?
SL & JF: Authorizers must push for student achievement. If student achievement is not improving, what consequences do we have in place?
How do you determine if your authorizing office is successful?
SL & JF: We are successful if we can demonstrate that students in our schools had an overall growth in learning. There are a variety of indicators for learning, but the bottom line is that we need to see that kids are improving. A big piece of that is teacher quality. There are a lot of new teachers in the system, and we have seen them grow. You can’t necessarily measure teacher growth, but you can definitely see it in their students.
Several people have asked us if the University plans to authorize additional schools. We might authorize additional schools in the future, but right now, we are just trying to be sure that we have quality authorizing practices in place. We have been working closely with Doug Thaman at NACSA to improve our processes; this has helped us a lot, but we still have a lot to learn. We want to get it right before we sponsor additional schools.
How have you worked with NACSA to improve school choice options in Missouri?
SL & JF: NACSA has been engaged in an aggressive strategy to strengthen the role of the sponsor within Missouri and provide the children of Missouri with excellent educational opportunities. We had input on the model authorizing documents that NACSA presented to our State Board of Education, and we were also involved in all of the meetings to create a Missouri state-wide sponsor/authorizer network.
Doug Thaman of NACSA also worked with us one-on-one to go through a strategic planning process with the University. In fact, Doug was on our speed dial! First, we had to educate everyone around the table at the University (Deans, Professors, Administrators, etc.), because no one knew what charters were or what they were about. However, everyone had a common understanding that at the end of the day, we are sponsoring a school to help students achieve. Now, we even have several student groups on campus that are interested in supporting the charter school and doing book drives and other activities with the school.
Any final take-away thoughts that you want to share?
SL & JF: We like our job because we like building relationships with people. When we did the charter school site reviews, a great cross-section of people from the University’s College of Education participated. Once we got them into the schools they were hooked! Consequently, the professors told their students about the charters and brought a few students to the school to observe; they too became hooked. Some professors have also invited charter school students to the University of Missouri campus for a “day on campus.” We are even looking into purchasing a teleconferencing system to increase interaction between the charter school and the University.
The better our relationships are with the charter school and other stakeholders, the better our results will be. We feel very accepted at the charter school, and there is a sense that we are all in this together. We have even taken some of the charter school teachers at our school to other districts so that they can observe and learn from others. We connect the school and teachers to resources and regularly meet with administrators. We try to balance giving the charter school information, but letting them make their own decisions.
The work we do is truly rewarding and exciting when we improve the lives of students.
