Charter and Community Schools: A Director's Handbook

by William Callison

Overview

Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. This handbook provides the vital information a director needs to understand in order to operate a charter school including:
· Initiating and responding to change
· Preparing the organization to implement change
· Support for instruction and learning
· Assessment and evaluation
· School law, policies, and politics

People establish charter schools for a variety of reasons—to realize an educational vision, to gain autonomy, or to serve a particular population. This book offers guidance to all who are considering the charter school model especially parents and teachers, school districts, community-based organizations (CB's), teachers, administrators, families, students, and other key stakeholders such as businesses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810846029
Publisher:	R&L Education
Publication date:	02/04/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

William Callison, is professor of Educational Leadership at California State University at Fullerton. He has been deeply involved in the creation of a new charter school in Orange County, California, which will utilize multiple intelligences, developed by Howard Gardner, and All Kinds of Minds, developed by Mel Levine. He has also been involved in the creation of alternative programs such as Project Upward Bound, a national program for potential dropouts started in 1965, as the Western Regional Director; as the Director of Head Start Supplementary Training, an alternative staff training effort involving scores of small staff and parent groups in every state; and in supervising dozens of school administrators every year for 27 years as they sought to create new programs and schools, including a number of alternative schools.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Challenges Faced by Charter School Founders Part 2 Parent Involvement Strengthens Academic Performance of Students Part 3 Leadership and Charter Schools: Providing Purpose and Direction Part 4 Instructional Strategies for Charter and Community Schools Part 5 Understanding and Managing Conflict in Small, Highly Democratic Schools Part 6 Introducing Change within the School Part 7 Establishing a Plan to Promote Change and Agreement within the School Organization Part 8 Parent Involvement Using Shared Decision Making Part 9 Parent Involvement Improves Academic Performance Part 10 Seeking Funding for Your School Part 11 Planning and Supervision of Curriculum Part 12 Planning and Supervision of Instruction and the Learning Environment Part 13 Planning and Supervising the Use of Technology Part 14 Identifying At-Risk Students Using Risk Assessment Part 15 Establishing a Climate for Staff Acceptance of Assessment and Evaluation Part 16 Self-Evaluation for Director and Teachers Part 17 Assessing Student Progress Part 18 Clinical Supervision and Evaluation Part 19 Evaluation of Program Effectiveness Part 20 Legal Responsibilities of the Director Part 21 Public Relations and Media Relations Part 22 Understanding Different Political Positions in Schools Part 23 Utilizing Federal, State, and Community Resources Part 24 Using the Internet and CD-ROMs