Resources Filtered by: Colorado

Report |

Searching for Excellence: A Five-City, Cross-State Comparison of Charter School Quality

This March 2013 report from the Public Impact and Thomas B. Fordham Institute offers analysis of the quality of charter schools in five cities: Albany, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; and Indianapolis, Indiana. The report, using data for the 2010-2011 school year, covers comparisons with traditional public schools, the record of performance among charter schools, and issues driving charter school closure and expansion.

Presentation |

Denver District-Charter Collaboration Council, 2012 Presentation

This presentation at the November 2012 Best Cooperative Practices: Charter and Traditional Public Schools Conference in Denver, Colorado, focuses on the structure and operation of the Denver District-Charter Collaboration Council.

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A Mission to Serve: How Public Charter Schools Are Designed to Meet the Diverse Demands of Our Communities

This report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) profiles six charter schools that have “proved successful at closing the achievement gap for their largely African American and Latino student populations” and examines the different enrollment strategies at the schools, with some focused on underserved areas and others being more representative of their entire city.

Toolkit |

Framework for Effective Teaching: Evidence Guide

Denver Public Schools' Framework for Effective Teaching is a model that charter schools might want to further explore when designing teacher evaluation systems.

Website |

Colorado League of Charter Schools: New School Development and Replication

Through multimedia, including videos and downloadable publications, the Colorado League of Charter Schools has built a comprehensive website to guide individuals interested in developing  new charter schools or replicating a successful model in a new location. Although some resources are applicable to those wishing to start a charter school in Colorado only, the documents pertaining to SMART goals, writing grants, and other topics are pertinent to all audiences throughout the country.

Website |

Starting a Charter School in Colorado

Developed as a collaborative effort between the Colorado League of Charter Schools, the Colorado Department of Education, and the Charter School Institute, the Starting a Charter School in Colorado website was designed to help prospective developers navigate the application process. Included are an application process flowchart,  an application checklist and review rubric, and Colorado-specific contract resources.

Report |

Better Choices: Charter Incubation As a Strategy for Improving the Charter School Sector

This December 2011 policy brief from the Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute discusses the use and means of supporting local incubator organizations designed to develop high-quality charter schools, charter networks, and school leaders.

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The Approval Barrier to Suburban Charter Schools

This 2002 report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute focuses on conditions in four states that have influenced the development of charter schools in suburban communities. The context for charter schools in suburban Colorado, New Jersey, and Connecticut is described and then compared to conditions in Illinois. The report by Pushpam Jain of the University of Maine covers the role of laws, parents, state agency support, and the impact of issues such as desegregation.

Book |

Charter Schools in Eight States: Effects on Achievement, Attainment, Integration, and Competition

This study, conducted by RAND researchers, used student-level data to compare public charter schools in Chicago, San Diego, Philadelphia, Denver, Milwaukee, and the states of Ohio, Texas, and Florida, with traditional public schools.

Presentation |

Colorado City-Specific Strategies

The National Charter School Resource Center and the U.S. Department of Education hosted a full-day conference in New Orleans on May 12, 2011, titled Transforming Urban Public Education: Exploring the Potential of City-Based Strategies. The presenters explored emerging city-based movements that are embracing high-quality charter schools as an integral component of citywide reform initiatives that are designed to improve the quality of public education for all students.