U.S. Department of Education's Charter School Programs Announces FY 2023 CMO Awardees
On March 31, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Charter School Programs (CSP) Charter Management Organization (CMO) Grant program awarded approximately $103.6 million in new grant funds to 13 CMOs across the country to replicate and expand one or more high-quality charter schools.
Congratulations to the grant recipients. For more information about the new grantees, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter School Programs’ website.
Notice Inviting Applications for State Entity Grant Program
The Department has published the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for the FY 2023 CSP Grants to State Entities (SE) for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools. Applications are due June 5, 2023. You may learn more about eligibility and requirements for this opportunity by reviewing the NIA and accessing the competition website.
Call for Peer Reviewers for State Entity Grant Program
The Department is seeking individuals from diverse backgrounds and regions to serve as peer reviewers to assess FY 2023 grant applications for the SE Program. Peer reviews will be held virtually from June-July 2023. Peer reviewers will receive an honorarium for their service. Additional information on qualifications and requirements is available on CSP's website.
Are You Headed for a Fiscal Cliff?
Grant funding and philanthropic support have helped many charter schools on their path towards fulfilling their missions and visions. But how do you sustain effective programs when your grant funding runs out? A new resource released by the National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC) provides charter school leaders with a toolkit to help determine if 1) grant-funded programs were effective and 2) how to build a pathway to continue to sustain these programs after funding ends. Charter school leadership teams can use this resource and the accompanying worksheet to help them determine which programs to keep and which to let go to avoid a fiscal cliff.
National Charter Schools Week is May 7-13
Mark your calendar! National Charter Schools Week is just around the corner! Each year, this week provides an opportunity to reflect upon the impact charter schools have on students, families, and communities. Since 2001, CSP has played a critical role in expanding the number of high-quality charter schools across the United States. It accomplishes this through its seven main purposes as outlined by Section 4301 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA):
- Expand opportunities for all students, particularly traditionally underserved students, to attend charter schools and meet challenging state academic standards;
- Provide financial assistance for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of public charter schools;
- Increase the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the United States;
- Evaluate the impact of charter schools on student achievement, families, and communities;
- Share best practices between charter schools and other public schools;
- Encourage states to provide facilities support to charter schools; and,
- Support efforts to strengthen the charter school authorizing process.
Create a Community of Care in Your School During National Mental Health Awareness Month
Supporting student mental health is a critical component in the recovery from the pandemic. NCSRC has created a suite of new resources aimed at helping charter schools develop systems that support student mental health through communities of care. The publication shares strategies for comprehensive and responsive support systems and the recorded webinar brings the concepts to life with an interview featuring Uplift Education’s Chief Well-Being and SEL Officer Dr. John Gasko. The accompanying workbook provides tools for school leaders to use with their teams to create their own community of care.
ICYMI: WestEd Releases Publication on Community-Based Authorizing
Across the country, more than 900 charter school authorizers are responsible for ensuring that schools operating within their portfolios are meeting the needs of the students and families in their communities. Yet there is debate about the authorizer’s role in assessing community assets and needs and incorporating findings into subsequent authorizing work.
Several approaches to the work of community-based authorizing are emerging, as this is a new field within the charter sector. This brief examines those strategies and suggests ways to use these data to inform authorizing practices and decisions. The brief also details some of the main barriers to community-based authorizing and discusses a few related solutions.