School Choice & Accountability

Current Status of Charters

• TEA permission to open a charter is more difficult to obtain
• Financial accountability issues

Charter School Trend by the Numbers

Students Served in Texas

Disparity in Execution

• Some charter schools are terrible
• Do not live up to mandate of charter or serve needs of all students

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Role of Charters

• Provide choices for struggling learners or provide needed curricular options to support local districts
• Shouldn't operate with lack of transparency or accountability

Breakdown of Charter Schools

Charters Accomplishing Great Things

• IDEA- U.S. News & World Report 2015, six IDEA College Prep high schools are among the top 500 high schools nationwide (and in the top 60 in Texas)
• YES Prep- Ranked in the top 20 "America's Most Challenging High Schools" by the Washington Post in 2013 Top 100 Public Schools (repeatedly): Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report

RMA-Texas

• Transparent about operations & finances
• Alternative accountability
• Desire to share and collaborate with local districts

Four Cornerstones

• Dropout recovery
• Pregnant students & student parents
• Homeless students
• High need special education students
• *Adjudicated youth, homeschoolers, older students

Flipped classroom
Credit acceleration
Uniform curriculum
Canvas
Local district alignment
Student leadership/ clubs

RMA's Niches

• True dropouts- students who are not in school
• Out of cohort students- not eligible for alternative schools
• Working and/or parents- students who are working or have children
• Accelerated students who wish to advance

Boutique Education Approach

• Many stakeholders serving small niche markets
• We must work together because a rising tide lifts all boats

District School Benefits

• Eliminate students from your 98 list of dropouts
• Provide educational options for students who are struggling in traditional setting
• Create partnership where students can return to local school after earning credits

Charters are not all the same.

District & Charter Partnerships

• YES Prep SKY Partnership at Spring Branch ISD
• Grand Prairie ISD Partnership with Uplift Grand charter school

Future Partnerships

• Alternative students
• Adjudicated youth
• We don't have answers to everything, but we have good questions
• Charters & Districts can't do this alone

Questions?