WEB RESOURCES ON CHARTER SCHOOLS

[ mary chaffee ]


In discussing charter schools, key resources found on the World Wide Web have been listed under three sections: links to the two charter schools featured in the lead article, key charter school Web resources which provide comprehensive information from a nation wide perspective, and CC­VI region-specific charter school web resources. Since Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota do not yet have charter schools, region-specific web sites will point only to web sites found in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Because there is so much material available, consider these key resources to be a stepping stone to the particular area of charter schools which is of specific interest to you, as a reader. Additionally, we invite you to visit the CC­VI Web Resource Library for a more extensive listing of web connections to resources on charter schools.
 SCHOOLS FEATURED IN THE LEAD ARTICLE


FENTON AVENUE CHARTER SCHOOL

[Found on the California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC.) web site.]
http://www.canec.org/schools/2_30c.htm

On the California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC) web site, you can find a copy of the Fenton Avenue Charter School's Charter Document. The Fenton Avenue Charter School is located in the northeast San Fernando Valley in the city of Lake View Terrace.


FRANCIS W. PARKER CHARTER SCHOOL
[Found on the Massachusetts Department of Education web site.]
http://www.doe.mass.edu/cs.www/cs.parker.html

A detailed profile of the Francis W. Parker Charter school, located in Fort Devens, Massachusetts, is found on the Massachusetts Department of Education web site in its Massachusetts Charter school Initiative section.


 KEY CHARTER SCHOOL WEB RESOURCES


CENTER FOR EDUCATION REFORM
http://www.edreform.com

The Center for Education Reform (CER) is a nonprofit national advocacy group working to improve the nation's schools. The CER web site provides an enormous amount of information on charter schools which is updated frequently. From the home page, scroll down to the index provided to the CER Web site and click on "Charter Schools." "Charter Schools" opens with a section entitled "About Charter Schools." In sections which follow, links are provided to publications on charter schools in such areas as progress reports, legislation, books and guides, and news and analysis as well an invitation to participate in CER's interactive Education Forum.


CHARTER SCHOOL RESEARCH PROJECT
http://csr.syr.edu/

The Charter School Research Project is a one of the best resources on the World Wide Web for research pertaining to charter schools. It offers an enormous selection of research materials to choose from. The site is user friendly and easy to navigate. Its guiding principle is interactivity. In addition to the research area, there is a discussion area where you may join and participate in various on-line forums.


EDUCATION WEEK
http://www.edweek.org/

The Education Week web site is an excellent web resource for many topics in education including charter schools. From the home page click on the "In Context" button. Then, click on the "Issues" button. Finally, click on the "Charter Schools" button. This section provides easy access to Education Week articles on charter schools (see "From the Archives") as well as publications found on the World Wide Web and links to other related organizations with web sites addressing the issue of charter schools.


HOW CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE DIFFERENT: LESSONS AND IMPLICATIONS FROM A NATIONAL STUDY
by Bruno V. Manno, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Louann A. Bierlein, and Gregg Vanourek, March 1998
[Found on Hudson Institute's Educational Excellence Network.]
http://edexcellence.net/library/kappan.htm

In this article, the authors provide background information on the Charter Schools in Action project which was a two-year study, a project of the Hudson Institute's Educational Excellence Network, supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The article takes a close look at the innovative ways in which some actual charter schools organize and support themselves, and presents five lessons that charter schools offer American education. The entire article is available on-line and can be downloaded.


A NATIONAL STUDY OF CHARTER SCHOOLS - JULY 1998
[Found on the U. S. Department of Education web site.]
http://ed.gov/pubs/charter98/appendixb.htm

The U. S. Department of Education's web site makes available on-line an enormous number of articles, national studies, and papers within its Publications and Products section. Make your way to this section and then select and / or search various data banks with your topic of interest. There is a lot available on charter schools including the National Study of Charter Schools - July 1998.


CHARTER SCHOOLS: CHALLENGING TRADITIONS AND CHANGING ATTITUDES
Issue Brief - September 1, 1998
[From the National Governors' Association (NGA) web site.]
http://www.nga.org/Pubs/IssueBriefs/1998/

Quoting from the summary provided for this NGA issue brief (September 1, 1998) on charter schools: "...[it] reviews the origins of the charter school movement, explains why proponents believe charter schools improve public education, explores major issues in charter school operation and describes key elements of charter school statutes. Charter school initiatives in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina provide useful insights to states that are considering charter school legislation."


CHARTER SCHOOLS THE NORTHWEST EXPERIENCE
[Found on the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) web site.]
http://www.nwrel.org/charter/

The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's current projects on charter schools include the development of charter school leadership training, collection and dissemination of charter school training materials, and state and school level evaluation services.


CHARTER SCHOOLS
[Found on Pathways, NCREL web site.]
http://www.ncrel.org/   http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/pathwayg.htm

There is a wealth of information to be found on NCREL's Pathway to School Improvement web site regarding charter schools. From the home page select "Topics" from the side menu bar. Then, click on "Charter Schools." A page of "Contents" appears which covers links to: What's New, Issues, Publications and Articles, Internet Resources, Policy Briefs and Publications, an Online Discussion Group and information on NCREL states which include Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.


US CHARTER SCHOOLS
http://www.uscharterschools.org/

The US Charter Schools web site is, without question, one of the best resources on the World Wide Web regarding charter schools. Funded by the US Department of Education, the site is well laid out and easy to navigate. It provides well written, in-depth comprehensive information on Charter schools nationwide.

 CC­VI REGION SPECIFIC WEB RESOURCES
Michigan


MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL ACADEMIES (MAPSA) "FOR OUR CHILDREN"
http://www.charterschools.org/core.htm/

The MAPSA web site has useful information on charter schools specific to the state of Michigan.

 Minnesota


CHARTER FRIENDS NATIONAL NETWORK
http://www.charterfriends.org/

The Charter Friends National Network was established in January of 1997 as a project of the Center for Policy Studies in cooperation with Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. The web site is user friendly and has a lot of useful information. From the home page you can click to the following sections: Directory of State Contacts, Charter Friends Toolkit, Friends Network Publications, Major Charter Friends Initiatives, Writings on Education Policy, Charter Events Calendar, Friends Network Feedback, and Links to Other On-Line Resources.


MINNESOTA ASSOCIATION OF CHARTER SCHOOLS (MACS)
http://www.mncharterschools.org/

The MACS web site provides information on charter schools specific to Minnesota. Some of the information found on the site includes school profiles, information regarding legislation, a calendar, and resources.


MINNESOTA'S CHARTER SCHOOLS
http://www.cfl.state.mn.us/charter/

This delightful site is a Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning supported site. It is nicely laid out and contains comprehensive information on charter schools within the state of Minnesota. See their links to other Minnesota web resource sites.

 Wisconsin


WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dlsis/edop /charter.html

On the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction web site, information on charter schools can be found as a program under the section entitled "Education Options." The Charter School page offers an overview of charter schools in Wisconsin as well as a contact person.

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FROM THE DIRECTOR: BEYOND THE CONTROVERSIAL IN CHARTER SCHOOLS

[ about the author ]

MARY CHAFFEE is a Research and Outreach Specialist for the Comprehensive Center­Region VI.

 

CHARTER SCHOOLS: DIFFERENT MISSIONS, COMMON ISSUES

DR. WAYNE SANSTEAD: WHY WE DON'T HAVE CHARTER SCHOOLS IN NORTH DAKOTA

CHARTER SCHOOL LAWS: MOTIVATORS OR BARRIERS

SHAPING POSITIVE CULTURES IN CHARTER SCHOOLS

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE SEVEN C'S OF SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS

WEB RESOURCES ON CHARTER SCHOOLS