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Association Blog

Minority families shouldn’t have to take a backseat when choosing quality options

By Jamar Younger

What’s the difference between forced segregation and voluntary association?

Two students recently explored this topic in a short, but poignant video created by Choice Media.

Although critics may scapegoat charters for increased segregation, supporters, including thousands of parents, will say these charters have provided increased education opportunities for minority students, particularly African-Americans in underserved areas with historically low-achieving schools.

Many will also note that this country, its neighborhoods and school systems were already deeply segregated way before the arrival of charter schools.

Besides, there’s a difference between forced segregation and choosing a school that presents the best opportunity for your student.

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Press Releases

Association Statement on Governor Ducey’s Executive Budget

Eileen B. Sigmund, President and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association, released the following statement in response to Governor Ducey’s Executive Budget:

“Today, Governor Ducey released a budget proposal that reflects his commitment to K-12 education and makes crucial investments in Arizona schools, teachers and students.

“As he had promised, public education receives the lion’s share of new dollars in the Governor’s spending plan; K-12 schools would see a welcome infusion of $400 million in the coming year. That includes much needed additional resources for capital, teacher pay and other school needs.

“As Governor Ducey said earlier this week ‘we’ll never check the box on public education.’ We agree – but this spending plan takes a positive, meaningful and sustainable step toward ensuring Arizona schools and teachers have the support they need to succeed for Arizona students.

“On behalf of the Arizona Charter Schools Association, we thank Governor Ducey for his continued attention to K-12 education and building a strong coalition. As the budget process moves forward, we pledge to work with the Governor and legislators to ensure our state delivers a winning plan for Arizona students and families.”

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Press Releases

Charter Association Commends Governor for Commitment to K-12 Education

Governor’s State of the State Address Highlights Student Success, Promises to Maintain and Restore Funding

“Governor Ducey is right: Arizona public schools are improving. Students across our state are making significant gains in academic performance, and we are seeing real progress closing the achievement gap among students of color. I’m proud the 185,000 Arizona students attending public charter schools are setting the pace in achievement. Charter students of every racial and ethnic group have outperformed the state average for each of the past three years.

“We commend the Governor for his commitment to restore K-12 education funding and maintain investments in targeted programs, which provide stability to all of our public schools.

“As budget discussions move forward, we stand ready to assist Governor Ducey and legislators in our shared mission to bring a quality education to every Arizona student. Let’s get to work!”

-Eileen B. Sigmund, President and CEO of Arizona Charter Schools Association

 

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Association Blog

ACLU misses mark, charter schools provide critical alternative

By Eileen Sigmund

The ACLU is worried about public schools with “exclusionary” enrollment policies? That’s good to know.

Because for all but the last 20 years of our state’s existence, where you went to school depended on where you lived. Affluent families could afford to buy homes in expensive neighborhoods with high-quality schools. As for everyone else, we were at the mercy of our local district school. Students stuck in failing schools had no escape.

Talk about enrollment suppression and discrimination …

Thankfully, this injustice was significantly curtailed in Arizona over the last two decades with the adoption of open enrollment policies and advent of charter schools. These were hard-fought wins, achieved over the staunch opposition of the education establishment – namely the teacher’s union and school districts.

Where has the ACLU been? Not with Arizona families fighting for access to better schools.

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Association Blog

New charter schools will provide expanded opportunities for Arizona students

By Jamar Younger

Charter school enrollment has been trending upward for the past 20 years, with charters now serving 17 percent of Arizona’s public school students, a 6 percent increase over FY16.

The trend is set to continue after the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools approved the applications of five new charter schools that are set to open next August. The Board approved the new schools during its regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 11.

These new charters will provide a range of options for students, from STEM curriculums to a dual language immersion program.

The schools will serve about 700 students total, many from low-income neighborhoods in the Phoenix area and Tucson. The Arizona Charter Schools Association provided support for these schools by reviewing their applications, conducting mock interviews and giving guidance throughout the process.

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Association Blog Charters Changing Lives

Central Phoenix charter school makes the jump from remedial to rigorous

By Jamar Younger

Phoenix College Preparatory Academy has embarked on a dramatic evolution since the school opened in 2003.

The central Phoenix public charter school, affiliated with Phoenix College, originally opened as a remedial school that catered to students who fell behind in their studies and needed to recover credits to graduate.

Over the years, the school has moved from one serving students who fell behind to a rigorous college prep school helping students get ahead.

The school’s AzMERIT scores have steadily increased within the last three years, rising above the state average, earning an ‘A’ in this year’s preliminary letter grade system.

Phoenix College Prep’s enrollment has more than doubled within the last five years, from 67 to 175 students. About 90 percent of the school’s students qualify for free-and-reduced lunch, said Principal Keith Brown.

More than half of the school’s senior class is on track to receive their associate’s degree by time they graduate in the spring.

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Association Blog Press Releases

Association responds to ACLU attack on charter schools

Eileen B. Sigmund, president and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association, has made the following statement:

“Arizona charter schools are public schools and open to every Arizona family. That is the law and has been the guiding principle behind the charter movement over the past two decades.

Public charter schools are meeting tremendous public demand, and 185,000 Arizona students now attend a charter school of their choice. Contrary to the spurious and misleading allegations contained in an ACLU hit piece, enrollment data across charter schools demonstrate they are educating a student population that is increasingly diverse and representative of Arizona’s student body.

It is clear this attack makes broad-brush accusations that are misleading or are not violations of the law. The reason is simple: The ACLU has an anti-charter agenda. That’s why, despite the fact that district schools enroll approximately 84 percent of Arizona students, the ACLU purposefully limited its inquiry to charter schools. The ACLU has taken a similar tact in issuing anti-charter ‘reports’ in other states, with the unspoken intent to roll-back school-choice laws and undermine the ability of families to determine what school is best for their children.

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Association Blog

Celebrating 2017 Charter Award Winners and Finalists

By Megan Gilbertson

Congratulations to all of the 2017 Charter Award winners and finalists! More than 100 people gathered Wednesday at the Hotel Palomar Phoenix to honor these outstanding examples of public charter school success. Guests included state legislators, corporate partners and last year’s award winners, who introduced the 2017 recipients.

The stories of our 2017 Charter Award winners and finalists are truly inspiring. These committed educators are positively impacting thousands of Arizona students, and we are thrilled to call them our Transformational Leader, Business Leader, Teacher and Charter School of the Year.

For the last two decades, our state has been a national leader in education freedom as evidence by the rapid growth of charter school enrollment. We at the Association have worked to provide a strong and unified voice for public charter schools.

Of course, school choice is no choice at all without quality options. Hard work remains to bring more excellent educators and schools like our 2017 Charter Award winners to ALL communities.

We’d like to thank all those who attended, and once again congratulate our award winners and finalists. We hope you enjoy our 2017 Charter Award videos below.

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Education Blog

GO WEST, YOUNG STUDENTS: ARIZONA’S GROWTH SINCE THE 80’s

Most Arizonans know that the state has experienced rapid growth over the past several decades. With 1.1 million students, Arizona’s public school population was the 13th largest in the nation in 2015, the most recent year reported.

But just how quickly have student populations risen, relative to other states?

We found that Arizona’s K-12 public school population more than doubled from 1987 to 2015, according to recently released data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Only Nevada saw a larger percentage gain in students during that time period, while the nation as a whole experienced a 27 percent growth in its K-12 student population.

The table shows the top five states in terms of relative growth, along with the national totals. Click on the bar graph for a better view of each of the 50 states, and Washington D.C.

Public School Student Population Growth: Top Five

Public School Student Population Growth Since 1987: All 50 States

 

Most of Arizona’s growth occurred from 1987 to 2006, a nearly twenty year span when the state averaged a 3.6% annual gain in student population. Since then, the student population has remained stable at around 1.1 million students.

The visualization below shows a year-by-year look at how student populations have grown in each state. Use the “Year” filter on the right to toggle through various years and see how the student population ascended or declined in a given state that year. For best results, click the “full screen” icon at the bottom right of the tool.

 

Footnotes and References

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD)

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Association Blog

Devoted ELL kindergarten teacher sees empathy and flexibility as keys to success

2017 Charter School Teacher of the Year: Bonnie Weppner

By Jamar Younger

Bonnie Weppner believes her career has come full circle since she began teaching in 1974.

At the time, Weppner taught English Language Learners and migrant farm workers in Austin, Texas, many of whom were the first non-English speakers allowed to attend public school.

Now, she is working with kindergartners at Pioneer Preparatory School: A Challenge Foundation Academy who are similar to her first students from more than 40 years ago, trying to learn English while adjusting to the rigors of elementary school and, for some, living in a new country.

The veteran ELL teacher has devoted most of her life to educating non-English speakers, developing an approach that relies on empathy, kindness and love.

That approach has endeared Weppner to both her students and their families.

It’s also the reason she was been named the 2017 Arizona Public Charter School Teacher of the Year.

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