Join WestEd’s Robin Chait, Aimee Evans, and Steve Canavero at the 2021 National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Virtual Leadership Conference, October 14, 18, 20, and 22. The conference theme this year is Evolving Together: New Work for New Times.
For 20 years, NACSA has provided authorizers with the tools, expertise, and know-how to ensure quality and equity in public schools. This year’s conference supports professional authorizers — from learning how to partner with communities to ensuring equitable education opportunities for all students.
Check out our presentations below.
Monday, October 18
Session: Community Interest in Assessing District Impact
Time: 11:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m. (Pacific) / 2:00 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (Eastern)
Presenters: Robin Chait, WestEd; Tom Hutton, CCAP; Susan Park, San Diego Unified School District; David Sciaretta, Albert Einstein Academy
In this in-depth discussion, attendees will learn how authorizers in California are implementing a new state policy requiring an assessment of the impact a new charter school may have upon the district and discuss the implications for NACSA’s vision of community-centered authorizing. Our panelists include an authorizer from San Diego, a charter school superintendent, and the Executive Director of the California Charter Authorizing Professionals. This discussion is relevant to authorizers in many other states that have impact policies and want to consider community interest in making authorization decisions.
Friday, October 22
Session: Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools: A Workshop for Authorizers
Time: 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (Pacific) / 1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m. (Eastern)
Presenters: Aimee Evan, National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC); Hannah Sullivan, NCSRC
This interactive workshop will support authorizers in sustaining high-quality schools by recognizing the various signs of early school decline using the recently released toolkit by the National Charter School Resource Center‘s Identifying Indicators of Distress in Charter Schools: Tools to Support Authorizer Data Collection. Attendees will review the indicators of distress in charter schools and engage in a self-assessment of their data collection and early warning signs exhibited in their portfolios. Participants will reflect and determine a plan for applying what they learned to their practices.
Session: Incorporating Community Interest in District Impact Assessment
Time: 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (Pacific) / 3:30-5:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Presenters: Steve Canavero, WestEd; Robin Chait, WestEd; Dave Patterson, CCAP
Impact policies, whether informal or required by state statute, make it challenging for authorizers to consider community interest in their authorization decisions. This session will build on the Community Interest in Assessing District Impact panel discussion by inviting authorizers to examine their contexts, tools, and processes for assessing both district impacts and community interests. Authorizers will consider how and whether these two types of policies align and develop solutions and action plans for incorporating two kinds of assessments in their authorization decisions.