41. Charter Friends National Network Publications, contact information, and tools.Category Reference Education Learning Theories charter schools...... The Friends Network shares office space in St. Paul with the minnesota Associationof charter schools. Please note CFNN's address and phone numbers http://www.charterfriends.org/

Federal Policy Update NEW! NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND Toolkit Latest news on federal issues of importance to charters Start Planning Now! Click here for tips on how to get started and more details on this year’s celebration! WEB SITE FEATURE! Freedom to Learn Conference Visit this new Web site with highlights of a recent national conference on mayors, civic leaders and news schools New Technical Assistance Materials NOW AVAILABLE for download: New resource guides on Contracting for Management Services Special Education Partnering with Community-based Organizations Accountability Charter Friends Initiatives UPDATED! Accountability UPDATED! Facilities Financing Special Education Federal Policy Development Making Connections Update on Partnership with Annie E. Casey Foundation , including 5 resource guides: Board Governance Personnel Policies Creating Family Friendly Charter Schools Mobilizing and Motivating Staff NEW! Partnering With Community-based Organizations Directory of State Contacts UPDATED! Check out the most complete directory available of resource centers, charter associations and other grassroots charter support organizations.

42. Charter Schools And IDEA Contact Valerie Kyllo. minnesota Association of charter schools. 1295 BandanaBlvd., Suite 165. St. Paul , MN 55108. 651651-644-6947 651-644-0433 (fax). http://www.charterfriends.org/idea.html

Charter Schools and IDEA A Commitment to Quality, Choice and Innovation December 2002 This report was prepared to provide background information for policymakers and others now working on reauthorization of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It briefly summarizes a series of recommendations on the IDEA reauthorization developed by a CFNN working group. In addition, it provides information on several important technical assistance initiatives designed to strengthen the capacity of the nation’s charter schools to serve all students – including those with disabilities. And, it profiles thirteen charter schools in various parts of the country that have demonstrated a strong commitment to serving – and improving achievement levels – of students with disabilities. For more information on the CFNN IDEA reauthorization initiative or to receive a printed copy of this report, contact info@charterfriends.org BACKGROUND ON CHARTERS AND THE IDEA REAUTHORIZATION RECOMMENDATIONS OF CFNN’S ... SPECIAL ED INITIATIVE BACKGROUND ON CHARTERS AND THE IDEA REAUTHORIZATION Charter schools are public schools, with leaders committed to fulfilling their obligations to serve all

43. ED422600 1998-02-00 Charter Schools. ERIC Digest, Number 118. 1. charter schools in California, Colorado, and minnesota have had their contractsrenewed because they produced measurable achievement gains, including that http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed422600.html

ERIC Identifier: Publication Date: Author: Hadderman, Margaret Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management Eugene OR. Charter Schools. ERIC Digest, Number 118. THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC In seven short years, the U.S. charter-school movement has produced about 800 schools in 29 states and the District of Columbia, enrolling over 100,000 students. Charter schools reflect their founders' varied philosophies, programs, and organizational structures, serve diverse student populations, and are committed to improving public education. Charter schools are freed of many restrictive rules and regulations. In return, these schools are expected to achieve educational outcomes within a certain period (usually three to five years) or have their charters revoked by sponsors (a local school board, state education agency, or university). WHAT EXPLAINS CHARTER SCHOOLS' GROWING POPULARITY?

44. ED425896 1999-01-00 Charter Schools: An Approach For Rural Education? ERIC Diges studies funded by the US Department of Education offer a detailed look at charterschools nationwide (RPP International and University of minnesota, 1997; RPP http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed425896.html

ERIC Identifier: Publication Date: Author: Collins, Timothy Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools Charleston WV. Charter Schools: An Approach for Rural Education? ERIC Digest. THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC Charter schools have emerged in the 1990s as a prominent and controversial school reform idea. This Digest describes characteristics of charter schools, outlines some tentative research findings, discusses advantages and shortcomings, and summarizes challenges rural communities might face in starting such a school. WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS In some ways, charter schools are traditional and tap historic rural roots of public education. They give parents, students, and educators public school alternatives based on the idea that competition will bring educational innovations (Thomas, 1996). But there is potential for controversy, especially in poor rural communities with limited financial and educational resources to support additional schools. Since Minnesota passed the first charter school law in 1991, 32 other states and the District of Columbia have passed similar legislation (Hirsch, 1998). The Center for Education Reform (1998) estimated 1,129 charter schools existed nationwide in September 1998. Most schools were in the South and West. Half were in three states: Arizona, California, and Michigan. Almost another quarter were in four other states: Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. While the number of charter schools has increased rapidly since 1991, these schools represented only about 0.5% of public school students in charter states during the 1996-1997 school year (RPP International, 1998). It is unclear how many were in rural areas.

45. Charter Schools Build On A Decade Of Experimentation | Csmonitor.com The school's learning philosophy has made it a model for other charter schools.It opened in 1994, two years after minnesota started the first charter school http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0107/p15s02-lepr.html

WORLD USA COMMENTARY LEARNING ... MonitorTalk Search: Higher Learning In the Classroom Creative Solutions In this week's Learning section: The big money guys Converting bullies with books Outlook mixed for nation's librarians BUST'R and BETSIE bring pre-K programs to Burke County, N.C. ... more projects... The Christian Science Monitor's Learning section has won three awards in the Education Writers Accociation 2002 National Awards for Education Reporting for newspapers under 100,000 circulation. 1st Prize: News Feature or Issue Package for ' Opening the Book on Race 2nd Prize: Series or Group of Articles for ' Driven 1st Prize: Special Section or Page At the Pyramids, Egyptians pine for Americans Camels sit idle as the Iraq war hits Egypt's tourism industry hard. Most-viewed stories: (for 04/07/03) Chaos and denial in Baghdad How the US plans to take control of Baghdad On West Bank, fear of 'dangerous precedent' Tension builds over postwar plans ... Learning from the January 07, 2003 edition ORIGINS: Students at Minnesota New Country School work on a project. The school's learning philosophy has made it a model for other charter schools. It opened in 1994, two years after Minnesota started the first charter school in the United States. MELANIE STETSON FREEMAN - STAFF/FILE Charter schools build on a decade of experimentation Ten years later, what have we learned?

46. The National Institute For Charter Schools leverage change and improvement in all public schools. Prior to co-founding the CharterFriends project acting Washington press secretary, minnesota chief of http://www.nationalcharterschools.org/charter.nsf/SBH/57328DF3AD9AC3B885256A6C00

47. Pioneer Press | 12/13/2002 | MINNESOTA EDUCATION: 8 New Charter Schools To Open More than 13,000 minnesota students attend charter schools, but most ofthe state's 78 charter schools offer programs for younger students. http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/education/4728246.htm

Click here to visit other RealCities sites Help Contact Us Site Index ... News by Email Search Search the Archives Local News Capitol and Politics Education ... Local News Wednesday, Apr 09, 2003 Education Posted on Fri, Dec. 13, 2002 MINNESOTA EDUCATION: 8 new charter schools to open BY JOHN WELSH Pioneer Press The state has approved eight new charter high schools, including two scheduled to open next year in St. Paul. The slate of newly approved schools is the largest expansion of charter high schools in the 10 years since the first-in-the-nation charter school opened in St. Paul. They include a military school designed to keep young people away from gangs, a school for Hmong students and a performing arts school championed by St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly. Four of the high schools approved by the state education department plan to open next year in Minneapolis or St. Paul. In St. Paul, the schools are Minnesota North Star Academy, which will focus on deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and the General John Vessey Jr. Leadership Academy, which is billing itself as the state's only public military school. In Minneapolis, the schools scheduled to open next year are the Hmong Academy and the Minnesota Internship Center. Schools also have been approved in Grand Marais and Bemidji.

48. Online Resources For Charter Schools - Minnesota - GreatSchools.net Elementary, middle and high school information forMinnesota public, private and charter schools. http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/MN/92/improve

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington, D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Sign up for our free newsletter to help your child succeed in school. Sign Up Edit Subscription Complete List of Articles Search Articles: or Browse Our Glossary and/or AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY Search by: County or Address School or District Name City State Online Resources for Charter Schools Don't miss these sites geared toward parents and educators who want to learn more about charter schools.

49. CALIFORNIA'S CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT OF 1992 The first report, released in February, is the Interim Report ofthe minnesota CharterSchools Evaluation commissioned by theminnesota Department of Children http://www.cacharterschools.org/news_5_11_97.html

THREE STATE CHARTER SCHOOL REPORTS Three state-level reports on charter schools have rolled off thepresses (and into my in-box) in the past few months. The threeinclude two state-sponsored evaluation reports from Minnesota andColorado and a third, privately funded, report from Massachusetts.Though each takes a different methodological approach and substantivefocus, some interesting common themes as well as differences areapparent. The findings should be of interest to both charter schoolresearchers and developers. Minnesota The first report, released in February, is the Interim Report ofthe Minnesota Charter Schools Evaluation commissioned by theMinnesota Department of Children, Family, and Learning (that'sMinnesota-speak for department of education). The report was preparedby the University of Minnesota's Center for Applied Research andEducational Improvement (CAREI). The report focuses largely on basicdescriptive information, school development, sponsor and communityrelations matters. Some of the major findings include the following: The schools are small (average 119 students), have low student:staff ratios, are spread across the state geographically, and many are located in non-traditional facilities.

50. Charter Schools Development Center charter schools must meet all of the student performance and operational goals listedin their The first charter school law was passed in minnesota in 1992 http://www.cacharterschools.org/faqs.html

Frequently Asked Questions About Charter School Fundamentals What is a charter school? The charter school reform concept is part of a larger policy effort to fundamentally alter the structure of the public education system in an effort to both (1) enable change-oriented educators to establish and operate new, innovative schools and (2) provide increased competition within the public education sector. It's the competitive aspect of the charter concept that makes it controversialand also powerful. The charter school reform concept was largely developed by Ted Kolderie, a public policy expert at the Center for Policy Studies in St. Paul, Minnesota. How are charter schools funded? charter school grants section of our website. In addition to information on our website on charter school finance , please see a listing of our publications and check our workshops page for upcoming finance workshops.

51. Centre Daily Times | 06/09/2002 | How To Get An 'A' On School Choice minnesota's charter schools include many that are quite innovative.Indeed, some of them have become famous and have won awards. http://www.centredaily.com/mld/dailytimes/news/opinion/3428093.htm

Click here to visit other RealCities sites Help Contact Us Archives ... Newspaper Subscriptions Search Search the Archives News Penn State News Sports ... Centre Daily Times Wednesday, Apr 09, 2003 Opinion Posted on Sun, Jun. 09, 2002 How to get an 'A' on school choice ipoole By William L. Boyd Minnesota's experience with publicly funded school-choice options has important lessons for Pennsylvania and other states. Fears, in Minnesota and elsewhere, that public school choice options might undermine regular public schools have proved to be unwarranted. A recent study of Minnesota's pioneering choice options that I led found that, although initially controversial, its school choice laws are now widely regarded as beneficial. Fifty civic and educational leaders, representing all the important stakeholder groups, were interviewed for the study and two surveys were conducted. Minnesota's public school choice laws are now widely accepted and have produced a number of beneficial effects. This is significant because Minnesota passed the nation's first charter school law in 1991, and its various choice options have been in effect between 10 and 15 years. While Minnesota's overall kindergarten through 12th-grade enrollment has grown 17 percent since 1988-89, the number of students involved in at least one of the four choice options has grown to 150,000, a 1,300 percent increase from the initial choice enrollment. The four choice laws authorizing a post-secondary option, open enrollment between school districts, alternative "second-chance" schools and charter schools have opened up a wide range of options that have helped Minnesota's students and have stimulated positive responses from school districts.

52. Charter School Links Mackinac center for public policy. minnesota. minnesota Association ofcharter schools. minnesota charter school Resource Center. Missouri. http://www.aale.org/charters/charterlinks.htm

Charter School Links National Organizations Achieve.org Black Alliance for Educational Options The Brookings Institution, Brown Center on Education Policy Center for Education Reform ... uscharterschools.org State Organizations Arizona Arizona Charter School Association Arizona Regional Resource Center California California Network of Education Charters Charter Schools Development Center Pacific Research Institute Colorado Colorado League of Charter Schools Connecticut Connecticut Charter Schools Network Delaware Delaware Charter Schools Network District of Columbia D.C. Public Charter School Resource Center Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS) DC Public Charter School Cooperative Apple Tree Institute for Education Innovation Florida Florida Charter School Resource Center Florida Consortium of Charter Schools Georgia Center for Education Policy Georgia Charter School Association Hawaii Hawaii Association of Charter Schools U of Hawaii Charter School Resource Center Idaho Center for School Improvement, MS 1745 (Boise State University) Illinois Noble Street Charter School Leadership for Quality Education Indiana Charter School Resource Center of Indiana Iowa Color Education with Common Sense Charter Schools Louisiana Association of Professional Educators of Louisiana Maine Maine association for Charter Schools Maryland Maryland Charter School Network The Center for Charter Schools in Frederick County Center for Education Reform (Maryland coordinator) Massachusetts Massachusetts Charter School Resource Center Massachusetts Charter School Association Michigan

53. The Capital City Education Initiative charter schools. School Needs and Web Sites. The following is a list of schoolsin Saint Paul. Mexica Multicultural Education. minnesota Business Academy. http://www.stpaul4schools.org/schools.php?type=charter

54. High School Alternatives: Minnesota--schools MN charter schools Directory of charter schools operating in minnesota andother resources from the Department of Children, Families and Learning. http://www.highschoolalt.org/schools.html

There are lots of alternatives schools in Minnesota and in the Twin Cities, these websites can help you find them. A program called Open Enrollment means you can go to any public school, even if its outside your district. (As long as they have room for you, of course.) public schools charter schools non-public schools Public Schools MAAP Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs Explore hundreds of different alternative schools in the state of Minnesota. Narrow down schools to those your area. Minneapolis Public Schools Alternative Programs General info and contact information for alternative schools affiliated with the Minneapolis public school system. Intermediate School District 287 Area Learning Center The largest alternative program in the state of Minnesota serves mainly students who live within 13 Hennepin County school districts. Good descriptions of their over 30 programs. Minnesota Web Directory: Education Links to Minnesota public school districts on the web, so you can find alternative schools or magnet programs in regular schools... Charter Schools MN Charter School Handbook Did you know that not just teachers and parents, but students can start charter schools? If you gotta cool idea for starting your own school, start here to learn how this is done in our state.

55. Charter Schools Add To Minneapolis Budget Woes schools. About twothirds of minnesota's 68 charter schools are in theTwin Cities metro area, with half in Minneapolis and St. Paul. http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/3617629.html

56. Key Facts About Charter Schools More information is at the minnesota Association of charter schoolsWeb site http//www.mncharterschools.org. Source minnesota http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/3617636.html

57. PROBLEMS FACED BY EXISTING CHARTER SCHOOLS maintained. In minnesota, charter schools cannot levy taxes or bondsand therefore it is extremely hard to find money. In addition http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v3n13/problems.html

PROBLEMS FACED BY EXISTING CHARTER SCHOOLS Susan Vernal Once charter school legislation is passed, the debates and arguments between proponents and opponents do not cease. Implementing and running charter schools creates more problems that must be solved. Problems arise with transportation, special education students, facilities of the school, the relationship between the charter school and the sponsoring district, and the fear of ethnocentrism or segregation. Because the sponsoring district has to approve the charter, and this charter will take money and students away from them, the relationship between the district and the charter school is often strained. There is often a question of liability and responsibility. For example, if someone was injured, who would be responsible? The school or the district? In Deer Valley, Arizona, a charter was rejected because responsibility was not specified. Because of the lack of money, it is also very hard for charter schools to find and maintain adequate facilities. Charter schools must comply with fire and safety codes, therefore any old building they acquire must be renovated to pass current inspections. Even after the building is originally brought up to date, it must still be maintained. In Minnesota, charter schools cannot levy taxes or bonds and therefore it is extremely hard to find money. In addition, if a charter school is renting space from someone else, then they are at someone else's mercy. They can be asked to leave at virtually any time. For example, a charter school for the mentally handicapped in Michigan may have to close because Macomb Community College can no longer provide space for them. Therefore, they must find a new location or close their doors.

58. Illinois Charter Schools - Homepage In addition to information about organizing charter schools in minnesota, the newwebsite also contains handy links to charter school test scores and other http://www.isbe.state.il.us/charter/

Charter School Law Charter School Rules Where Are The Illinois Charter Schools? Frequently Asked Questions and Answers ... Transportation Resource Guide To contact charter school staff at ISBE, (1) call 217/782-0083, (2) fax to 217/524-1090, or (3) write to Charter Schools New Learning Opportunities, W-260 ISBE 100 N. First Street Springfield, Illinois 62777 WHAT IS THE MOST ASKED CHARTER SCHOOL QUESTION IN ILLINOIS? It is "how many charter schools are in operation?" There are 22 schools were in operation in 2002-2003. For more details, see "Where Are the Illinois Charter Schools?" in the left column. FEDERAL FUNDING Illinois has received a third three-year federal grant award for public charter schools! For more information, see "Request for Proposals: FY2003 Federal Public Charter Schools Program" in the left column. National Study of Charter Schools Report Available The fourth-year report on The National Study of Charter Schools, produced by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and improvement has been released. To view this report, click on the link below:

59. WCSA Charter School Resources minnesota Association of charter schools. Information about minnesotacharter schools, legislation, and activities. WCSA Archives. http://www.wicharterschools.org/resources.html

Links to Charter School Resources US Charter Schools WestEd and the US Dept. of Education Charter Friends National Network WCSA is affiliated with this network, an umbrella organization of state charter school associations. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: Charter School Information Lists Wisconsin Charter Schools with contact information, Wisconsin Charter School Law, Grant Information, and DPI Charter School contactrecently appointed Paula Crandall Decker. Center for Education Reform Provides information about and resources for Charter Schools. CER's Web Links to Education Organizations An alphabetical listing of education policy and reform organizations. Center for School Change A program of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Charter School Development Center Listing of events, projects, and publications sponsored by CSDC.

60. LAB At Brown University: Charter Schools citizens and public officials developed a proposal for a minnesota charter schoollaw other community members would be able to create new schools, or convert http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/ic/charter/Section6.shtml

Charter Schools: The Other Public Schools Table of Contents About This Series Introduction What is a Charter School? ... Go to Information Center page Legislative Issues ...[A]vailability of non-local board sponsorship or appeal...is considered a vital component in order to get an adequate number of charter schools started. -Louann Bierlein's analysis of "stronger" components of charter school laws, 1996a The local school board should have authority to create, approve, and revoke charters. -National Education Association Action Plan for Shaping Charter Schools, 1995 Researchers and analysts often disagree about the specifics of charter school legislation, but they all agree on one point: drafting a charter law is no easy task. Deciding whether or not to grant local school boards the exclusive right of charter authorization is only one of the many issues that has been debated across the country. The movement is still young (there were no charter schools in the U.S. just seven years ago); researchers have not had time to complete more than preliminary investigations, and legislators often have to weigh many different opinions as they determine what type of charter school will be best for students, communities, and school systems of their state. The first efforts to create law out of the charter school idea began in Minnesota in 1988, a time when public school choice programs in that state were beginning to prove effective. At the request of the state education commissioner, a group of interested citizens and public officials developed a proposal for a Minnesota charter school law (Nathan, 1996, pp. 65-66), which, in its original form, included these principles:

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