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CEC

Coalition of Effective Charters (CEC) is a group of five highly successful schools 1) St Anthony Academy 2) East Dallas Community School 3) Peak Advantage 4) North Hills School 5) KIPP School that promote the following:

What is a charter school?
  1. Charter schools are public schools.
  2. Charter schools provide an option for parents.
  3. Charter schools introduce an unprecedented level of accountability.
  4. Charter schools introduce innovative methods of educating students.

Definition: Charter schools are independent public schools that are allowed to be more innovative and are held accountable for improved student achievement.

What is the Coalition for Effective Charters?
CEC was formed to advocate for effective public charter schools as a means of providing strong, innovative public school options for all Texas children, regardless of income.

CEC is comprised of
  • high-performing charter school leaders,
  • concerned parents,
  •  business leaders, and
  •  other members of the community who are working for an environment that supports effective public schools.

CEC advocates for
  • equitable support for charter schools,
  • a process that facilitates closing poor-performing charters,
  •  facilities funds as incentives to high-performing public charter schools,
  • recognition of students’ academic improvement as a measure of success

Proposed legislation supported by CEC
  •  facilitates closing charter schools that are academically or fiscally unacceptable for 2 consecutive years
  •  outlines a process for closing poor-performing charter schools
  • provides facilities funding incentives for high performing charter schools
Charter schools receive less funding that other public schools.
  • Traditional public schools in Texas receive $1200 - $1800 more per student per year for operations and facilities than charter schools.
    • For a charter school of 300, this means an average funding shortfall of nearly $500,000 per year
    • This means that a typical class of 25 students receives more than $35,000 less in public school funding if they are enrolled in a charter school than if the same class of 25 students is enrolled in a traditional public school classroom.

Texas charter schools’ academic performance has improved each year.
  • In 2006, 87% of Texas charter schools are rated acceptable or higher, with 17% of those rated exemplary or recognized.
Charter schools are improving student achievement across the public school system.
  • A U.S. Department of Education study found that every district in its study changed the way it conducted business and/or operations in response to charter schools.
  •  Two very large Texas traditional urban districts are fully embracing the campus charter option creating an environment for significant urban school reform. (Houston and San Antonio)
  •  Charters using innovative operational models, such as extended-day, extended-week, and/or extended-year are replicating.
  • Charters using rigorous curriculum models, such as International Baccalaureate and Core Knowledge, are replicating.
  •  Charter schools are providing high-need and dropout recovery students with educational programs that are meeting their needs.
  •  Residential charters are meeting the needs of a frequently underserved high need student population.
  • Waiting lists, indicating high demand, are common in many charter schools.

Compared to Texas traditional public schools, charter schools serve a higher percentage of students who are
  • at-risk (61% of charter students, compared to 49% of all public school students)
  • economically disadvantaged (71% of charter students, compared to 55% of all public school students)
  • students of color (40% are African American students, compared to 14%; 19% are white; compared to 40%; 40% are Hispanic, compared to 43%)

Effective public charter schools are important because they
  • are improving student achievement across the public school system (see above list)
  • are providing an option to parents, regardless of family income, thereby encouraging parents to take initiative and resulting in parents having a strong sense of ownership in their child’s school
  • are providing models of innovative, successful public schools serving diverse, often underserved, student populations