RD222 - A Report on Public Charter Schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia For 2008-2009


Executive Summary:
The evaluation of the public charter schools of Virginia examines the four public charter schools in operation in the state during the 2008-2009 school year. The schools operating provided alternative and experiential learning opportunities for at-risk students. However, differences among these schools include: the histories of the schools, characteristics of the communities served, characteristics of the students enrolled, size of the student bodies, grade levels served, resources available, and educational approaches and priorities.

Key Observations and Findings

National

• Legislation. Forty (40) states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws in place.

• Schools. Of the more than 130,407 public K-12 schools nationally, nearly 4,600 are charters schools. For the 2008-2009 school year, 355 new charter schools opened.

• Students. Charter schools serve more than 1.4 million children. The total United States public school enrollment is 49,113,000. (*1)

Virginia

• Schools. Four charter schools operated in Virginia in 2008-2009. As of June 2009, the total enrollment for the four charter schools was 256 students.

• Staff. The four schools reported a total of 43.9 staff members including principals, teachers, paraprofessionals, and guidance counselors. The average student-to-teacher ratio was 10 students per teacher.

• Progress in Achieving Goals. Progress as reported in terms of academic status, average daily attendance, and decreased dropout rates varies from year-to-year and among the schools. Murray High School and York River Academy achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) performance targets under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) for the 2009-2010 school year based on data from 2008-2009.

Hampton Harbour Academy did not achieve AYP performance targets for 2008-2009 and will not operate as a school for 2009-2010. Murray High School and York River Academy have been fully accredited since 2004-2005. Hampton Harbour Academy was conditionally accredited for the 2007-2008 and the 2008-2009 school years. In 2006-2007, the school status was “Accreditation Withheld/Improving School Nearing Accreditation.” For 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, the school was accredited with warning.

• Average Daily Attendance and Dropout Rates. The overall average daily attendance rate in the charter schools has improved slightly during the last several years and is presently at 90.8 percent. The state rate for 2008-2009 for all schools was 95 percent. Dropout rates in the public charter schools have historically been higher than comparable rates for the divisions in which they are chartered; however, during the past several years, dropout rates in the charter schools have been comparable to the school divisions in which they were chartered. In 2007-2008, the dropout rate for charter schools was 1.3 percent; the state dropout rate was 1.89 percent. Official dropout rates for 2008-2009 will be available from the Virginia Department of Education after October 1, 2009.

• Comparison of Student Performance. The performance of pupils in charter schools as compared to students in other schools is reported in Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Accreditation status. The schools self-reported that the students in the charter schools are generally performing better than if they had remained in a traditional school.

• Impact on the Community. All of the schools reported programs to achieve parental and community involvement. The perceptions of the schools, community awards, other forms of recognition, and parental surveys suggest success in these efforts. Survey results suggest that the small size, individualized instruction, and innovative approaches to education found in these schools have had a positive impact on the communities they serve.

The Code of Virginia and Charter Schools

The Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 2311, Public Charter School Fund, during the 2006-2007 session that amended the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1- 212.5:1, establishing a public charter school fund. To date, no gifts, grants, bequests, or donations have been received in the fund for disbursement.

The Virginia General Assembly’s most recent change to the charter school law was in 2009, and the change was to remove the limit on the number of public charter schools that could be established in a school division.

Growth of Charter Schools in Virginia

Since the initial state legislation for charter schools was passed in 1998, ten charter schools in nine school divisions have been approved. During the 2008-2009 school year, four schools operated. One of these four charter schools will close in 2009-2010. A fifth charter school received contract approval from its board during 2008-2009 and will open to students in 2010-2011. Information collected from division superintendents revealed that one charter school application was denied in 2008-2009.

In Superintendent’s Memorandum, Number 117-09, dated May 1, 2009, “Charter School Report for 2008-2009,”superintendents were asked to respond to the following charter school question: “Whether you have charter schools or not in your division, please list barriers you perceive in establishing charter schools in Virginia.” Fifty-one (51) percent of the divisions did not respond to the question; 19 percent cited fiscal barriers; 17 percent indicated that there was no interest or need; and nine percent listed no barriers. Other barriers mentioned included: lack of facilities; difficulty obtaining licensed teachers; and restrictiveness of Virginia charter school law. The responses cited above are similar to responses received for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 charter school reports.

(*1) “Charter Schools Fast Facts.” 6 June 2009. Center for Education Reform. Washington, D.C. 6 June 2009.
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