Drawing on data collected during an evaluation of Indiana schools receiving Title I 1003(g) Schoo... more Drawing on data collected during an evaluation of Indiana schools receiving Title I 1003(g) School Improvement Fund grants in the 2008–2009 school year, this article explores how professional development can be used to support school improvement efforts. This article upholds the conclusion that when activities support the development of a collaborative community of educators and the effective use of data, professional development can be a vital element of school improvement efforts. By engaging teachers as leaders and learners, professional development can help to ensure that school improvement efforts are embraced by all staff and to prevent teachers from feeling isolated during the school improvement process.
School vouchers typically refer to government provision of funds to assist parents/guardians in s... more School vouchers typically refer to government provision of funds to assist parents/guardians in sending their children to private rather than public schools. Unlike tax credit programs, which allow parents/guardians to credit amounts spent on private school tuition to taxes owed, voucher programs give parents/ guardians assistance with paying for private school tuition up front (Alexander & Alexander, 2009). Although the structures of voucher programs vary, the funds for vouchers generally come from either specific school district funds or from the overall state education budget. Some voucher programs are funded privately, but these kinds of vouchers are not addressed in this brief.
The authors drew upon state policy documents and other public sources to review licensure require... more The authors drew upon state policy documents and other public sources to review licensure requirements for charter school principals. The results indicate that few states have adopted licensure requirements for charter school principals compared with traditional public school principals, and many exempt charter school principals from licensure altogether. They found that training and support for charter school principals is available, but is concentrated in the states with the highest number of charter schools. These findings have significant implications for policy makers, charter school advocates, and authorizers. These implications are discussed and related to the existing literature regarding principal preparation and licensure.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIPLE RESEARCH APPROACHES
A common step in education research and evaluation is generating evidence about whether student o... more A common step in education research and evaluation is generating evidence about whether student outcomes (e.g., learning outcomes) are caused by some change in a program or policy (e.g.
As the first mayor in the United States to possess independent charter school authorizing authori... more As the first mayor in the United States to possess independent charter school authorizing authority, Mayor Bart Peterson oversaw the establishment and expansion of Indianapolis's ambitious charter school initiative. In 2007, Democratic Mayor Peterson's oversight of the initiative came to an end when he was unexpectedly defeated by Republican Gregory Ballard in the mayoral election. Despite this significant change in leadership, the transition between mayors and political parties was accomplished with minimal disruption to the operation of the charter school office, as well as to the schools themselves. Through the use of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, this study investigates how the transition between administrations was undertaken to ensure continuity for Indianapolis mayor-sponsored charter schools and offers best practices for mayoral transitions. In addition, this study reveals that to provide continuity for charter schools, policies that insulate schools from political change must be developed and charter schools must be viewed apolitically.
As the first mayor in the United States to possess independent charter school authorizing authori... more As the first mayor in the United States to possess independent charter school authorizing authority, Mayor Bart Peterson oversaw the establishment and expansion of Indianapolis's ambitious charter school initiative. In 2007, Democratic Mayor Peterson's oversight of the initiative came to an end when he was unexpectedly defeated by Republican Gregory Ballard in the mayoral election. Despite this significant change in leadership, the transition between mayors and political parties was accomplished with minimal disruption to the operation of the charter school office, as well as to the schools themselves. Through the use of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, this study investigates how the transition between administrations was undertaken to ensure continuity for Indianapolis mayor-sponsored charter schools and offers best practices for mayoral transitions. In addition, this study reveals that to provide continuity for charter schools, policies that insulate schools from political change must be developed and charter schools must be viewed apolitically.
Drawing on data collected during an evaluation of Indiana schools receiving Title I 1003(g) Schoo... more Drawing on data collected during an evaluation of Indiana schools receiving Title I 1003(g) School Improvement Fund grants in the 2008–2009 school year, this article explores how professional development can be used to support school improvement efforts. This article upholds the conclusion that when activities support the development of a collaborative community of educators and the effective use of data, professional development can be a vital element of school improvement efforts. By engaging teachers as leaders and learners, professional development can help to ensure that school improvement efforts are embraced by all staff and to prevent teachers from feeling isolated during the school improvement process.
School vouchers typically refer to government provision of funds to assist parents/guardians in s... more School vouchers typically refer to government provision of funds to assist parents/guardians in sending their children to private rather than public schools. Unlike tax credit programs, which allow parents/guardians to credit amounts spent on private school tuition to taxes owed, voucher programs give parents/ guardians assistance with paying for private school tuition up front (Alexander & Alexander, 2009). Although the structures of voucher programs vary, the funds for vouchers generally come from either specific school district funds or from the overall state education budget. Some voucher programs are funded privately, but these kinds of vouchers are not addressed in this brief.
The authors drew upon state policy documents and other public sources to review licensure require... more The authors drew upon state policy documents and other public sources to review licensure requirements for charter school principals. The results indicate that few states have adopted licensure requirements for charter school principals compared with traditional public school principals, and many exempt charter school principals from licensure altogether. They found that training and support for charter school principals is available, but is concentrated in the states with the highest number of charter schools. These findings have significant implications for policy makers, charter school advocates, and authorizers. These implications are discussed and related to the existing literature regarding principal preparation and licensure.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIPLE RESEARCH APPROACHES
A common step in education research and evaluation is generating evidence about whether student o... more A common step in education research and evaluation is generating evidence about whether student outcomes (e.g., learning outcomes) are caused by some change in a program or policy (e.g.
As the first mayor in the United States to possess independent charter school authorizing authori... more As the first mayor in the United States to possess independent charter school authorizing authority, Mayor Bart Peterson oversaw the establishment and expansion of Indianapolis's ambitious charter school initiative. In 2007, Democratic Mayor Peterson's oversight of the initiative came to an end when he was unexpectedly defeated by Republican Gregory Ballard in the mayoral election. Despite this significant change in leadership, the transition between mayors and political parties was accomplished with minimal disruption to the operation of the charter school office, as well as to the schools themselves. Through the use of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, this study investigates how the transition between administrations was undertaken to ensure continuity for Indianapolis mayor-sponsored charter schools and offers best practices for mayoral transitions. In addition, this study reveals that to provide continuity for charter schools, policies that insulate schools from political change must be developed and charter schools must be viewed apolitically.
As the first mayor in the United States to possess independent charter school authorizing authori... more As the first mayor in the United States to possess independent charter school authorizing authority, Mayor Bart Peterson oversaw the establishment and expansion of Indianapolis's ambitious charter school initiative. In 2007, Democratic Mayor Peterson's oversight of the initiative came to an end when he was unexpectedly defeated by Republican Gregory Ballard in the mayoral election. Despite this significant change in leadership, the transition between mayors and political parties was accomplished with minimal disruption to the operation of the charter school office, as well as to the schools themselves. Through the use of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, this study investigates how the transition between administrations was undertaken to ensure continuity for Indianapolis mayor-sponsored charter schools and offers best practices for mayoral transitions. In addition, this study reveals that to provide continuity for charter schools, policies that insulate schools from political change must be developed and charter schools must be viewed apolitically.
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