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11TH ANNUAL CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOLS CONFERENCE


BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Monday March 29th   3:15pm – 4:30pm


Accountability/Accreditation

Achieving Genuine Accountability
Room 102

Keyes to Learning Charter School combines the best of classroom instruction and home-based education. The presentation includes how we refined our mission and vision statements, organized multiple measures of assessment, and developed lesson plans for students that meet our teaching parent's needs and the California state standards.

Lee Ann Staugl and Susan Nisan, Keyes to Learning Charter School


Advocacy/PR/Marketing

PR 301 
Room 304

This advanced public relations session is a must for those who want to take their media and public relations plans to the next level. Participants will learn: (1) About successful public messaging efforts and strategies that resonate with the public. (2) How to use both strategic and tactical messages to create a positive impression of your school – and the charter school movement. (3) About the power of "third-party" validation. (4) How to effectively communicate with and engage important media stakeholders.

Gary Larson, Director of Media Relations, California Charter Schools Association


Authorization/Oversight

The Dynamics of Getting Authorized or Reauthorized with Districts
Room 317

What works to assist your charter approval or renewal, what works against you. What's the cost-benefit analysis to various approaches to chartering? Are the trade-offs worth it? Can there be a true "win-win" for a charter and the sponsor? What are strategies for working with authorizers, as well as signs that the appeal process is "just a vote away".  

Moderator: Bob Pearlman; Panel: Elliot Washor (MET Schools), Don Shalvey (Aspire Public Schools), Deanna Hanson (LEEDS)


Business Operations

Cal State TEACH, An Alternative CSU Credentialing Path
Room 319

The program allows working teachers and other qualified candidates to earn their credential without attending traditional college classes. The curriculum is delivered using a self-study format, and includes online, print and CD-Rom materials, and web-based "class discussions". Professional feedback is through on-site coaching, and guidance from mentor teachers at their school site, as well as CSU faculty.

Carolyn Bishop, Director, Cal State TEACH (An Alternative California State University System Credentialing Path)


Facilities

Finding and Leveraging Private Funding and Financing
Room 315

This workshop is led by school leaders that have successfully raised and borrowed private funds to build their own campus and the financial professionals that have helped them do it. Learn how you can get your own campus using private sources of money.

Moderator: Carl Cade, Director of Facilities Development, California Charter Schools Association, Dennis "Coach" Snyder Escondido Charter School; Susan Harper, Low Income Investment Fund; Anita Landecker, ExEd; James Willcox, New Schools Venture Fund; Jeff Baratta, Stone & Youngberg LLC.


Governance/Legal

Chartering as a Vector for Systemic Reform
Room 105

Charter schools and traditional districts often have rocky relationships. A few districts see independent public schools as an opportunity for broader reform, e.g., replicating successful charter models to create an alternative delivery system. New American Schools works with a diverse group of American cities where chartering is an impetus for reform. How might their lessons apply to California's chartering districts?

Nelson Smith, New American Schools


Governance/Legal

Advanced Privacy, Public Records, and Business Secrets in Charter Schools
Room 307

Charter Schools face a number of unique issues relating to the ownership of written materials, artwork, and other producible works. Understand how to minimize disputes regarding ownership of written works and protect your school's identity in the marketplace. Learn about new California laws regarding security of private information and privacy policies.  Checklists and sample policies will be discussed.

Greg Moser and Andy Serwin; Foley and Lardner


Governance/Legal

Avoiding Personnel Landmines: Hiring, Firing and Evaluating Charter Staff
Room 302

Some of the most difficult struggles that charter schools face are personnel issues. This session offers tools and tips to prevent common personnel problems by establishing clear hiring, evaluation, and disciplinary procedures and policies. Start-ups to seasoned charter schools will benefit from this presentation.

Jim Young and Jessica Hawthorne, SMY&M Law Office


Governance/Legal

Working with the Legislature
Room ---

Strategies for getting what we want through the legislature and how you can be involved.

Rand Martin, Rose & Kindel; Ernie Silva, Murdoch Walrath & Holmes


Leadership

Not Reinventing the Wheel:  the Charter Mentor Program
Room ---

Almost all charter schools experience similar "passages" in the start up and sustaining phases; the ability to meet those challenges defines a successful charter school. San Francisco's Gateway High School is starting a Northern CA mentor support program for up to a dozen schools. Come learn about the program and how to apply to be a mentor school.

Peter Thorp, Principal of Gateway High School and President of the Board of Directors for the California Charter Schools Association; Ting L. Sun, Ph.D., Vice President, Leadership and Quality, California Charter Schools Association


Student Achievement

Aligning Theory & Practice: Project Based Learning in Action
Room 318

Charlie is building a rock wall, while a community resource specialist shows Amy how to make a siphon. Project-based learning (PBL) like this at the secondary level offers a viable curricular alternative. In this session, participants will learn about the West Hawaii Explorations Academy Public Charter School model as featured in the George Lucas Foundation Learn and Live series.

Nina K. Buchanan, University of Hawaii Charter School Resource Center


Student Achievement

Personalizing Education through Advisory: Support our students in time of diminished resources, budget, and space
Room 316

Leadership High School's advisory program forms strong relationships between students, their families and their advisor to effectively support and advocate for the student in his/her academic and personal growth. Hear what we learned in our first four years of co-advising students and how that is shaping our work this year. Students and families will share their experiences as well.

Michelle Deiro and
Eve Gordon, Leadership High School


Student Achievement

Teacher Qualification and Credentialing in Charter Schools
Room ---

Determining what credentials are required for charter schoolteachers is a cumbersome, complex, and often frustrating process. What are current credentialing requirements for California charter schoolteachers? Participants will receive information about the various credentialing avenues available in California, including specific information on the 91 accredited programs currently in place.

Michael Moody, and Deanna Brady, Ph.D., Insight Education Group


Student Achievement

The New SAT and Its Impact on Your Sophomores and College Admissions
Room 314

What are the realities of this new test? Does it represent a fundamental shift in what it tests and measures, or a repositioning of the test? Understand how to explain the changes, and how public and private colleges will use SAT I and SAT II scores differently for the class of 2006 than they do for the class of 2005. If time permits, learn astonishing techniques for improving essay scores on the new SAT I Writing section.

Paul Kanarek, Founder of The Princeton Review in California


Exhibitor Presentation

Time-Tested Success with Calvert Curriculum 
Room 316

For over a century Calvert has been committed to inspiring the best in each student through an integrated, classical curriculum developed and proven in its own classrooms. Discover how this time-tested, academically stimulating curriculum maximizes instructional quality, reinforces concepts through an integrated disciplinary approach, instills a love of learning, and creates a lifelong learner.

Presenter: Megin Renaud, Calvert Curriculum


Exhibitor Presentation

Take a Learning Odyssey for Student Success 
Room 303

Participants will learn how Odyssey Charter School in Las Vegas, Nevada, is using a web-based curriculum option to give parents and students an alternative to the traditional setting for education. Learn about integrating web-based learning and student management systems into your charter school curriculum.

Presenters: Lynette Binka McVay, CompassLearning/Michelle Robinson, Odyssey Charter


Exhibitor Presentation

Using Windows Sharepoint Services and Office 2003 to Foster Collaboration and Reduce Costs 
Room 103

By using Office 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services, a part of Microsoft Windows Server 2003, districts foster collaboration within groups, improve communication among administrators and teachers while reducing costs including the need for many face to face meetings. Discover how districts can leverage Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) and Office 2003 for collaboration on projects, increase team productivity, improve communication and manage documents.

Presenter: Joy Dakin, Microsoft Corporation


Exhibitor Presentation

Kids Can Excel At Algebra (Grades 6- Algebra I) 
Room 301

Preview a multimedia tutorial and assessment program that provides year-round support of CAHSEE objectives and state standards, develops students’ conceptual understanding of mathematics, and promotes problem solving in a variety of contexts. We will discuss the successful implementation of this program in two Sacramento area schools with their math department heads and instructional technology specialists.

Presenter: Khris Lundy, Meridian Creative Group


Exhibitor Presentation

Meeting Your Data and Reporting Needs
Room ---

Funding, analysis reports and accountability; these all depend on accurate data and proper tools. Software Technology Inc. (STI) has been supplying schools with cost effective solutions to their data and reporting needs for 20 years. See how STI's suite of integrated school, special education and reporting solutions can bring your data to life and empower everyone to higher achievement.

Presenter, Cory Travers, Software Technology Inc.

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