A Planning Guide for Charter Schools Interested in Partnering
with Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound
This document is designed to help new school developers who want their schools to be Expeditionary Learning (EL) schools navigate through the charter school development process. It identifies important steps to complete when designing, getting authorization for and opening a new charter school and discusses how EL staff can help you during the application and start-up process. EL charter schools are located in a number of states, so this document will not provide specific guidance about any particular state's charter school laws and policies. Click here to get more information about your specific state and the charter school movement in general.
Phase I: Charter Application Development and Approval
This first phase of your school's development is extremely important and shouldn't be rushed. Critical to your school's success will be the effectiveness of your founding team, the degree of clarity you have about the mission, vision, and goals for your school, your success in garnering support for your school early on and maintaining that support throughout the charter development process, and the quality of your charter school proposal. Steps 1-4 below discuss some strategies and activities that your founding group may want to consider as it embarks on the process of starting a new school.
- Step 1: Make sure that the Expeditionary Learning design is a good fit for your school
- Step 2: Look to EL for guidance and support
- Step 3: Write and submit the charter application
- Step 4: Receive charter approval and negotiate contract with Authorizer
Phase II: Start-Up Priorities
Congratulations! Your charter school has been approved. This section identifies some of the important tasks your group will want to address over the coming months as you prepare to open the doors of your new school.
- Step 1: Create permanent Board of Directors
- Step 2: Formalize relationship with EL
- Step 3: Draft an action plan for completing important start-up activities
Phase I. Step 1: Make sure that the EL design is a good fit for your school
You should prepare a brief document about your proposed school that answers the following types of questions:
- What type of educational program do you want to create (e.g., hands-on, experiential, project-based, core curriculum, college-prep, arts-focused, etc.)?
- What grades do you plan to serve initially, and what grade levels will the school include at capacity? How many students initially and at capacity?
- Where do you want to locate your school and who is the charter authorizer who will receive your application?
- When do you plan to submit your charter application and when do you plan to open your school?
- Who, including affiliations, is involved in starting this school?
Once you have drafted this document, call or e-mail the Expeditionary Learning Regional Director for your area. It is important to look closely at all aspects of the EL model to ensure that it is the right fit for your school. Spend time researching the model and visit some EL schools. The regional director can help you arrange this. The document If the Shoe Fits: A guide for charter schools thinking about adopting a comprehensive school design, written in 1998, still has some helpful information, specifically what questions you should ask as you assess whether EL is the best model for the kind of school you have in mind.. At the same time, Expeditionary Learning will be making a parallel determination regarding a possible partnership.
Phase I. Step 2: Look to EL for guidance and support
If we both decide your school is a good fit for Expeditionary Learning, we can help you in the charter application development process. The types of assistance we may be able to provide include the following:
- Information about (and help in applying for) planning grants available to schools in your phase of charter development
- Copies of charter applications from existing EL charter schools
- Board recruitment and training
- Assistance drafting and/or reviewing your charter application prior to submittal
- Communication with the public and charter Authorizer about the ELOB model
Phase I. Step 3: Write and submit the charter application
Ideally, your school's steering committee (or founding board) is no more than 5 people who can each take responsibility for a section of the charter application.
State statutes guide much of what must be included. And, in some cases, your Authorizer or sponsor (e.g., school district, state board, university) may require additional items. If you have not done so already, contact your Authorizer to request a copy of the charter application guidelines. In most cases, we recommend that you organize your charter application according to the guidelines required by the state and authorizer. EL staff members are available to assist you with the organization of your application as well as, in some cases, the actual writing of the application. Finally, we would like to review your application prior to submittal.
Phase I. Step 4: Receive charter approval and negotiate contract with Authorizer
Once your group submits its charter application, it can expect to meet with the Authorizer to discuss the application. The Authorizer is required by state statute to make a decision about your school within a specified number of days (you will want to be sure to review the charter law in your state to determine how many days your authorizer has to respond to your application and what the application review process may involve). EL can serve as a resource for your group as you respond to Authorizer questions about your proposal, and we can connect you with local resources to assist you with the charter contract negotiations.
Phase 2. Step 1: Create permanent Board of Directors
At this stage, it is recommended that the founding Board of Directors go through a process whereby it examines the strengths each individual member brings to the board and identifies gaps -- areas of expertise that are needed but lacking within the existing board. Once the board identifies the areas of expertise that it seeks in new board members, it can begin the recruitment process.
New board members should begin their role with your school prepared and clear about their roles and responsibilities. If you haven't done so already, draft a board manual (click here for a sample).
It is also important for your board to design an orientation strategy for new board members and commit to an ongoing plan for development and training for all board members.
Phase 2. Step 2: Formalize relationship with EL
Expeditionary Learning and your school prepare and sign a contract for the first year of an initial five year period during which EL will provide professional development and technical assistance to the school. There are two ways that a school can begin work with EL. The school may start off with an exploring phase, during which the school and EL negotiate a small contract that will allow both parties to test whether an intensive working relationship would be successful. On the other hand, the school may start directly into full-scale implementation of the EL design, in which case the first year contract is larger and the services provided are aimed at helping the school take the most important first steps for its situation.
Phase 2. Step 3: Draft an action plan for completing important start-up activities
Take a big breath and jump in....there so much that needs to be done before you open your school in the Fall. It's a good idea to map out all of the important tasks and assign responsibilities for each with specific timelines for completion. Follow-up with each other on these tasks regularly and help each other out when work in any particular area becomes overwhelming. The document, Charter School Start-Up Activities identifies the major areas of focus and tasks that need to be accomplished during this phase of your school's existence.
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