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Sean Campbell

Timothy LaBadie

Competitive Intelligence

April 26, 2012



    I.   Key Intelligence Question (KIQ) and Executive Summary

KIQ:

    1. What should the top three strategic priorities for Oregon Charter Schools (CSs) be? I.e., given a
       CS’s limited resources and harsh competitive environment, where should its focus lie?

Executive Summary:

         This report is written primarily for high school CSs in the Portland, Oregon area competing with
traditional public schools (PSs). It proceeds in three main sections. The first section (I) presents the key
question this report addresses and a summary this report's findings and recommendations; the second (II)
describes the general competitive environment or landscape for CSs competing against PSs, including key
players in Oregon and applies the Nine Forces model; and the third (III) section makes the argument for
the three priorities that CSs should focus upon in the following arenas: (1) political, (2) supply chain, and
(3) marketing. (Sources are found in the endnotes section, starting on page 12).

         CSs not only operate in an austere environment, but it an inclement political one. The whole
raison d'être for CSs, especially as far as Portland is concerned, is that they ought to serve the most
difficult students, and are often viewed as an unwelcome medicine, at best.

    Portland CSs thus have an unenviable task. To take a military analogy, it’s as though they are being
dropped behind enemy lines in exceedingly hostile terrain, but were outfitted with half of the resources of
their counterparts—yet expected to succeed. So it is imperative that CSs have a very disciplined focus.
Therefore, although this report could address a number of forces within the educational sector (emerging
technologies, innovations in pedagogical methods, for example), it aims for a more pragmatic approach,
narrowing its scope to the top three priorities that CSs should focus their attention on in this environment.
These priorities are a mix of offensive and defensive (anticipatory) maneuvers in three areas. They are:

    1. Political/Legal – The most crucial, both in the short and long term. Prepare for adverse political
       forces.

            a. In the short-term, ensure that a CS has strong community buy-in and participation from
               parents, students, and other stakeholders. In Portland, this type of grass-roots support and
               mobilization has allowed several schools to exist in the first place and survive. 1

            b. In the short term, moreover, CSs should form strategic partnerships with each other,
               pooling their resources, to provide legal and PR support corresponding to the powerful
               legal resources that their PS competitors have at their disposal.
c. Changing the rules of the game to make the industry more competitive and robust is
               absolutely essential for the survival and success of CSs. So in the medium and long term,
               CSs should form strategic partnerships to lobby Oregon State policymakers, regulators,
               legislators, and executive-branch officials.



    2. Student Supply Chain and Ecosystem Development – Partner with elementary and middle
       schools or even pre-elementary institutions to ensure that incoming students to high school have a
       realistic chance of meeting or exceeding the performance targets and mission of CSs. Because
       CSs can attract students outside of their districts, this is one of the few areas where they have a
       potential competitive advantage over their PS competitors. A list of primary-level CSs are
       provided as a starting point for this strategic partnership, as well as top-performing PSs in the
       Portland area (see below). Further, some schools have offered a number of services to parents,
       thus aiming to create a better educational ecosystem.2



    3. Marketing and Benchmarking – In Portland, the burden is squarely on CSs to justify their
       existence. Although about 17% of CSs have achieved great results with their students and
       communities, in the mass, about 50% are no more successful than traditional public schools
       across the country.3 Therefore, it is imperative that CSs have a number of measures in place to
       aid in marketing—both to policymakers and to parents. Benchmarks from a CS leader, KIPP, is
       provided in addition to Oregon-specific measures.



    II.

Introduction and Competitive Milieu

        American Public Schools used to be among the best in the world 40-50 years ago, in the time of
the post-WWII era.4 Europe was rebuilding itself and the rest of the world was largely poor and
undeveloped.5 But over time, globalization has resulted in fierce, worldwide competition.6 Consequently,
America has been lagged behind in education.7 U.S. policymakers have responded largely by throwing
money at the problem. Since 1970, the U.S. has doubled the average amount spent per student from about
$4,200 to over $9,000 (controlled for inflation).8 Yet in 2012, about 30% of U.S. students don’t graduate
high school on time9, and U.S. students have flat lined in reading and math scores. 10

        As a response to the problem of public education, many states, starting in the 1990s, have tried to
reverse the U.S.’s downward educational trend by experimenting with CSs, thereby hoping to introduce
more competition and innovation to the educational sector.

         CSs are nominally public schools. Parents do not pay private, direct tuition, and so the schools
are largely funded by tax dollars. They tend to be smaller than PSs in terms of student enrollment,
allowing teachers to give students more attention and a more individualized, tailored education. On the
ground, CSs generally differ from PSs by requiring longer school days and academic years, their students
to wear uniforms, frequent testing to track learing, and tutoring for students who are falling behind or not
meeting educational targets.
As far as political and social momentum goes, acceptance of CSs has probably never been
stronger. Broadly, CSs have become a cause célèbre of various entertainers and philanthropists, such as
Bill Gates.11

The Nine Forces Model

         The foregoing background or environment of CSs is summarized in the Nine Forces model in
Appendix, below.12 This model is useful for seeing the varied factors that affect the educational industry
holistically. The chart below ranks the forces from most salient (1) to least (9).

         The model reinforces that the educational industry is marked by the government (at all levels)
playing a strong role in the educational industry, and an intense rivalry between CSs and PSs. Further,
barriers to entry are fairly high because of the lack of access to funds to start and maintain a CS. Federal
grants (up to $500,000) are available, but these can be hard to come by.13 Thus, it is not an attractive
industry for new entrants. Usually, low customer (parent) buying power favors an industry. But here, the
opposite is true. Low-income parents have little choice because of financial constraints. Substitutes
include home schooling and private schools, but again for low-income parents, these substitutes are not
feasible. In sum, the Nine Forces model further illustrates the harsh nature of the competitive landscape
for CSs.

 Force   Force                                                                  Explanation
 Ranking
 1           Political/Legal               Government, laws, regulations, Laws and regulations
                                           lobbying efforts, public policy favor PSs.
                                                                           PSs have a lot more
                                                                           political/legal
                                                                           resources.
 2           Competitors (PSs)             Very high                            Teachers’ unions are
             Power                                                              extremely powerful
                                                                                politically at all levels
                                                                                of govt.
 3           Potential Entrants            Very high                            Raising funds is very
             (Barriers)                                                         difficult, mostly
                                                                                dependent upon state
                                                                                and federal grants.
                                                                                Hostile local school
                                                                                boards are gatekeepers
                                                                                and can revoke a
                                                                                school’s charter.
4          Social                     Demographics, culture,         Acceptance of CSs and
                                      lifestyle, education, values   the need for innovation
                                                                     in education has
                                                                     probably never been
                                                                     higher.
5          Economic                   Resources, global economy,     Most developed
                                      employment, Disposable y       countries outcompete
                                      Low to medium                  the U.S. in education.
6          Customer Power             Low                            Low-income parents
                                                                     cannot afford private
                                                                     schools and are thus
                                                                     left with a bad PS or an
                                                                     often new, untested CS.
7          Technological              Impact of science/tech on      Edu is awash with new
                                      production (edu) & process     technological
                                      innovation                     approaches, but this
                                                                     nearly always requires
                                                                     capital and expertise
                                                                     that most CSs do not
                                                                     have.
8          Supplier Power             Medium                         Teachers are the most
                                                                     important supplier to a
                                                                     good school. Because
                                                                     50% of PDX CS
                                                                     teachers can be non-
                                                                     union, these teachers
                                                                     tend to have lower
                                                                     bargaining power.
9          Substitutes                Low                            Home-schooling and
                                                                     private schools are not
                                                                     an option for most low-
                                                                     income parents because
                                                                     of time, financial, and
                                                                     educational constraints.




CSs and the Educational Landscape at the State Level
An Overview of Public Education in Oregon

        Oregon has almost 200 public school districts, which operate about 1,350 public schools and
enroll about 560,000 K-12 students.14 Out of these 1,350 schools, a mere 115 are CSs15 , which first
appeared in Oregon in 1999. 16 These CSs have between 17-20,000 students enrolled currently, according
to the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). Oregon’s public-school system employs about 30,000
teachers, amounting to a teacher-to-student ratio of 19 to 1, which is higher than the national 2008
average of about 15 to 1. 17

        Demographically, minority students constitute 32% (national 2008 average is 45%) of Oregon
students.18 Students who qualified for free and reduced-price lunch made up 49% of all students in 2009
(national 2008 average: 44.6%). 19 Special education students made up 13% of the total in 2009-2010
(national 2008 average, the same). 20 About 12% Oregon need language assistance services because
English was not their first language (national average: 25%). 21

         How well does the Oregon educate its students? Roughly 72% of students earn a high school
diploma within five years, tracking the national average. About 20% go on to earn a bachelor’s degree or
college credential. And only 59 percent of Oregon high school grads ever merely attend college for a
time. 22

Political and Regulatory Players and Competitors at the State and Local Level

        The regulatory apparatus needed to support public education in Oregon is exceedingly complex.
There are at least four agencies at the state level that regulate education—the State Board of Education 23,
the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (teacher licensing) 24, the Oregon Department of
Education and Superintendant of Public Instruction (statewide testing and curriculum)25, and the Quality
Education Commission (governs state education budget)26. This does not even include the federal
agencies and the mare’s nest of federal statutes, agencies, grants, etc. that impact and influence state-level
educational policy and regulation.

         Lastly, local school boards, are very important. They are most often the “sponsor” to which the
CS has to report. The school board must grant the initial charter before a CS can open its doors, and
audits the CS an ongoing basis.27 As we will see, this is a major battleground for CSs in the Portland
area, and will be detailed in the next section.



    1. It’s all politics, really…

          CSs are not, economically speaking, masters of their own destiny. In fact, intense rivalry in the
political arena is the key competitive feature of the CS landscape. Hence, it is appropriately addressed
first out of the first three competitive strategies. To even open their doors, they must have their “charter”
approved by the state. “Charter” is particularly appropriate because it implies that the school is allowed
to exist at the will and pleasure of the state. It is a mere privilege, to be granted or withheld by the
government, not a right you can enforce.

        Oregon is an inclement political environment for CSs, which makes it fairly typical among states.
Only three states have laws that tend to foster a highly competitive environment between CSs and PSs,
according to the Center for Education Reform, or CER.28 Oregon is also typical in that CSs receive only
about 60% of the funding per student that PSs get, or $6,500 vs. $10,700. 29 Even though Oregon CSs
first appeared in 1999, as of 2009, 22 CSs have already failed, or around a 25%.30

Portland School Boards and PSs Political-Legal Comparative Advantage

         But if you zoom in from the state level, the environment becomes even more hostile to CSs in
Portland. Of the 20+ CS have applied for charter school sponsorship since 1999, the Portland school
board has rejected 10. This is more rejections than all other districts in the state combined.31 And the
state has granted appeal to review these rejections in only four cases (or 18% of the time). 32 This
highlights the importance of Portland CSs making sure that they are well prepared for the competitive
landscape politically.

         Portland PSs biggest comparative advantage is their legal-political arsenal. Besides having public
officials and agency staff, the public schools and teachers unions have access to some of the best legal
counsel in the area via the Legal Assistance Trust. The Trust helps public educators maneuver offensively
or defensively in Oregon courts. The fund is substantial, and maintains a minimum balance of
$120,000.33

Any advice for someone starting a charter school? Yes, check your sanity. –Adam Reid

         The first major hurdle CSs face is having their charter accepted, or being granted existence, in the
first place. Founders must present essentially a business plan, which can run 200+ pages to the local
school board34 . This not only leaves a lot of room founders to make mistakes, but it gives the school
board great latitude to second-guess and add onerous conditions. Further, there is an element of
arbitrariness. The Portland school board has rejected charters, when the state board has approved it
unanimously on appeal.35

         And the hurdles and oversight by the board are ongoing. The charter must be renewed after a
number of years (generally three to five), so a CS is never in the clear. Even prior to renewal, the terms of
education boards might find that a CS has violated the terms of their charter in the required annual report,
on-site visit, and audit. 36 Thus, the board resembles more of a probation officer who can intervene at
most any time, rather than a mere licensor who rarely is involved in a meaningful sense.

        The ongoing opportunities for CSs to be found wanting in the eyes of the school board abound.
Some common areas that have been particular stumbling blocks for CSs have been: buildings (where the
school is located), rental rates, and a mass of zoning regulations37; financial health and compliance38 ; the
existence of substitutes (such as “alternative schools”, which are offshoots of say, a high school, for
special-needs and troubled students. Board officials often argue that the existence of alternative schools
render a new CS duplicate, and obviate the need for a CS. 39 These are but a few examples, and a creative
school board, city attorneys, and bureaucrats can come up with many more; state law allows local school
boards to add additional, novel standards that don’t apply to PSs.40

Political-Legal Action to Take

        Therefore, it pays a CS to take act preemptively in the following ways.

            1. Perform a competitive analysis of the local school board, member by member. Count the
               noses. Often, the difference between success and failure, as a local Portland CS high
               school found out, is a mere member or two, which change periodically.41
2. If possible, hire a consulting firm that specializes in CS, such as Charter Starters, Inc. out
               of Eugene, Oregon.42 Such firms are well aware of all the common sticking points.

            3. CSs need to rev up the PR machine early, and if possible, work with PR firms before the
               fact.

            4. Have the lawyers ready and waiting. This means proactively seeking their advice early to
               anticipate problems and plan, rather than hiring lawyers reactively. As pointed out above,
               Portland school boards have rejected almost half of CS applicants, so one should frankly
               expect this, and plan for the appeals process to the State Board from the get-go.



    2. Student Supply Chain and Ecosystem

Equal opportunity to me more than anything means a great education. Maybe even more
important than a great family life, but I don’t know how to do that…But it pains me because we
do know how to provide a great education. We really do. –Steve Jobs43

A lot of our expectations of our kids are sometimes unrealistic. See, our timeframe is immediate.
Fourteen years the kids don’t understand this [sic]. You think they’re going to understand it in
seven months? For so many of our children, they know nothing about discipline, commitment,
and responsibility and perseverance and service and excellence. So now we expect them, on a
dime, to become this different person. How real is our timeframe with this work? We really need
to understand that. Edward Tom, Principal of Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics44

        In Oregon, CS’s raison d'être is to work with the most challenging, difficult students. Call it
educational alchemy. Some schools have performed this daunting task well, but in the aggregate most
CSs have not gotten better results than their PS competitors. Yet, high schools can only do so much with
students that have learned little to nothing thus far and who have serious personal- and family-related
problems. So a crucial strategic priority is that CSs have to start managing their student supply chain and
ecosystem better. This report recommends they implement this strategy in the following ways.

    1. In the short term, CSs should attract the best students already existing. But a major risk to this
       strategy is that they will be accused of cherry picking the best students, leading to more vigorous
       political and PR attacks. But to some degree CSs must deal with this criticism. They do have to
       attract at least a critical mass of good students, for purposes of “good infection.” The alternative
       to not culling the best students is to risk their long-term survival and legitimacy by trying to
       perform impossible alchemy. Further, CSs have a comparative advantage over PSs in that
       students from other districts can attend any CS they wish. Although CSs serving low-income
       students are unlikely to convince, say, your average Lake Oswego parent to send their kid to a
       school on Burnside, CSs that specialize (e.g., in engineering or the fine arts) have a fighting
       chance of culling top-performing students.
2. In the short and medium term, CS should partner strategically with elementary and middle-school
       level CSs in cultivating students.




    3. In the long term, CSs should consider backward integrating, namely, opening their own separate
       elementary and middle schools or going “cradle to grave” by serving K-12. Schools might even
       start with K-3rd grade and then add grades sequentially. Indeed, one of the industry leaders for
       CSs, Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), has taken the backward integration tack starting just
       several years ago.

Top-Ranking Primary-Level Schools in Portland

    The good news is that there is ample open-source data and measures by which a CS can start targeting
potential partners and suppliers (primary schools).45 For the short and medium term, the best primary-
level schools are given below as a starting point for high-school CSs for better managing their supply
chain and creating a better ecosystem for CS students:

    •   Top-ranked elementary schools in Portland area in terms of reading and math scores for 5th
        graders46 :

Astor Elementary, Bethany, Bolton Primary School, Bonny Slope, Clackamas, Emerson School (CS),
Farmington View, Findley, and Hallinan.

    •   Top-ranked middle schools in Portland area in terms of reading and math scores for 8th graders47 :

Jane Goodall Environmental Middle (CS), Winterhaven School, West Sylvan Middle School, Three
Rivers (CS), Sheridan Japanese School (CS), International School of Beaverton Middle School,
Laurelhurst Elementary School, and Beverly Clearly School.

    3. Metrics, Benchmarks, and Marketing

    Metrics and benchmarks are essential to CSs on two marketing fronts.

    First, political marketing: convincing local school boards, regulatory agencies, and higher-level
policymakers that CS are worth investing in, and that the rules of the game need to be changed to allow
CS to compete on a level playing field.

    Second, the classical marketing front: convincing parents to test a less-customary educational option.
This is important because convincing Portland parents that gambling entrusting their child’s future to a
CS is a big challenge. 48 Further, in Portland, CSs are forbidden from directly marketing to students.49
Because that segment is off-limits, this underscores the necessity of marketing to the other segments
effectively. Because CSs are outmatched in terms of political, lobbying, and legal firepower at this point,
their lobbying is less likely to be effective if it is largely rhetoric-based. Like with other effective
reforms, it must be evidence-based to counter the status quo and conventional wisdom. So empirical
support is the best way to build the case for CSs and to influence policymakers.

Benchmarks
What metrics should CSs focus on? One of the CS industry leaders is Knowledge Is Power Program
(KIPP). KIPP started in Harlem, founded by Geoffrey Canada, who was featured in the Waiting for
Superman documentary. KIPP has been a model. It has rather remarkably been able to scale its schools,
and has spread about 110 CSs across the country (though not to Oregon yet)50. KIPP thus is an
appropriate benchmark.

    From the metrics that are available (such as graduation rates), Portland-area CSs vary widely when
compared to these benchmarks. Because of this wide variation and the scarcity of other data (such as
teacher retention and turnover rates), comparable data are not given for any particular CSs. Rather, the
important thing for CSs is to (1) start measuring the benchmarks given below and (2) aim for the
successes that KIPP has been able to achieve. With that said, the (a) five key benchmarks are given
below51 .

    1. Serving the under-served students benchmarks (Demographic information)

            a. Race/ethnicity (60% black, 36% latino)

            b. Eligible for free or reduced-price meals (poverty measure) (75% free, 11% discounted),
               Special-needs or eduction students (10%), and

            c. English Language learners (14%)



    2. Student Graduation, attendance, and attrition benchmarks

            a. 84-89% of students graduate or return to the same school per year



    3. Benchmarks measuring whether students are progressing and achieving academically

            a. National Level: At the end of 8th grade, 62% of KIPP students outperform their national
               peers in math; 57% do so in reading

            b. Local Level: At the end of 8th grade, 94% and 96% outperform their local districts in
               reading and math respectively

            c. On average, 100% of students outperformed their district’s average on SAT or ACT
               scores

            d. Percent of students meeting growth targets in reading and math, compared to a national
               average by grade: Nearly all grades fall between 55% and 80% of students meeting
               growth targets, compared to a national average of about 50% of students

            e. 82% of high-school students took SATs. Their average score was 1426

            f. 66% of seniors took AP classes, with 36% scoring a “3” or higher

                     i. Percent of students who graduate high school versus low-income average and
                        U.S. average nationally
1. 94% of KIPP students graduate, compared with 73% of low-income
                          students who graduate across the country (the national average generally
                          is that 83% of high school students graduate)



4. College benchmarks

       a. Number of KIPP graduates who start college

       b. 36% of KIPP graduates complete four-year degrees 36%, compared to only 11% of low-
          income students nationwide, and 31% of students nationwide generally



5. Benchmarks measuring whether a CS’s business model sustainable in terms of human
   capital and financially

       a. Sustainability of Human Capital (teachers and administrators)

                i. Leadership and talent-development programs

                       1. 73% of persons in leadership positions once taught at a KIPP school and
                          have moved on to play an administrative role

                ii. Retention (turnover) rates

                       1. 73% of teachers stayed within KIPP’s network of schools

                       2. 68% of teachers returned to the same school, and 5% moved to a non-
                          teaching position within the network of schools

       b. Financial Sustainability 52

                iv. Staff-to-student ratios

                v. Facility costs and ratios

                vi. Financial forecasting (fiscal)

                       1. An average KIPP school pays 85% of annual operating expenses from
                          public funds (taxes)

                vii.Private funding and donations

                       1. An average KIPP school receives only 15% from private donations, or
                          non-public funds

                viii.Break-even point where a CS no longer has to rely on a certain level of
                    donations.

                ix.KIPP’s school expenses include:
1. Instruction

                            2. Student services such as transportation and meals

                            3. Extra expenses from longer school days and years as well as end-of-year
                               field lessons

                            4. KIPP Through-College programs

                            5. Facilities, and

                            6. Administration



        Lastly, Oregon has its own metrics, including the Oregon State Achievement Index. These
metrics are important largely as a table stakes (necessary but not sufficient conditions for success).
Oregon CSs should of course start with getting the basics down and meeting local and state standards, but
the whole point of benchmarking is to emulate the best globally, not just locally.

A Concluding Note on Educational Technology -

        Because of the harsh operating environment facing CSs and their limited resources, this
report has purposefully limited its scope. However, the importance of educational technology is
worth mentioning. Unlike the public-school market, “edu-tech” is extremely competitive and
innovative. Application of novel edu-tech offers not only quality improvements, but also cost-
savings as well (e.g., distance-learning options that could cut down on fixed costs, such as
buildings and facilities). It is an area in which CSs, once they have become financially stable,
can probably gain a comparative advantage vis-à-vis their slower-moving PS competitors.
Sources:
1 Interview with Adam Reid, co-founder of Portland’s Leadership and Entrepreneurship Public Charter School
(LEP) on 3/8/12. See http://lephigh.org/site/about/staff-directory/. See also: Rejected by Portland district, group’s
plan for Southwest center gets second life”. Portland Tribune. Updated October 30, 2009:http://
www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=117736183585972800.
2   See Self-Enhancement, Inc., as CS in North Portland. http://www.selfenhancement.org/what_we_do.html.
3See Stanford’s Credo report: “Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States.” 2009. http://
credo.stanford.edu/reports/MULTIPLE_CHOICE_CREDO.pdf.
4   “Waiting for Superman” documentary.
5   Ibid.
6See e.g., “Fear of China: Welcoming the competition, like it or not” The Economist. June 10, 2010. (http://
www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/06/fear_china).
7   Waiting for Superman, above.
8   Ibid.
9 “High school graduation rate rises in U.S.” Washington Post. March 18, 2012: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
local/education/high-school-graduation-rate-rises-in-us/2012/03/16/gIQAxZ9rLS_story.html.
10   Waiting for Superman, above.
11See e.g., “Nine Cities Commit to New Partnerships Between Local School Districts and Public Charter Schools”.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dec. 7, 2010 (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/new-
charter-school-partnerships-101207.aspx).
12   The “Ecological” force is omitted in this analysis because of its marginal relevance here.
13   See interview with Adam Reid, above.
14   Oregon Blue Book: Public Education in Oregon. (http://bluebook.state.or.us/education/educationintro.htm).
15“2011- 2012 Charter Schools Contact List” ODE: (http://www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/grants/nclb/title_v/
b_charterschools/2011-2012-charter-schools-contact-list.xls).
16
 “Charter schools in Portland: Boon or bane?” The Oregonian. Saturday, June 27, 2009 (http://
www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/charter_schools_in_portland_bo.html).
17   Oregon Blue Book, above. These are 2008 numbers.
18   Ibid.
19   Ibid.
20   Ibid.
21   Ibid.
22“Only 59 percent of Oregon high school grads even try college, putting college degree goals far out of reach” The
Oregonian. April 16, 2012: (http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/04/
only_59_percent_of_oregon_high.html#incart_mce).
23   See ORS 338.025.
24See the Oregon Blue Book: http://bluebook.state.or.us/state/executive/Teachers_Standards/
teacher_standards_home.htm.
25See Id. and (http://bluebook.state.or.us/education/educationintro.htm and the ODE’s website: http://
dasapp.oregon.gov/statephonebook/display.asp?agency=58100&division=00010).
26   See Oregon Blue Book, above.
27   See ODE website, “Charter Schools, Title V-B: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=124.
28   “Charter Schools” http://www.movingtoportland.net/schools/charter-schools.
29Ibid. See also the interview with Adam Reid, who reported that his school in particular receives just over half of
the funds per student that other Portland-area PSs receive.
30   “Charter schools in Portland: Boon or bane?”, cited above.
31   (http://www.movingtoportland.net/schools/charter-schools
32   “Charter schools in Portland: Boon or bane?”, cited above.
33   (http://www.osba.org/News%20Center/Announcements/2012-03-09_SLN_Legal_Assistance_Trust.aspx).
34“Oceanview Charter School strives for acceptance” The Daily Astorian. March 2, 2012: http://
www.dailyastorian.com/free/oceanview-charter-school-strives-for-acceptance/article_31ec853e-649a-11e1-
b0e9-0019bb2963f4.html.
35
 Rejected by Portland district, group’s plan for Southwest center gets second life”. Portland Tribune. Updated
October 30, 2009:http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=117736183585972800.
36   See ORS § 338.095.
37 See Adam Reid interview, above, and Rejected by Portland district, group’s plan for Southwest center gets second
life”. Portland Tribune. Updated October 30, 2009:http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?
story_id=117736183585972800.
38 Adam    Reid interview, above.
39“Oceanview Charter School strives for acceptance” The Daily Astorian. March 2, 2012: http://
www.dailyastorian.com/free/oceanview-charter-school-strives-for-acceptance/article_31ec853e-649a-11e1-
b0e9-0019bb2963f4.html).
40   “Charter schools in Portland: Boon or bane?”, cited above.
41 Adam    Reid interview, above.
42   See http://charter-starters.com/.
43 As   quoted in a 1996 interview with Wired magazine’s Nick Carr.

44 As   quoted in “Whatever it Takes”, a documentary film. Directed by Christopher Wong. 2009.
45See e.g.., http://www.greatschools.org/oregon/portland/and the Oregonian’s service, Schooldigger.com, cited
below.
46
 (Top 10 elementary schools by 2010-11 OAKS Math & Reading scores, or NLBA scores, 5th Grade) (http://
www.schooldigger.com/go/OR/schoolrank.aspx?pagetype=top10&level=3).
47
 (Top 10 middle schools by 2010-11 OAKS Math & Reading scores, or NLBA scores, 8th grade: http://
www.schooldigger.com/go/OR/schoolrank.aspx?pagetype=top10&level=3).
48 Adam      Reid interview, above.
49   Ibid.
50   See http://www.kipp.org/schools.
51 All
    of the benchmarks below can be found in KIPP’s 2011 annual report, or “report card”. See http://
www.kipp.org/report-card-2011.
52Not all of the actual benchmarks are given (e.g., staff ratios and facility costs), but KIPP apparently does measure
these. CSs should as well.

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Charter schools competitive landscape report - t. la badie

  • 1. Sean Campbell Timothy LaBadie Competitive Intelligence April 26, 2012 I. Key Intelligence Question (KIQ) and Executive Summary KIQ: 1. What should the top three strategic priorities for Oregon Charter Schools (CSs) be? I.e., given a CS’s limited resources and harsh competitive environment, where should its focus lie? Executive Summary: This report is written primarily for high school CSs in the Portland, Oregon area competing with traditional public schools (PSs). It proceeds in three main sections. The first section (I) presents the key question this report addresses and a summary this report's findings and recommendations; the second (II) describes the general competitive environment or landscape for CSs competing against PSs, including key players in Oregon and applies the Nine Forces model; and the third (III) section makes the argument for the three priorities that CSs should focus upon in the following arenas: (1) political, (2) supply chain, and (3) marketing. (Sources are found in the endnotes section, starting on page 12). CSs not only operate in an austere environment, but it an inclement political one. The whole raison d'être for CSs, especially as far as Portland is concerned, is that they ought to serve the most difficult students, and are often viewed as an unwelcome medicine, at best. Portland CSs thus have an unenviable task. To take a military analogy, it’s as though they are being dropped behind enemy lines in exceedingly hostile terrain, but were outfitted with half of the resources of their counterparts—yet expected to succeed. So it is imperative that CSs have a very disciplined focus. Therefore, although this report could address a number of forces within the educational sector (emerging technologies, innovations in pedagogical methods, for example), it aims for a more pragmatic approach, narrowing its scope to the top three priorities that CSs should focus their attention on in this environment. These priorities are a mix of offensive and defensive (anticipatory) maneuvers in three areas. They are: 1. Political/Legal – The most crucial, both in the short and long term. Prepare for adverse political forces. a. In the short-term, ensure that a CS has strong community buy-in and participation from parents, students, and other stakeholders. In Portland, this type of grass-roots support and mobilization has allowed several schools to exist in the first place and survive. 1 b. In the short term, moreover, CSs should form strategic partnerships with each other, pooling their resources, to provide legal and PR support corresponding to the powerful legal resources that their PS competitors have at their disposal.
  • 2. c. Changing the rules of the game to make the industry more competitive and robust is absolutely essential for the survival and success of CSs. So in the medium and long term, CSs should form strategic partnerships to lobby Oregon State policymakers, regulators, legislators, and executive-branch officials. 2. Student Supply Chain and Ecosystem Development – Partner with elementary and middle schools or even pre-elementary institutions to ensure that incoming students to high school have a realistic chance of meeting or exceeding the performance targets and mission of CSs. Because CSs can attract students outside of their districts, this is one of the few areas where they have a potential competitive advantage over their PS competitors. A list of primary-level CSs are provided as a starting point for this strategic partnership, as well as top-performing PSs in the Portland area (see below). Further, some schools have offered a number of services to parents, thus aiming to create a better educational ecosystem.2 3. Marketing and Benchmarking – In Portland, the burden is squarely on CSs to justify their existence. Although about 17% of CSs have achieved great results with their students and communities, in the mass, about 50% are no more successful than traditional public schools across the country.3 Therefore, it is imperative that CSs have a number of measures in place to aid in marketing—both to policymakers and to parents. Benchmarks from a CS leader, KIPP, is provided in addition to Oregon-specific measures. II. Introduction and Competitive Milieu American Public Schools used to be among the best in the world 40-50 years ago, in the time of the post-WWII era.4 Europe was rebuilding itself and the rest of the world was largely poor and undeveloped.5 But over time, globalization has resulted in fierce, worldwide competition.6 Consequently, America has been lagged behind in education.7 U.S. policymakers have responded largely by throwing money at the problem. Since 1970, the U.S. has doubled the average amount spent per student from about $4,200 to over $9,000 (controlled for inflation).8 Yet in 2012, about 30% of U.S. students don’t graduate high school on time9, and U.S. students have flat lined in reading and math scores. 10 As a response to the problem of public education, many states, starting in the 1990s, have tried to reverse the U.S.’s downward educational trend by experimenting with CSs, thereby hoping to introduce more competition and innovation to the educational sector. CSs are nominally public schools. Parents do not pay private, direct tuition, and so the schools are largely funded by tax dollars. They tend to be smaller than PSs in terms of student enrollment, allowing teachers to give students more attention and a more individualized, tailored education. On the ground, CSs generally differ from PSs by requiring longer school days and academic years, their students to wear uniforms, frequent testing to track learing, and tutoring for students who are falling behind or not meeting educational targets.
  • 3. As far as political and social momentum goes, acceptance of CSs has probably never been stronger. Broadly, CSs have become a cause célèbre of various entertainers and philanthropists, such as Bill Gates.11 The Nine Forces Model The foregoing background or environment of CSs is summarized in the Nine Forces model in Appendix, below.12 This model is useful for seeing the varied factors that affect the educational industry holistically. The chart below ranks the forces from most salient (1) to least (9). The model reinforces that the educational industry is marked by the government (at all levels) playing a strong role in the educational industry, and an intense rivalry between CSs and PSs. Further, barriers to entry are fairly high because of the lack of access to funds to start and maintain a CS. Federal grants (up to $500,000) are available, but these can be hard to come by.13 Thus, it is not an attractive industry for new entrants. Usually, low customer (parent) buying power favors an industry. But here, the opposite is true. Low-income parents have little choice because of financial constraints. Substitutes include home schooling and private schools, but again for low-income parents, these substitutes are not feasible. In sum, the Nine Forces model further illustrates the harsh nature of the competitive landscape for CSs. Force Force Explanation Ranking 1 Political/Legal Government, laws, regulations, Laws and regulations lobbying efforts, public policy favor PSs. PSs have a lot more political/legal resources. 2 Competitors (PSs) Very high Teachers’ unions are Power extremely powerful politically at all levels of govt. 3 Potential Entrants Very high Raising funds is very (Barriers) difficult, mostly dependent upon state and federal grants. Hostile local school boards are gatekeepers and can revoke a school’s charter.
  • 4. 4 Social Demographics, culture, Acceptance of CSs and lifestyle, education, values the need for innovation in education has probably never been higher. 5 Economic Resources, global economy, Most developed employment, Disposable y countries outcompete Low to medium the U.S. in education. 6 Customer Power Low Low-income parents cannot afford private schools and are thus left with a bad PS or an often new, untested CS. 7 Technological Impact of science/tech on Edu is awash with new production (edu) & process technological innovation approaches, but this nearly always requires capital and expertise that most CSs do not have. 8 Supplier Power Medium Teachers are the most important supplier to a good school. Because 50% of PDX CS teachers can be non- union, these teachers tend to have lower bargaining power. 9 Substitutes Low Home-schooling and private schools are not an option for most low- income parents because of time, financial, and educational constraints. CSs and the Educational Landscape at the State Level
  • 5. An Overview of Public Education in Oregon Oregon has almost 200 public school districts, which operate about 1,350 public schools and enroll about 560,000 K-12 students.14 Out of these 1,350 schools, a mere 115 are CSs15 , which first appeared in Oregon in 1999. 16 These CSs have between 17-20,000 students enrolled currently, according to the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). Oregon’s public-school system employs about 30,000 teachers, amounting to a teacher-to-student ratio of 19 to 1, which is higher than the national 2008 average of about 15 to 1. 17 Demographically, minority students constitute 32% (national 2008 average is 45%) of Oregon students.18 Students who qualified for free and reduced-price lunch made up 49% of all students in 2009 (national 2008 average: 44.6%). 19 Special education students made up 13% of the total in 2009-2010 (national 2008 average, the same). 20 About 12% Oregon need language assistance services because English was not their first language (national average: 25%). 21 How well does the Oregon educate its students? Roughly 72% of students earn a high school diploma within five years, tracking the national average. About 20% go on to earn a bachelor’s degree or college credential. And only 59 percent of Oregon high school grads ever merely attend college for a time. 22 Political and Regulatory Players and Competitors at the State and Local Level The regulatory apparatus needed to support public education in Oregon is exceedingly complex. There are at least four agencies at the state level that regulate education—the State Board of Education 23, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (teacher licensing) 24, the Oregon Department of Education and Superintendant of Public Instruction (statewide testing and curriculum)25, and the Quality Education Commission (governs state education budget)26. This does not even include the federal agencies and the mare’s nest of federal statutes, agencies, grants, etc. that impact and influence state-level educational policy and regulation. Lastly, local school boards, are very important. They are most often the “sponsor” to which the CS has to report. The school board must grant the initial charter before a CS can open its doors, and audits the CS an ongoing basis.27 As we will see, this is a major battleground for CSs in the Portland area, and will be detailed in the next section. 1. It’s all politics, really… CSs are not, economically speaking, masters of their own destiny. In fact, intense rivalry in the political arena is the key competitive feature of the CS landscape. Hence, it is appropriately addressed first out of the first three competitive strategies. To even open their doors, they must have their “charter” approved by the state. “Charter” is particularly appropriate because it implies that the school is allowed to exist at the will and pleasure of the state. It is a mere privilege, to be granted or withheld by the government, not a right you can enforce. Oregon is an inclement political environment for CSs, which makes it fairly typical among states. Only three states have laws that tend to foster a highly competitive environment between CSs and PSs, according to the Center for Education Reform, or CER.28 Oregon is also typical in that CSs receive only
  • 6. about 60% of the funding per student that PSs get, or $6,500 vs. $10,700. 29 Even though Oregon CSs first appeared in 1999, as of 2009, 22 CSs have already failed, or around a 25%.30 Portland School Boards and PSs Political-Legal Comparative Advantage But if you zoom in from the state level, the environment becomes even more hostile to CSs in Portland. Of the 20+ CS have applied for charter school sponsorship since 1999, the Portland school board has rejected 10. This is more rejections than all other districts in the state combined.31 And the state has granted appeal to review these rejections in only four cases (or 18% of the time). 32 This highlights the importance of Portland CSs making sure that they are well prepared for the competitive landscape politically. Portland PSs biggest comparative advantage is their legal-political arsenal. Besides having public officials and agency staff, the public schools and teachers unions have access to some of the best legal counsel in the area via the Legal Assistance Trust. The Trust helps public educators maneuver offensively or defensively in Oregon courts. The fund is substantial, and maintains a minimum balance of $120,000.33 Any advice for someone starting a charter school? Yes, check your sanity. –Adam Reid The first major hurdle CSs face is having their charter accepted, or being granted existence, in the first place. Founders must present essentially a business plan, which can run 200+ pages to the local school board34 . This not only leaves a lot of room founders to make mistakes, but it gives the school board great latitude to second-guess and add onerous conditions. Further, there is an element of arbitrariness. The Portland school board has rejected charters, when the state board has approved it unanimously on appeal.35 And the hurdles and oversight by the board are ongoing. The charter must be renewed after a number of years (generally three to five), so a CS is never in the clear. Even prior to renewal, the terms of education boards might find that a CS has violated the terms of their charter in the required annual report, on-site visit, and audit. 36 Thus, the board resembles more of a probation officer who can intervene at most any time, rather than a mere licensor who rarely is involved in a meaningful sense. The ongoing opportunities for CSs to be found wanting in the eyes of the school board abound. Some common areas that have been particular stumbling blocks for CSs have been: buildings (where the school is located), rental rates, and a mass of zoning regulations37; financial health and compliance38 ; the existence of substitutes (such as “alternative schools”, which are offshoots of say, a high school, for special-needs and troubled students. Board officials often argue that the existence of alternative schools render a new CS duplicate, and obviate the need for a CS. 39 These are but a few examples, and a creative school board, city attorneys, and bureaucrats can come up with many more; state law allows local school boards to add additional, novel standards that don’t apply to PSs.40 Political-Legal Action to Take Therefore, it pays a CS to take act preemptively in the following ways. 1. Perform a competitive analysis of the local school board, member by member. Count the noses. Often, the difference between success and failure, as a local Portland CS high school found out, is a mere member or two, which change periodically.41
  • 7. 2. If possible, hire a consulting firm that specializes in CS, such as Charter Starters, Inc. out of Eugene, Oregon.42 Such firms are well aware of all the common sticking points. 3. CSs need to rev up the PR machine early, and if possible, work with PR firms before the fact. 4. Have the lawyers ready and waiting. This means proactively seeking their advice early to anticipate problems and plan, rather than hiring lawyers reactively. As pointed out above, Portland school boards have rejected almost half of CS applicants, so one should frankly expect this, and plan for the appeals process to the State Board from the get-go. 2. Student Supply Chain and Ecosystem Equal opportunity to me more than anything means a great education. Maybe even more important than a great family life, but I don’t know how to do that…But it pains me because we do know how to provide a great education. We really do. –Steve Jobs43 A lot of our expectations of our kids are sometimes unrealistic. See, our timeframe is immediate. Fourteen years the kids don’t understand this [sic]. You think they’re going to understand it in seven months? For so many of our children, they know nothing about discipline, commitment, and responsibility and perseverance and service and excellence. So now we expect them, on a dime, to become this different person. How real is our timeframe with this work? We really need to understand that. Edward Tom, Principal of Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics44 In Oregon, CS’s raison d'être is to work with the most challenging, difficult students. Call it educational alchemy. Some schools have performed this daunting task well, but in the aggregate most CSs have not gotten better results than their PS competitors. Yet, high schools can only do so much with students that have learned little to nothing thus far and who have serious personal- and family-related problems. So a crucial strategic priority is that CSs have to start managing their student supply chain and ecosystem better. This report recommends they implement this strategy in the following ways. 1. In the short term, CSs should attract the best students already existing. But a major risk to this strategy is that they will be accused of cherry picking the best students, leading to more vigorous political and PR attacks. But to some degree CSs must deal with this criticism. They do have to attract at least a critical mass of good students, for purposes of “good infection.” The alternative to not culling the best students is to risk their long-term survival and legitimacy by trying to perform impossible alchemy. Further, CSs have a comparative advantage over PSs in that students from other districts can attend any CS they wish. Although CSs serving low-income students are unlikely to convince, say, your average Lake Oswego parent to send their kid to a school on Burnside, CSs that specialize (e.g., in engineering or the fine arts) have a fighting chance of culling top-performing students.
  • 8. 2. In the short and medium term, CS should partner strategically with elementary and middle-school level CSs in cultivating students. 3. In the long term, CSs should consider backward integrating, namely, opening their own separate elementary and middle schools or going “cradle to grave” by serving K-12. Schools might even start with K-3rd grade and then add grades sequentially. Indeed, one of the industry leaders for CSs, Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), has taken the backward integration tack starting just several years ago. Top-Ranking Primary-Level Schools in Portland The good news is that there is ample open-source data and measures by which a CS can start targeting potential partners and suppliers (primary schools).45 For the short and medium term, the best primary- level schools are given below as a starting point for high-school CSs for better managing their supply chain and creating a better ecosystem for CS students: • Top-ranked elementary schools in Portland area in terms of reading and math scores for 5th graders46 : Astor Elementary, Bethany, Bolton Primary School, Bonny Slope, Clackamas, Emerson School (CS), Farmington View, Findley, and Hallinan. • Top-ranked middle schools in Portland area in terms of reading and math scores for 8th graders47 : Jane Goodall Environmental Middle (CS), Winterhaven School, West Sylvan Middle School, Three Rivers (CS), Sheridan Japanese School (CS), International School of Beaverton Middle School, Laurelhurst Elementary School, and Beverly Clearly School. 3. Metrics, Benchmarks, and Marketing Metrics and benchmarks are essential to CSs on two marketing fronts. First, political marketing: convincing local school boards, regulatory agencies, and higher-level policymakers that CS are worth investing in, and that the rules of the game need to be changed to allow CS to compete on a level playing field. Second, the classical marketing front: convincing parents to test a less-customary educational option. This is important because convincing Portland parents that gambling entrusting their child’s future to a CS is a big challenge. 48 Further, in Portland, CSs are forbidden from directly marketing to students.49 Because that segment is off-limits, this underscores the necessity of marketing to the other segments effectively. Because CSs are outmatched in terms of political, lobbying, and legal firepower at this point, their lobbying is less likely to be effective if it is largely rhetoric-based. Like with other effective reforms, it must be evidence-based to counter the status quo and conventional wisdom. So empirical support is the best way to build the case for CSs and to influence policymakers. Benchmarks
  • 9. What metrics should CSs focus on? One of the CS industry leaders is Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP). KIPP started in Harlem, founded by Geoffrey Canada, who was featured in the Waiting for Superman documentary. KIPP has been a model. It has rather remarkably been able to scale its schools, and has spread about 110 CSs across the country (though not to Oregon yet)50. KIPP thus is an appropriate benchmark. From the metrics that are available (such as graduation rates), Portland-area CSs vary widely when compared to these benchmarks. Because of this wide variation and the scarcity of other data (such as teacher retention and turnover rates), comparable data are not given for any particular CSs. Rather, the important thing for CSs is to (1) start measuring the benchmarks given below and (2) aim for the successes that KIPP has been able to achieve. With that said, the (a) five key benchmarks are given below51 . 1. Serving the under-served students benchmarks (Demographic information) a. Race/ethnicity (60% black, 36% latino) b. Eligible for free or reduced-price meals (poverty measure) (75% free, 11% discounted), Special-needs or eduction students (10%), and c. English Language learners (14%) 2. Student Graduation, attendance, and attrition benchmarks a. 84-89% of students graduate or return to the same school per year 3. Benchmarks measuring whether students are progressing and achieving academically a. National Level: At the end of 8th grade, 62% of KIPP students outperform their national peers in math; 57% do so in reading b. Local Level: At the end of 8th grade, 94% and 96% outperform their local districts in reading and math respectively c. On average, 100% of students outperformed their district’s average on SAT or ACT scores d. Percent of students meeting growth targets in reading and math, compared to a national average by grade: Nearly all grades fall between 55% and 80% of students meeting growth targets, compared to a national average of about 50% of students e. 82% of high-school students took SATs. Their average score was 1426 f. 66% of seniors took AP classes, with 36% scoring a “3” or higher i. Percent of students who graduate high school versus low-income average and U.S. average nationally
  • 10. 1. 94% of KIPP students graduate, compared with 73% of low-income students who graduate across the country (the national average generally is that 83% of high school students graduate) 4. College benchmarks a. Number of KIPP graduates who start college b. 36% of KIPP graduates complete four-year degrees 36%, compared to only 11% of low- income students nationwide, and 31% of students nationwide generally 5. Benchmarks measuring whether a CS’s business model sustainable in terms of human capital and financially a. Sustainability of Human Capital (teachers and administrators) i. Leadership and talent-development programs 1. 73% of persons in leadership positions once taught at a KIPP school and have moved on to play an administrative role ii. Retention (turnover) rates 1. 73% of teachers stayed within KIPP’s network of schools 2. 68% of teachers returned to the same school, and 5% moved to a non- teaching position within the network of schools b. Financial Sustainability 52 iv. Staff-to-student ratios v. Facility costs and ratios vi. Financial forecasting (fiscal) 1. An average KIPP school pays 85% of annual operating expenses from public funds (taxes) vii.Private funding and donations 1. An average KIPP school receives only 15% from private donations, or non-public funds viii.Break-even point where a CS no longer has to rely on a certain level of donations. ix.KIPP’s school expenses include:
  • 11. 1. Instruction 2. Student services such as transportation and meals 3. Extra expenses from longer school days and years as well as end-of-year field lessons 4. KIPP Through-College programs 5. Facilities, and 6. Administration Lastly, Oregon has its own metrics, including the Oregon State Achievement Index. These metrics are important largely as a table stakes (necessary but not sufficient conditions for success). Oregon CSs should of course start with getting the basics down and meeting local and state standards, but the whole point of benchmarking is to emulate the best globally, not just locally. A Concluding Note on Educational Technology - Because of the harsh operating environment facing CSs and their limited resources, this report has purposefully limited its scope. However, the importance of educational technology is worth mentioning. Unlike the public-school market, “edu-tech” is extremely competitive and innovative. Application of novel edu-tech offers not only quality improvements, but also cost- savings as well (e.g., distance-learning options that could cut down on fixed costs, such as buildings and facilities). It is an area in which CSs, once they have become financially stable, can probably gain a comparative advantage vis-à-vis their slower-moving PS competitors.
  • 12. Sources: 1 Interview with Adam Reid, co-founder of Portland’s Leadership and Entrepreneurship Public Charter School (LEP) on 3/8/12. See http://lephigh.org/site/about/staff-directory/. See also: Rejected by Portland district, group’s plan for Southwest center gets second life”. Portland Tribune. Updated October 30, 2009:http:// www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=117736183585972800. 2 See Self-Enhancement, Inc., as CS in North Portland. http://www.selfenhancement.org/what_we_do.html. 3See Stanford’s Credo report: “Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States.” 2009. http:// credo.stanford.edu/reports/MULTIPLE_CHOICE_CREDO.pdf. 4 “Waiting for Superman” documentary. 5 Ibid. 6See e.g., “Fear of China: Welcoming the competition, like it or not” The Economist. June 10, 2010. (http:// www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/06/fear_china). 7 Waiting for Superman, above. 8 Ibid. 9 “High school graduation rate rises in U.S.” Washington Post. March 18, 2012: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ local/education/high-school-graduation-rate-rises-in-us/2012/03/16/gIQAxZ9rLS_story.html. 10 Waiting for Superman, above. 11See e.g., “Nine Cities Commit to New Partnerships Between Local School Districts and Public Charter Schools”. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dec. 7, 2010 (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/new- charter-school-partnerships-101207.aspx). 12 The “Ecological” force is omitted in this analysis because of its marginal relevance here. 13 See interview with Adam Reid, above. 14 Oregon Blue Book: Public Education in Oregon. (http://bluebook.state.or.us/education/educationintro.htm). 15“2011- 2012 Charter Schools Contact List” ODE: (http://www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/grants/nclb/title_v/ b_charterschools/2011-2012-charter-schools-contact-list.xls). 16 “Charter schools in Portland: Boon or bane?” The Oregonian. Saturday, June 27, 2009 (http:// www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/charter_schools_in_portland_bo.html). 17 Oregon Blue Book, above. These are 2008 numbers. 18 Ibid. 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 22“Only 59 percent of Oregon high school grads even try college, putting college degree goals far out of reach” The Oregonian. April 16, 2012: (http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/04/ only_59_percent_of_oregon_high.html#incart_mce). 23 See ORS 338.025.
  • 13. 24See the Oregon Blue Book: http://bluebook.state.or.us/state/executive/Teachers_Standards/ teacher_standards_home.htm. 25See Id. and (http://bluebook.state.or.us/education/educationintro.htm and the ODE’s website: http:// dasapp.oregon.gov/statephonebook/display.asp?agency=58100&division=00010). 26 See Oregon Blue Book, above. 27 See ODE website, “Charter Schools, Title V-B: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=124. 28 “Charter Schools” http://www.movingtoportland.net/schools/charter-schools. 29Ibid. See also the interview with Adam Reid, who reported that his school in particular receives just over half of the funds per student that other Portland-area PSs receive. 30 “Charter schools in Portland: Boon or bane?”, cited above. 31 (http://www.movingtoportland.net/schools/charter-schools 32 “Charter schools in Portland: Boon or bane?”, cited above. 33 (http://www.osba.org/News%20Center/Announcements/2012-03-09_SLN_Legal_Assistance_Trust.aspx). 34“Oceanview Charter School strives for acceptance” The Daily Astorian. March 2, 2012: http:// www.dailyastorian.com/free/oceanview-charter-school-strives-for-acceptance/article_31ec853e-649a-11e1- b0e9-0019bb2963f4.html. 35 Rejected by Portland district, group’s plan for Southwest center gets second life”. Portland Tribune. Updated October 30, 2009:http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=117736183585972800. 36 See ORS § 338.095. 37 See Adam Reid interview, above, and Rejected by Portland district, group’s plan for Southwest center gets second life”. Portland Tribune. Updated October 30, 2009:http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php? story_id=117736183585972800. 38 Adam Reid interview, above. 39“Oceanview Charter School strives for acceptance” The Daily Astorian. March 2, 2012: http:// www.dailyastorian.com/free/oceanview-charter-school-strives-for-acceptance/article_31ec853e-649a-11e1- b0e9-0019bb2963f4.html). 40 “Charter schools in Portland: Boon or bane?”, cited above. 41 Adam Reid interview, above. 42 See http://charter-starters.com/. 43 As quoted in a 1996 interview with Wired magazine’s Nick Carr. 44 As quoted in “Whatever it Takes”, a documentary film. Directed by Christopher Wong. 2009. 45See e.g.., http://www.greatschools.org/oregon/portland/and the Oregonian’s service, Schooldigger.com, cited below. 46 (Top 10 elementary schools by 2010-11 OAKS Math & Reading scores, or NLBA scores, 5th Grade) (http:// www.schooldigger.com/go/OR/schoolrank.aspx?pagetype=top10&level=3).
  • 14. 47 (Top 10 middle schools by 2010-11 OAKS Math & Reading scores, or NLBA scores, 8th grade: http:// www.schooldigger.com/go/OR/schoolrank.aspx?pagetype=top10&level=3). 48 Adam Reid interview, above. 49 Ibid. 50 See http://www.kipp.org/schools. 51 All of the benchmarks below can be found in KIPP’s 2011 annual report, or “report card”. See http:// www.kipp.org/report-card-2011. 52Not all of the actual benchmarks are given (e.g., staff ratios and facility costs), but KIPP apparently does measure these. CSs should as well.