Growth Strategies for Charter Schools
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What are your plans for charter school replication? How do the challenges faced by charter leaders change as they expand? This webinar is focused on Growth Strategies for charter schools. We feature the challenges schools face during various phases from start-up, expansion through to a mature school as well as highlight best practices schools use to achieve success.
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Growth Strategies for Charter Schools
- 1. Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Webinar February 28, 2016 Growth Strategies for Charter Schools: Start-up, Expansion and Maturity
- 2. 2 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. WELCOME Stuart Ellis, President and CEO Charter School Capital Ron Packard, President and CEO Pansophic Learning
- 3. 3 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. WHAT WE’LL COVER • Charter school growth stages • Challenges school operators face at each stage • Best practices and takeaways Agenda Presentation is available to download at CharterSchoolCapital.org/Webinars
- 4. Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Stages of Growth
- 5. 5 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH # of Students Start-up Survival/Establish Growth Flexibility/Stability Sustainable Maturity Efficiency Time (years) 0 2-3 5-10 100% Students as a % of mature targets 10-25% 25-90% 90-100%
- 6. 6 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CHALLENGES Reasons for charter school closures 42% 24% 19% 6% 5% 4% Financial Mismanagement Academic Authorizer Obstacles Facilities Other Source: The State of Charter Schools, The Center For Education Reform, December 2011
- 7. 7 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Strategic approach Start-up Growth Sustainability Financing Facilities Community involvement Academic accountability Operational support
- 8. 8 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Strategic approach Start-up Growth Sustainability Financing Any liquidity Facilities In target locale Community involvement Awareness Academic accountability Establish program Operational support Outside experts
- 9. 9 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Strategic approach Start-up Growth Sustainability Financing Any liquidity Flexibility/scalabil ity Facilities In target locale Modular Community involvement Awareness Fulfill the promise Academic accountability Establish program Measure program Operational support Outside experts Transitional resources
- 10. 10 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Strategic approach Start-up Growth Sustainability Financing Any liquidity Flexibility/scalabil ity Cost Facilities In target locale Modular Curb appeal/cost Community involvement Awareness Fulfill the promise Fabric of community Academic accountability Establish program Measure program Continuous improvement Operational support Outside experts Transitional resources In-house team
- 11. 11 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Strategic approach Start-up Growth Sustainability Financing Any liquidity Flexibility/scalabil ity Cost Facilities In target locale Modular Curb appeal/cost Community involvement Awareness Fulfill the promise Fabric of community Academic accountability Establish program Measure program Continuous improvement Operational support Outside experts Transitional resources In-house team
- 12. 12 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH • Different structures of working capital – Receivable sale – Term loan – Line of credit • Facilities financing options – Lease option – Bond – Traditional bank loan • Regarding costs of funds, all costs are NOT created equal – Evaluate total $ cost rather than % rate – Consider fixed transactional costs and penalties, in addition to annual rate related to costs Finance considerations
- 13. Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Start-up Phase
- 14. 14 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Start-up Common Misperceptions Founding team to “create” best practices “If you build it, they will come.”
- 15. 15 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Start-up The Challenges Finding good leadership and teachers Securing resources Finding suitable facilities Healthy enrollment Sustaining high performance as network expands
- 16. 16 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Start-up Best Practices Study and meet with schools doing things well Don’t be a master of everything. Master a few things and do them really well Build genuine and robust relationship with teachers, leaders, vendors, and external constituents Pay close attention to the budget Pay even closer attention to student progress data Do not waiver in your belief or mission
- 17. Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Growth Phase
- 18. 18 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Growth Common Misperceptions “After the 3rd year, all will be in place and it’s smooth sailing!” Performance and accountability requirements will be stagnant Done with professional development No need to change routines or systems We’ll have sufficient funds from operating revenue to support expansion Facility upgrades will be minimal, if at all
- 19. 19 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Growth Challenges Maintaining high expectations and being flexible Advancing levels of student performance Managing growth with limited resources Upgrading systems to support growth Retaining quality teachers and leaders Matching capital to operational needs
- 20. 20 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Growth Best Practices Continuous professional development and leadership training Build on the culture Focus on individualized instruction and data analysis Increase visibility in the movement
- 21. 21 Copyright © 2013 Charter School Capital, Inc. Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Sustainable Maturity Phase
- 22. 22 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Sustainable maturity Common Misperceptions The snowball effect Time to cash in Challenges decrease as you scale
- 23. 23 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Sustainable maturity The Challenges Focus, Engage, Act Right team on the right bust in the right seats Recalibration
- 24. 24 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Sustainable maturity Best Practices Be mindful of the “tipping points” Strategic enrollment = Stable performance Develop data-driven culture and retain the passion that got you started Celebrate your successes and analyze your failures as strategic opportunities Develop pillars that define what you do – core strategies for your “preferred future” Assess all management systems regularly and use assessment to improve
- 25. Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Recap
- 26. 26 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH Recap Start-up Growth Sustainability Financing Any liquidity Flexibility/scalabil ity Cost Facilities In target locale Modular Curb appeal/cost Community involvement Awareness Fulfill the promise Fabric of community Academic accountability Establish program Measure program Continuous improvement Operational support Outside experts Transitional resources In-house team
- 27. 27 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAGES OF GROWTH • Stages in charter school lifecycle present very different challenges • Strategy and focus needs to vary significantly as you grow • Leverage experts at every stage to allow you to focus on educating kids • Financial analysis illuminates positive potential impact of growth and scale Key takeaways
- 28. Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Questions? Presentation available at: CharterSchoolCapital.org/Webinars
- 29. 29 Copyright © 2015 Charter School Capital, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Thank You Presentation available at: CharterSchoolCapital.org/Webinars Stuart Ellis, sellis@charterschoolcapital.org 877-272-1001 Ron Packard, ron@pansophiclearning.com
Editor's Notes
- STUART
- STUART Start-up Fact - NC study of 70 charter schools – 87% of school failures happen in the first three years. Growth Fact – Sustainable Maturity Fact –
- Charter schools are challenged in a number of operational areas. Interestingly, 42% of charter schools fail due to financial issues. Charter school capital was created for the sole purpose of funding charter schools and we believe we can play a key role is assisting charter schools to overcome many of the finance challenges they face. Although this pie charter shows distinct boundaries between many of the identified categories, we all know financial issues can contribute across the board. Specific example could be the mismanagement of funds due to the challenge associated with cash flow. Additionally, the need for funding of technology to support academic initiatives. Finally, our experience indicates that the challenges associated with facilities tends to begin in the lack of flexible financing approaches that can address the unique needs of charter schools.
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- CAPRICE
- MARSHALL
- MARSHALL Entering into Growth phase Schools 3-5 years in operation Adapt to new education standards Continued growth Strain on schools to sustain What are the common misperceptions schools may face during the Growth phase? · “After the third year, all will be in place and its smooth sailing!” · Performance targets and accountability requirements will be the same as when the charter was approved. · Professional and leadership development will be limited, because teachers and principals will be fully trained. · Routines and systems will be in place and there’s no need to change. · There will be sufficient funds from our operating revenue to support enrollment expansion and related capital requirements. · Facility upgrades will be minimal, if at all.
- MARSHALL What are the challenges schools face during the growth phase? · Adjusting to higher expectations and new and/or changing state/sponsor accountability requirements · The ability to advance from incremental progress in student performance to higher levels of performance and expectations · Managing with limited resources and often, facing greater demands for services · Inefficient or inadequate operating and data systems (including student assessment systems) · The annual loss of high quality teachers and leaders · The ability to recruit, select and hire new teachers for schools with increasing enrollments · The lack of adequate capital for FFE, marketing and curriculum for increasing student enrollments or campuses · Inadequate funding and/or lack of quality professional development and leadership training necessary to meet new expectations, curriculum and standards. What can schools do to meet these challenges? · Build in ‘longer term’ expectations for continuous growth and development and create the right school culture from the beginning. · School Improvement plans must have a clear delineation of the multi-year goals and measures, and must include clear strategies, actions, milestones and evaluation component. · Schools and their staff must be prepared for the “roll out” of Common Core State Standards and the implications for curriculum, leader and teacher knowledge and skills, and how schools and classrooms should be organized. · Greater access to resources and expanding the learning environment via technology. · Conduct an annual “Quality Review” grounded in school standards of excellence. · Make “Capacity Building” and on-going priority (on-going training and development of school leaders and teachers, staff recruitment). · Create structures within schools that enable teachers to track their students’ progress and advance changes in practice on a routine basis. · Improved ‘assessment’ systems that provide teachers and school leaders with user friendly, real time data and information.
- MARSHALL What approach did you take and what are some best practices you can provide? · Prepare staff for the opening of school throughout the summer (July, early August and prior to school opening), rather than an intensive 5-10 days of training just prior to opening of school. · School Culture: Must be grounded in core values and all must know your routines and procedures and a shared language or terms. Create the “Wilson (your school’s name) Way” or another research based program. · Your school improvement plan should be a “live” document that includes a roadmap and key milestones that be celebrated as they are accomplished. · Focus on continuous leadership development and growth. We have created a program with several components, that include: Leadership Standards of Practice (and an accompanying set of rubrics), select conference/s participation, assignment of a mentor, exposure to high performing learning environments). · Focus teacher training and development on the essential changes that are unfolding: Common Core, Inquiry Based learning and Project Based learning approaches, understanding and using assessment data appropriately, etc. · Create PLCs (professional learning communities) and/or “data teams”, and a school schedule that enables them to operate effectively and efficiently. · Expand your community’s vision of the learning environment to one that is 24/7 and includes the use of technology and other educational institutions within your community.
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- STUART What are some best practices you can provide? Define your objectives clearly and communicate extensively (both internally and externally). Celebrate your successes and analyze your failures. Develop a data-driven culture but make sure you retain the passion that got you started. Most importantly, take what you do very seriously without taking yourself too seriously. At Mosaica, we identified the eight “pillars” that define what we do. Our most important pillar is to focus on student achievement. Everything we do is driven by that goal. Professional development, parental and community involvement, the use of technology in the delivery of instruction, a safe and secure learning environment, the use of our Paragon® humanities curriculum and a extended learning times are also pillars, where we seek to employ best key practices. In each of those areas, we regularly assess our performance and work to improve.
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- Stuart This presentation is available for download as well. Details on last slide.