Existing Operator Resources

Resource Documents

• Maryland Charter School Law

• Facilities Checklist & Guidance

• Facilities Calculation Tool

• Identifying Promising Practices in Charter Schools: A Framework for an Evidence-Based Approach

  • The framework was created to "break the mold" of identifying practices that work, by inviting all schools (not just the high performing ones) to reflect on what is working in their schools, provide instruction on how to gather evidence of it working and how to disseminate that knowledge with other practitioners so they can more easily implement the practice.

• Webinar: Ensuring Long-term Success Through Succession Planning

On-Demand Resource Pages

On-Demand Webinars

Growing Your charter School Series:

• On-Demand Webinar: Operational Excellence Part 1

  • Roles, Responsibilities, Org Structure & Standard Operating Procedures

• On-Demand Webinar: Operational Excellence Part II

  • Cross Train Staff, Proactive Communication, and Proactive Evaluation

• On-Demand Webinar: Facilities - Replication & Expansion Cohort Series

  • Critical questions when contemplating growth

• The Secret of Managing Behavior - School-to-School Sharing

• From Theory to Practice: An Equity Rubric for Classroom Observations

• New Hopes for School Integration and Diversity: Making it a Reality for MD Charter Schools

• Creating Equitable Schools: What Administrators Should Know

• Building School Culture - School-to-School Sharing

• Restorative Practices and Why The Process Works - School-to-School Sharing

• On Demand Webinar: Student Enrollment and Keeping Those That Say Yes!

• You're on a Public Charter School Board- Now What?

  • Congratulations on joining a public charter school board- it's rewarding work. Great charter schools need great board members. This webinar will provide a framework and strategies for governing effectively, and help board members understand the responsibilities, transparency and stewardship required to operate public schools. Whether you're brand new, or need a refresher, we'll help board members understand how to govern with a focus on student outcomes, equity, and accountability to all stakeholders.

• Driving Focused Implementation- Replication and Expansion Cohort Series

  • This on demand webinar pulls together workshop topics on replication, planning, and data use. You will come away understanding the basics about progress routines and how to use them to drive continuous improvement and learning. You will also hear from a local operator -- Afya Baltimore, Inc -- about the results they achieved through strategic investments and progress routines across their schools, with a focus on the particular experience of one school in driving improvement and learning. The webinar was facilitated by Tom DeWire at EdScale, LLC (who facilitated the replication workshop in 2019).

• Establishing sound mission-based performance measures/accountability plan - School-to-School Sharing

  • EXCEL Academy Public Charter School has engaged two established researchers/ academicians to help EXCEL operationalize its four pillars in order to identify solid outcomes and develop sound evaluation practices. There is evidence that establishing sound mission based performance measures is a shortcoming of charter schools across the nation. This is a promising practice to share with other schools.

• Charter School Budgeting - Operator Series

  • Learn how to create an effective and strategic budgeting process, what to focus on, and what key indicators to monitor on both a short- and long-term basis. The goal is to help school leaders prepare for the upcoming budget development for next year. The session will be most useful to newer operators or newer staff within the charter school community, but even school veterans will likely glean insights that can be put into practice. The presenter will be Joel Smith Goering of EdOps, a national leader in the provision of charter school back-office support services. Joel has partnered with numerous charter schools on their annual and multi-year budgeting processes, including several in Baltimore City.

• How to Build a Strong Data Ecosystem in Your School - Replication & Expansion Cohort Series

Resource Sites

• National Charter School Resource Center

  • The NCSRC is dedicated to helping charter schools reach their aspirations and furthering understanding of charter schools. They offer a diverse selection of objective  resources on every aspect of the charter school sector. These resources are compiled from trusted sources and also originally produced by the NCSRC.

• SCHOOLBUILD

  • SchoolBuild supports the charter school community, school leaders and operations staff in addressing a major challenge to the sector’s growth – facilities issues. SchoolBuild is the first research portal of its kind to provide guidance about the facilities process from start to finish.

• National charter school facility center

  • The National Alliance works with its National Facility Council to identify, research, and develop best practices. These range from public programs, to public-private programs, to private sector initiatives. The Charter School Facility Center disseminates these best practices through research publications, new media, and targeted educational programs.