SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Proposal to Transfer an Existing Charter School to Oversight and Supervision by the State University of New York Board of Trustees ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL October 3, 2017 Charter Schools Institute State University of New York 41 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, New York 12207 (518) 445-4250 (518) 320-1572 (fax) www.newyorkcharters.org
Executive Summary Academic Leadership Charter School ( Academic Leadership ) submitted the application to transfer authorization to the State University of New York Board of Trustees (the SUNY Trustees ) on April 7, 2017 in response to the SUNY Charter Schools Institute s (the Institute s ) Application for SUNY to Authorize an Existing Charter School Education Corporation (the Application ) (available at: http://www.newyorkcharters.org/operate/transfer/) released on behalf of the SUNY Trustees in the fall of 2016. The board of trustees of Academic Leadership, a not-for-profit charter school education corporation authorized by the New York City Schools Chancellor (the NYC Chancellor ), currently operates one school in New York City Community School District ( CSD ) 7. Academic Leadership was approved by the New York State Board of Regents (the Board of Regents ) on February 10, 2009. The school opened in fall 2009 with Kindergarten and 1 st grade. For the current school year, the school serves approximately 500 students in grades K-8. The Board of Regents approved a full-term, five-year renewal on through June 30, 2018 allowing the school to grow its current elementary program enrollment by one section in each grade and to expand into a middle school. Academic Leadership has submitted an application for renewal to SUNY for action during the 2017-18 school year. Based on the Application and the foregoing: The Institute recommends that the SUNY Trustees approve the application to transfer oversight and supervision of Academic Leadership Charter School from the New York City Schools Chancellor to the SUNY Trustees. 2
Background and Description Amendments to the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 (as amended, the Act ) in 2016 permit a charter school overseen by one authorizer to apply to be overseen by any other authorizer during a period of one year from the effective date of the legislation. As the legislation took effect immediately upon signature of the Governor on June 23, 2016, charter schools had one year from that date to apply to the SUNY Trustees. New York Education Law 2851(5) does not mandate that the SUNY Trustees act on such applications within one year. The Institute will review all applications for transfer submitted by noon on June 23, 2017, and based on the strength of the applicant s existing school(s), will recommend those that qualify to the SUNY Trustees Charter School s Committee for approval until all timely applications have been recommended, withdrawn or determined by the Institute to not meet the requirements for recommendation. Mission, Philosophy and Key Design Elements Academic Leadership s mission is to develop in students the ability to exceed NYS performance standards in all major academic areas in a safe and nurturing environment. In partnership with parents and the community, our students will be empowered to become leaders and take an active role in their learning while exhibiting good character. Academic Leadership s key design elements are as follows: Community. Academic Leadership is located in the South Bronx, an area of academically low-performing students with few educational options, high poverty, and a high number of immigrants and second language learners. The educational program is specifically developed to meet the needs of this student population, as the school believes all children regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background can achieve academically. Academic Leadership is committed to a rigorous curriculum for all of its students within a caring and supportive learning environment. The school promotes the development of critical thinking, perseverance, ethics, character, and leadership with a two-teacher-perclassroom model. The school uses data to track progress and data-driven instruction to ensure that every student reaches high levels of academic achievement. All classroom teachers and support staff members (Special Education and Title 1) plan lessons based on the needs of specific groups. Parent Participation. Academic Leadership believes that parent participation is a key component for student success and the school keeps parents actively involved in their children s education by maintaining regular, ongoing communication with parents especially around the area of assessment results. Working closely with parents allows the school to provide a quality character education program to help develop students who are problem solvers and critical thinkers, and able to solve conflicts peacefully. 3
Extended Learning Time. Academic Leadership offers an extended school day, with instruction beginning at 7:45 A.M. and ending at 4:00 P.M. The extended day program offers 33% more instructional time than public district schools. A 15 minute enrichment period each day allows teaching about various themes to add their knowledge base. The school offers 4 periods of literacy instruction, which consist of analyzing various fiction and nonfiction texts and writing about them. There are two periods of mathematics, one period of social studies, one period of science, and one specials period (art, music, physical education) daily. Offering all of these classes each day helps students develop into well rounded individuals with a broad knowledge base and an appreciation for learning. For all subject areas, teachers select and use authentic literature including a variety of fiction and nonfiction trade books, along with magazine articles that are used during every lesson. In addition to the extended school day, the school offers a summer program for three weeks each school year. The program targets struggling students, but based on staff availability, the school has historically extended the program to all students. This program is also an opportunity to train newly hired teachers before September. Pre-Kindergarten. In September of 2014, Academic Leadership welcomed three full day universal Pre-K classes enriching school culture and enhancing the educational experience of students by developing the fundamental academic and social emotional skills needed to help them be even more successful in Kindergarten and the grades that follow. Co-Teaching. Each classroom has a Lead Teacher and an Associate Teacher, who functions as a co-teacher. Both teachers plan their own lessons, aligned to Common Core Standards to meet the needs of all students in the classroom. This model ensures students are receiving differentiated instruction based on their needs. Character Education. The school s character education program reinforces exemplar citizenship. Star students from each class are selected each month who best portray stated traits. Character traits included within a yearly list of traits are honesty, friendship, and perseverance. Classroom teachers and cluster teachers teach character education within the classroom setting using a variety of fiction and nonfiction books to help students better understand each concept. Academic Performance The Institute collected academic outcome data generated by Academic Leadership during the most recent three years and analyzed it against the performance standard set by the SUNY Trustees to determine the strength of the school s educational program. During that time, Academic Leadership posted high performance in English language arts ( ELA ) and mathematics, having met the SUNY Trustees standard for academic performance in both subjects. Academic Leadership also met the SUNY Trustees performance standard in science and, having never been identified as a focus or priority charter school, was in good standing according to the state s No Child Left Behind ( NCLB ) accountability system. 4
Academic Leadership met or exceeded each of the SUNY Trustees targets for academic performance in ELA during the most recent three years. As measured by the state s ELA assessment, the school s ELA outcomes for students enrolled for at least two years exceeded those of Bronx CSD 7 (the district ) by at least 36 percentage points. In comparison to schools throughout the state enrolling similar concentrations of economically disadvantaged students, Academic Leadership consistently performed higher than expected to a meaningful degree according to the Institute s effect size measure. The school continues to drive high ELA achievement of its students: Academic Leadership posted mean growth scores throughout the three year period that exceeded the state s median growth score of 50. In mathematics, Academic Leadership also posted high performance during the most recent three years. Among students who have been enrolled for at least two years, the school s results on the state s mathematics exam exceeded that of the district by at least 43 percentage points during the most recent three years. The school also posted high effect sizes in mathematics, performing higher than expected to a large degree each year. Academic Leadership also posted strong growth during the past three years: the school produced growth percentiles that exceeded the state s median growth of 50 by at least 6 percentiles points. With nearly all of the school s 4 th and 8 th graders scoring at or above proficiency on the state s science assessments, Academic Leadership met the SUNY Trustees standard for academic performance in science. Not only did the school exceed the SUNY Trustees performance benchmark of 75% of students performing at or above proficiency, the school also outperformed the district by a wide margin each year. Academic Leadership was not identified as a school in need of a local assistance plan or as a focus charter school during the last three years and consistently has been in good standing under the state s NCLB accountability system. Calendar and Schedule Academic Leadership offers an extended school day, with instruction beginning at 7:45 A.M. and ending at 4:00 P.M. In addition, the school offers a half-day three week summer school program. Academic Program In addition to analyzing available academic outcome data, the Institute visited the school to gauge the quality of the program in place at the school at the time Academic Leadership submitted its application. In May of 2017, the New York State Education Department recognized Academic Leadership as a "Reward School." This award is based on the school s high academic performance (top 20 percent for ELA and mathematics) or the most progress with minimal gaps in 5
achievement between subgroups of students. Only 18 other charter schools were recognized. Academic Leadership offers four periods of literacy daily, two periods of mathematics, one period of science, one period of social studies and one special subject (art, physical education, music) daily. All subjects have curricula designed in-house, created around Common Core standards. A key component of the academic program is its Literacy program provided during four, 45 minute periods daily. It employs a mini lesson approach, followed by a workshop period engaging students in a number of follow up activities including group work with additional support from the classroom teacher or associate teacher for those students most at-risk. It also provides independent workshop activities for those students who master the main ideas of the lesson. During the 180 minute literacy block, the classroom teacher gives support to varied student populations for 20 minute blocks including those students receiving special education service, ELLs, and other students who are at-risk. During each lesson, the classroom teacher reads aloud from a selection and guides children in reading and also works with the on-level students reviewing work completed independently. Subsequently, students participate in a writing mini lesson daily, which may be a response to literature or creative writing completing at least one publishable piece of writing each week. The school administers six-week assessments to monitor student progress and design instruction to meet the needs of all its students using Scholastics Development Reading Assessment at all grades, and the Terra Nova and school development assessment. The school instills a college-bound culture through teachers to students. The professional development program is consistently provided before the school year and weekly during the school year. There is common planning time with at-risk professionals. The school s design fosters ELLs using an immersion approach. School Culture and Discipline Academic Leadership s approach to culture is preventative by nature as seen through its character and ethics program. Character is woven into the regular curriculum especially in the stories that children read as part of the ELA anthologies supplemented with additional trade books from the Social Studies curriculum. The Scholastic character development series of stories and trade books are implemented and integrated into the Literature and Social Studies program. The Student/Parent Educator complements classroom teacher activities in this area by working with small groups of students reinforcing values and positive character traits. The Student/Parent Educator also meets with parents to help foster positive behavior. Teachers will use a range of 6
lower level consequences such as non-verbal cues, talking to the student, loss of privileges, calling the parent, etc. before the need for more serious consequences arises. Governance After its second year of operation, the school was put into probationary status by the NYC Chancellor and required to create a corrective action plan addressing lottery procedures, board structure, and personnel matters. The school was removed from probationary status the following school year. At the time of its initial renewal in 2013-14, the NYC Chancellor found the school had successfully addressed the concerns and violations related to all items, and had a stable operational staff since the 2012-13 school year. The Academic Leadership board of trustees consists of six members. One member is the Executive Director of the school. SUNY, based on an interpretation of applicable law, generally does not permit paid employees of a charter school to serve on the education corporation s board of trustees as voting members. As a condition of the charter or of a subsequent renewal charter, the Executive Director will need to be a non-voting member of the board. The Institute notes that the Executive Director s spouse also serves on the board, which is not a conflict requiring his stepping down from the board so long as the conflict is noted by the corporate secretary and he recuses himself from voting on matters pertaining to his spouse s employment. Board Members 1. Michael Ansbro (President). Mr. Ansbro is a retired physical education teacher and coach from Rye City Public Schools. In Bloomington, Indiana, Mr. Ansbro worked in program development for the Special Olympics. 2. James Sander (Vice President). Mr. Sander is the Acting Director of the Bridge School and is a physical education supervisor for SUNY Purchase College. Mr. Sander has a MEd in Educational Administration from Columbia University s Teachers College, a MS in Elementary Education from City College of New York and a BA in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Ohio Wesleyan University. 3. Desiree LaFontaine (Secretary). Ms. LaFontaine is a teacher at The Bilingual School in Bronx, NY. Ms. LaFontaine has an MS in School District/Building Leadership and an MS in Literacy from Touro College. Ms. LaFontaine has a BA in Liberal Arts and Elementary Education from the College of Staten Island. 4. Ted Hurwitz (Trustee). Mr. Hurwitz is a co-founder of Academic Leadership. He is retired and was the Executive Director of the CUNY Athletic Conference. Mr. Hurwitz has an MS in Physical Education from Lehman College and a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York. 7
5. Norma Figueroa Hurwitz (Trustee). Ms. Hurwitz was the co-founder and is the current Executive Director of Academic Leadership. Ms. Hurwitz received a doctorate in Educational Administration from St. John s University, a MS in Education Administration and Supervision from City College of New York and a BA in Psychology from City College of New York. 6. Lucas Doe (Treasurer). Mr. Doe is the Portfolio Manager at the Heron Financial Group, LLC. Mr. Doe has an MBA in Finance from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, both at the University of Virginia. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Compliance Per the application and the Institute s communication with the education corporation s current authorizer, Academic Leadership has met the requirements of the Act, and is not in violation of any material legal requirement, on probationary status under Education Law 2855(3) or slated for closure by its current authorizer within the meaning of Education Law 2851(5). Facilities Academic Leadership utilizes two campuses, one private and one provided by the New York City Department of Education. The elementary program is housed at 677 East 141 st Street and the middle school program is housed at 500 Courtland Avenue, both in the Bronx. Fiscal The school has a history of fiscal strength as demonstrated in the Fiscal Dashboard displayed in Appendix B. The Institute created a dashboard of the last three years of audited financial statements showing the school is fiscally strong with total net assets of approximately $14.2 million and 28.9 months of cash on hand to pay bills coming due shortly. The education corporation owns land in the Bronx for the construction of a new facility. The education corporation has established the required dissolution fund reserve for the operation and maintains a balance in excess of the required $75,000 as of June 30, 2016, which meets the SUNY charter agreement limit. The budget projection going forward presents a reasonable and appropriate fiscal plan that is feasible and achievable. 8
APPENDIX A: School Overview Board of Trustees Board Member Board Member Name Position Name Position Michael Ansbro President Ted Hurwitz Trustee James Sander Vice President Norma Figueroa Hurwitz Trustee Desiree LaFontaine Secretary Lucas Doe Treasurer School Leadership Title Executive Director/Founder Elementary School Principal Middle School Principal Name Norma Figueroa Hurwitz Leena Varghese Jaime Kennedy School Characteristics School Year Chartered Grades Chartered Enrollment 2008 09 K 1 150 2009 10 K 2 200 2010 11 K 3 250 2011 12 K 4 300 2012 13 K 5 350 2013 14 K 6 400 2014 15 K 7 450 2015 16 K 8 500 2016 17 K 8 500 2017 18 K 8 500 9
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