Frank D. Spaziano Elementary School recently became the only school in the Providence Public School District to vote in favor of becoming a district charter school. On Friday afternoon, the elementary school formally filed its application with the Rhode Island Department of Education, one day before the deadline, said Christina O'Reilly, communications director for the Providence School Department.
This September, Providence Schools Superintendent Susan Lusi wrote a letter urging Providence schools to consider transitioning to district charters beginning in the 2013-14 academic year. Several schools showed interest in the plan, but Spaziano was the only school able to make the Dec. 1 deadline to apply.
District charters are community-based programs worth pursuing because they serve as "beacons of excellence" that "transform education in the state," said Elliot Krieger, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Education. Three of the 16 current charter schools in the PPSD system are currently district-operated, he added.
But Spaziano's future as a charter school is far from certain - its application is currently pending approval from RIDE. Professor of Education Kenneth Wong said he hopes that the district "(uses) rigorous criteria to consider the proposal," and does not neglect the fine details that will ultimately determine the charter school's future success.
Krieger said he could not speculate about the application's timeline or chances for approval.
The main difference between district-operated charter schools and other charter schools is how they are managed, Wong said. In some cases, the charter schools are authorized and managed by the state governments, while in others, charter schools become part of the district governance system and are referred to as district-operated charter schools, Wong said.
But Wong said he would refer to them as "district-governed" instead of "district-operated,"because the district is responsible for monitoring the financial auditing and academic performance of these charter schools. "District-operated charter schools are a relatively new development," Wong said, adding that the management system appears to be "a promising strategy."
"Control is the key ingredient in developing a successful school environment," wrote Brian Fong, visiting director and lecturer for the Social Studies/History MAT Program, in a email to The Herald. If a school is able to maintain a certain degree of autonomy "over the curriculum, the pedagogical methods, the hiring and evaluation process and the budget, then the school can be successful," he added.
Because charter schools can "prioritize their resources," they may be able to "exercise autonomy" in selecting their staff, Wong said.
But Fong noted Spaziano would not have total autonomy as a district charter.
"The degree to which the district charter school is successful also depends on the role the Providence Teacher's Union will play," Fong wrote. "We're still waiting to see how the teacher's union will work with the district and the district charter school."
Because Spaziano is a smaller school, "it has a lot of potential to benefit from the charter management" that the district may utilize, Wong said. Charter management organizations help district and state governments launch and operate charter schools. But the reconciliation of standardized models with local knowledge and culture is a serious challenge for charter management organizations, he added.
Currently, "teachers must follow a prescribed curriculum plan named 'Guaranteed and Viable,'" Fong wrote. "Many teachers find it difficult to follow this curriculum plan because some students may need remedial help" or other sorts of special attention.
Wong said that if the charter management organizations are not well-integrated into the new school, the same issue of inadequate standardization in a local environment may persist.
If Spaziano's application is approved, Wong said the school is "better prepared because they already have an infrastructure" and therefore do not have to construct a facility that satisfies the stringent building codes for schools.
But even if Spaziano is cleared to begin the transition, the school will still face a long road.
"The process of developing a charter school is one of the hardest tasks to undertake" because it necessitates the input and resources of a diverse group of stakeholders, Fong wrote. "The district charter school staff members need to develop a clear vision of their school and to establish an academically rigorous environment where learning is facilitated by a teacher and students are engaged in learning and inquiry."
The transformation of a regular school into a charter school requires a lot of "really hard work that has to be done at the front end," Wong said. "Launching is particularly critical."
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