NCSC16 Sessions Updated 3.11.16 · 11/03/2016 · Updated!March!11,!2016!–!All!ContentSubjectto!Change!and!Cancellation!!! 2! Programming&Strand&Descriptions& & Governance:!Sessions!in!the!Governance!strand!focus

We are excited to announce details about breakout sessions at the 2016 National Charter School Conference (NCSC16), June 26-‐29 at Music City Center in Nashville, TN. In the coming weeks, we’ll share more session information, as well as launch our program search tool, which will allow you to see when specific sessions are scheduled and plan your time at the conference. This document is a preview of the NCSC16 breakout sessions. You can view titles, descriptions, presenters, and content level for more than 60 sessions. As more sessions are added to the program, we will update this document accordingly. All sessions fit within a single programming strand that best aligns with the content being presented. Our five strands are: Governance, Instruction, Leadership, Operations, and Policy.

Table of Contents

Programming Strand Descriptions ................................................................................ 2

Governance Sessions ................................................................................................... 3

Instruction Sessions ..................................................................................................... 8

Leadership Sessions ................................................................................................... 15

Operations Sessions ................................................................................................... 21

Policy Sessions ........................................................................................................... 28

Updated March 11, 2016 – All Content Subject to Change and Cancellation

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Programming Strand Descriptions Governance: Sessions in the Governance strand focus on overseeing a charter school. Whether as a board member, authorizer, or in another capacity, charter school governance comes with its own set of responsibilities and challenges. Learn about board operations and training, strategic planning, judging school quality, charter renewals, and other topics. Instruction: The Instruction strand presents advanced content in classroom management, curriculum, education strategies, teacher training and other classroom-‐specific topics. Teachers, curriculum specialists, special education teachers, and school leaders will benefit the most from Instruction sessions. Leadership: The Leadership strand addresses the many challenges facing those who run today’s charter schools and trains those looking to run tomorrow’s. Topics covered in Leadership sessions often include replication, succession planning, school culture, team building, hiring and working with staff, dealing with parents, and more. Operations: From facilities to fiscal sustainability, communications and PR to professional development, the Operations strand provides back-‐office employees and those who support schools in other ways with the necessary tools to ensure long-‐term organizational health. Policy: The political landscape impacts charter schools immensely, and those who align with the Policy strand are the ones who want to be kept abreast of the latest developments in district, state, and federal legislation and activism. Conversations focus on the big-‐picture vision for the future of the movement, advocacy, and overcoming policy-‐induced obstacles.


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Governance Sessions

Are You Ready to Expand from a School to a "System"? Learn successful expansion strategies from one of the premier Charter Management Organizations (CMO) in the country. IDEA Public Schools, headquartered in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, has expanded and replicated its successful model, starting with a single school of 150 students to 44 schools on 22 campuses with a student enrollment of more than 22,000 in three separate geographical areas. Also receive helpful tools regarding real estate challenges when financing expansion facilities. Presented by: John Buck, Buck Financial Advisors LLC; Brian Colon, Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.; Tom Torkelson, IDEA Public Schools; Wyatt Truscheit, IDEA Public Schools Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Intermediate

Beyond School Closure: Finding Effective Alternatives Closing a low-‐performing school is never easy. Panelists will discuss approaches and solutions for dealing with closures in today's environment. This panel will provide examples of alternatives to closing a failing school and best practices for authorizers, schools, school leaders, and other stakeholders can use. Presented by: Scott Pearson, DC Public Charter School Board; Jessica Sutter, EdPro Consulting Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Intermediate


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Beyond the Bake Sale: How to Build an Integrated Fundraising Strategy Even the most successful public charter schools could use additional resources to meet student needs. Learn how a single, high-‐performing public charter school successfully built an integrated fundraising program from the ground up. Participants will work with seasoned professionals to develop their board, approach foundations, and establish individual giving programs. Presented by: Kimberly Lane, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools; Lyman Millard, Breakthrough Schools Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Intermediate

Casting Your Net: Creating and Managing a Diversified Fundraising Strategy Successful fundraising should not be confined to wealthier communities or well-‐connected school leaders and boards. Session leaders will share how to craft a diversified fundraising plan that aligns with the community and demonstrate how different approaches can amplify each other. Participants will learn strategies for leveraging internal and external communities, cultivating donors, and executing fundraising plans. Participants will leave with a fundraising outline for their school and best practices for annual funds, events, and crowdfunding. Presented by: Peter Laub, Urban Montessori Charter School / EdTec Inc.; Michael Whaley, Memphis College Prep Elementary Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Intermediate


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Connecting the Dots: Board Roles, Responsibilities, and Relationships The role of the charter school board is simple: ensure successful implementation of vision and mission, support school leadership, and ensure fiduciary viability. Successful board members can clearly articulate how their roles appropriately align with every action they take and every relationship they develop. This session will explore how best governance practices build and protect the long-‐term sustainability of the institution. Presented by: Jennifer Dauzvardis, Peak to Peak Charter School; Nora Flood, Colorado League of Charter Schools Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Intermediate

Diverse Voices From the Field: Building an Inclusive Culture According to BoardSource, people of color remain underrepresented on nonprofit boards: 90% of board chairs are White, along with 80% of board members. Diversity is critical on charter school boards, and some charter boards have made real progress. Come learn from three diverse DC charter school boards how they have created a genuinely inclusive culture on their boards and how it has been a game changer in their work. Presented by: Shereen Williams, Charter Board Partners Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Intermediate


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Don't Stop Believing -‐ Building Strategy in the Unknown While it will take more than holding onto a feeling to build an effective strategy in the unknown, many of us are doing it. This interactive session will help participants understand that you don't have to have every street light built or people identified to build a strategy. Real school leaders (from South Detroit!) will share their experience creating a strategy despite the unknown, ensuring they were able to do more than sing the blues. Presented by: Lisa Diaz and Marisol Rodriguez, Insignia Partners; Leann Hedke, Summit Academy and Summit Academy North Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Intermediate

Finding, Recruiting, and Retaining Outstanding Charter School Board Members Want to expand your board, but don't know how? Need new board members to bring valuable skills to your board? Have you tapped out all your board recruitment leads and don't know where to go next? Need some tips on how to build a strong board culture and keep your board engaged? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this workshop is for you. Presented by: Marci Cornell-‐Feist, BoardOnTrack Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Intermediate


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Strategic Planning -‐ An Essential Component of Success In order for any organization or school to be effective they must have a plan. The concept of strategic planning is explored from the perspective of an authorizer and top performing charter school while also looking at the ties between both. By defining the relationship and how the authorizer can support the school in providing planning resources and performance data, exploring strategic planning can be a win-‐win situation for everyone. Presented by: Julie Kildee, Holly Academy; Barbara Zeile, CMU Center for Charter Schools Programming Strand: Governance Content Level: Advanced


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Instruction Sessions

Are Parents the Missing Piece of the Personalized Learning Puzzle? Learning now takes place at home, at school and everywhere in between. Parents are navigating a complex maze of educational decision-‐making. Edleaders and teachers can guide parents in supporting their students as they learn in their living rooms and the classroom. Come to this problem solving session to "deep dive" into the topic of parent involvement and personalization. Be prepared to share tools, tips and strategies with one another that promote intentional, involved, informed and inspirational collaboration. Presented by: Bonnie Lathram and Carri Schneider, Getting Smart Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Intermediate

Are you FLIPPING for Phonics? Flipping your instruction isn't just for upper grades! FLIPPING for phonics will show how to use a flipped model to quickly close learning gaps in phonics instruction. This session is focused on using a flipped model, video lessons that are watched prior to class, in class, and again when intervention is needed. Anyone interested in the flipped model is encouraged to attend, even if you do not teach phonics! Come prepared to try out a lesson yourself and have your flipping questions answered! Presented by: Kara Schumacher, Crossroads Academy of Kansas City Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Beginner


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Are Your Students Playing Chess? Research Says They Should Chess is a powerful educational tool that can be used as a springboard to teach cognitive and academic skills that are critical to student performance, such as logical and spatial thinking, reasoning, long-‐term planning, decision-‐making, memory, judgment, and strategizing. This session will describe what the research says about the use of scholastic chess programs in schools and provide examples from several high-‐performing charter schools that incorporate chess into their school day. Presented by: Anna Nicotera, Basis Policy Research; Michael Podgursky, University of Missouri -‐ Columbia; Martin West, Harvard University Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Intermediate

Closing the Gap: Serving English Learners in the Era of the Common Core English language learners represent the fastest growing population in the nation and our new standards present more challenges for them than ever before. In this session, participants will study the language demands of the Common Core State Standards and the Smarter Balanced Assessment in order to understand the need to prioritize access for English learners. Participants will also begin to develop a tool belt of strategies to scaffold CCSS-‐aligned instruction for ELs. Presented by: Rachel Hazlehurst and Melissa Mendoza, Camino Nuevo Charter Academy Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Beginner


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Empowering Students With Disabilities to Succeed on Standardized Tests This session will examine four case studies of Boston high schools whose populations of students with disabilities achieved exceptional results on the MCAS, Massachusetts' standards-‐based assessment. Presenters will share the findings of the site visits and focus groups they conducted, as well as the best practices they succeeded in replicating at their home institution. The session will conclude with participants strategizing ways to incorporate these practices into their own curriculum. Presented by: Nina Scupp, City on a Hill Charter Public Schools Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Intermediate

Hacking the Brain: How to Access the Affective Learning Domain! Experience what it's like to learn how to read and write from a child's perspective and take away teaching tools and tricks for meeting the needs of ALL students-‐ High, Medium, and Low-‐ as well as increasing learner-‐momentum in reading and writing far beyond just simple decoding! These invaluable, brain-‐based teaching tools will leave you armed and ready to transform literacy-‐learning in your classroom on Monday morning! Presented by: Katie Garner, Learning & The Brain (co-‐spon. By Harvard & M.I.T.) Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Intermediate


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Lego My Ego: Speed Dating for Individualized Instruction Strategies Learn to let go of your ego of whole group instruction by gathering best practices focusing on differentiated and individual instruction. This speed dating session pairs you with teachers who have successfully implemented effective resources such as Khan Academy and learning continuums. Be an active part of the game scene by gathering stickers for your knowledge about teaching and working with instructional groups at different levels in one class. Have fun, meet with teachers, and learn! Presented by: Tamika Chambers, Northwest Evaluation Association; John Eick, Westlake Charter School; Shalanda Lobban, NWEA Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Beginner

Model and Promote Social-‐Emotional Learning in Your School People around the country are recognizing the power of social-‐emotional education. You can learn from an urban charter school network that has been transforming lives through the A Disciplined Life education model for twenty years. Attendees will be provided a hands-‐on introduction to A Disciplined Life. We will lead participants in an exercise to see how they can innovate in their own areas of expertise through A Disciplined Life. Presented by: Kim Day, Perspectives Charter Schools; Diana Shulla-‐Cose, Perspectives Charter Schools Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Intermediate


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Moving Away from Sage on the Stage Teaching: Targeted Group Structures ICEF Public Schools' instructional team discuss their collaborative work establishing Targeted Group Structures -‐ an instructional model focused on group structure. When utilizing the model, students are separated into three groups. Collaborative: students work in partners/cooperative groups, attain an objective; participate in collaborative inquiry. Independent: students work by themselves on an activity/project focused on particular objective. Direct Instruction: students work in small groups with teacher, who leads students in content area mini-‐lesson/reteaching. Presented by: Martinne Barracliffe and Brenna McCarthy, ICEF Public Schools Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Intermediate

Revision Strategies to Improve Student Writing and Increase Engagement Are you looking for ways to help students maximize the drafting/revision process to significantly improve their writing? Is student achievement around writing one of your targeted goals? This workshop introduces easy-‐to-‐use classroom tools that improve students' word choice, sentence fluency, ideas/content, and grade-‐level readability, as well as increasing students' accountability and raising their levels of engagement and participation. You will leave with tools you can use in your classroom immediately. Presented by: Megan Freeman, Peak to Peak Charter School Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Advanced


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Super 6 and Power Math: Making it Easier! Do your students struggle with reading comprehension and/or solving math word problems? We have come up with strategies for these content areas that have been proven to be effective in for high poverty, EL, and highly diverse populations. Our "Super Six" and "POWER Math" strategies break down test questions so students can be successful in proving they know what is being asked and how to solve it. Presented by: Mai Yia Chang, Shannon Siercks, and Neal Thao, Noble Academy Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Intermediate

Switching on the Thinking Muscle: Teaching Metacognition This session provides professionals with the opportunity to observe/participate in a lesson and witness how much can be achieved through specifically designed, intensive teaching. Katy demonstrates how we can teach students a deeper level of understanding across curriculum areas and develop essential skills and knowledge, encouraging independent learning. Within one hour, the importance of teaching students to 'learn how to learn' will become evident. Adopting this as best practice has been proven to raise standards/results. Presented by: Katy Parkinson, Sound Training Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Intermediate


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What Happens When You Teach 1000 Kids to Code? RePublic kicked off its 2014-‐2015 school-‐year pledging to teach programming as a core academic class. A year later, over 1000 scholars are enrolled in our curriculum including partnering districts across the south. RePublic launched its first high-‐school and all 168 scholars are enrolled in AP computer science -‐ a statistic set to revolutionize demographics regarding minorities and women in CS. Learn what works (and what doesn't), interact with our curriculum, and participate in Q&A. Presented by: Michael Burgevin, Ravi Gupta, and Ryan York, RePublic Schools Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Beginner

What Should the School of the Future Look Like? Two decades ago as the charter school movement swept the country, expectations were high that the result would be innovative schools that broke the mold. However most of the schools that have been formed since have been fairly conventional in their approach to teaching and learning. Using the creation of Achievement First's new Greenfield school as a case study, this session will explore what steps a charter school/network can take to innovate on its educational approach. Presented by: Michael Duffy, Great Oaks Foundation; Dacia Toll, Achievement First Programming Strand: Instruction Content Level: Advanced


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Leadership Sessions Authorizing and the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Great leaders mobilize others to accomplish extraordinary things. They help people turn visions into realities, risks into rewards, and challenges into opportunities. We envision authorizers playing this role and advancing beyond the basics of gatekeeping and monitoring. That's why we'll teach you to apply the five practices – model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, encourage the heart – of exemplary leadership and become a catalyst for excellence. Presented by: James Goenner, National Charter Schools Institute Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Beginner

Blended PD in a Video World Research shows that video can be a powerful tool to support educator professional development. Given what we've learned from blended learning in the classroom, KIPP DC has applied a blended PD model, which includes video as a means to drive instructional change. Video can provide hard evidence of teaching practice to support teacher self-‐reflection, coaching, and feedback conversations. This session explores how KIPP DC uses current video technology to support professional development strategies. Presented by: Adam Roberts, KIPP DC; Courtney Williams, Torsh, Inc. Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Beginner


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C is for Collaboration: Lessons Learned from a PreK Partnership with Sesame Explore the collaboration between Sesame Workshop and a South Bronx Universal Prekindergarten program through resources, curriculum, and video. Learn about the components of our partnership: media-‐enhanced literacy, professional development, and family engagement with a specific emphasis on executive function and language and literacy. Presented by: Kelly Cassaro, Public Prep; Akimi Gibson, Sesame Workshop Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Beginner

Greenhouse Schools: Leadership Practice in a High-‐Performing Charter Sector Boston's charter school sector has received national attention for strong student outcomes. Independent studies have found that Boston charter school students are learning at much faster rates than their peers across the country. What's happening in Boston's charter schools to make them so effective? A TNTP report examines a set of school leadership practices that cultivate environments that promote quality instruction. Join to learn about those practices and how more schools can adopt them. Presented by: Leslie Gabbianelli and Melissa Wu, TNTP Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Intermediate


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How Can Active Listening and Creativity Shift Perspective and Behavior? Erahm Christopher presents a “Charter Talk” focused on how active listening and creativity can connect students and school stakeholders. As technology and society evolve at a fervent pace – seemingly offering more connections and higher efficiency – the impact is leading to an increased sense of loneliness and lack of support. We must learn how implement creativity to foster healthy connections, avoid negative consequences and learn how to truly listen. Presented by: Erahm Christopher, Goodinstinct Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Intermediate

How Can Charters Best Support Students with the Highest Needs? MassCS-‐CAN, INCS, NSNO are doing innovative work to leverage economies of scale to increase capacity of schools to hire collectively, and develop talent to best support SPED and ELL populations. Panelists will share all tools that were developed as part of these new initiatives, and participants will have opportunity to engage in an interactive activity to consider how this work could be incorporated into their school, network of schools, or across charter schools. Presented by: Erica Brown, Massachusetts Charter Public School Association; Allison Jack, Illinois Network of Charter Schools; Lauren Morando Rhim, National Center for Special Ed. in Charter Schools; Maggie Runyan-‐Shefa, New Schools for New Orleans Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Intermediate


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iMARKET: Marketing Your School to Increase Enrollment! Creative marketing solutions for the charter world! Discover innovative ways charter schools are spreading the word about the extraordinary programs they offer. Following the five essentials of charter marketing, this session will explore how to market a school from the ground up and continue to market as a school increases enrollment. Many of the marketing techniques which will be presented are free ways to market a school. There will be many take-‐away ideas. Come and share in this collaborative session. Presented by: Carrie Buck, Christine Garvin, Jessica LeNeave, and Wendy Shirey, Pinecrest Academy of Nevada Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Intermediate

It's Not You, it's Me: Partnering (or Not) With Outside Organizations Many schools partner with CBOs, non-‐profits, museums, and other outside organizations to enhance the program that the school offers. But is it really an enhancement/benefit to the school? How do you choose what's best for the school, staff, and families? How do you operationalize those relationships? An experienced panel of school operators and support organizations will discuss what works best for them and how they made that determination. Presented by: Maria Campo, Girls Write Now; Sonia Park, Manhattan Charter Schools; Laurie Price, Schools That Can -‐ NYC; Suyin So, Central Queens Academy Charter School Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Intermediate


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Personalized Learning to Reengage Off Track Youth Charter schools that reengage students utilize personalized learning strategies including competency based instruction and CTE to provide student centered learning for disengaged students. The Reaching At Promise Student Association with support from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation has begun research scaling up the personalized learning model for all students. Hear from charter school educators overcoming state and district barriers to Personalized Learning as a way to increase college-‐ and career-‐readiness of reengaged students. Presented by: Linda Dawson and Ernie Silva, SIATech Charter High Schools; Bob Rath, Our Piece of the Pie Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Intermediate

Retention Starts with Recruitment: Maximizing Your Teacher Pipeline The recruitment environment continues to become more competitive as the threat of a national teacher shortage spans the country. Add to that the consistently high turnover rate in charter schools, how can we improve retention by more strategically recruiting and placing teachers based on culture fit? Join experienced recruiters from the Achievement School District and a state authorizer as they share perspective and best practices on recruiting and assessing fit through the application process. Presented by: Lesley Brown and Brian Gilson, Achievement School District; Alicia Herald, Missouri Public Charter Commission and myEDmatch Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Intermediate


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Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Five Dysfunctions of a Team Charter school practitioners Perry Daniel (Head of School) and Michael Hicks (Counselor) engage participants in developing cohesive and effective charter school faculties. They highlight five areas that leaders and their teams should address to avoid falling prey to causes of dysfunction. Presented by: Perry Daniel, Louisiana Virtual Charter Academy; Michael Hicks, Southern University at Shreveport Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Advanced

The School-‐to-‐Prison-‐Pipeline: Can Chartering Accommodate At-‐Risk Youth? Charter schools should be structured to ensure all students have access to excellent opportunities. How do we work collaboratively across sectors-‐ education, legal, policy to ensure at-‐risk youth are thriving in charter schools? Listen to a veteran charter school principal and former student defense attorney discuss discipline and policing in charter schools. A highly successful charter school principal will share her school's culture/ discipline strategy, and share concrete methods of ensuring safety and engagement without police intervention. Presented by: Colleen Colarusso, Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy; Aarti Sharma, Georgia Department of Education Programming Strand: Leadership Content Level: Advanced


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Operations Sessions Brand Impact Workshop: Assessing Power and Effectiveness of Your Brand This interactive session will invite participants to examine their organization's brand and identify ways to stimulate growth and raise awareness. After a brief branding overview, participants will dive into an intensive brand impact rating exercise and identify goals to help them elevate their existing brand to a more compelling and dynamic presence. Presented by: Clifton Alexander, Emily Barnes, and Chase Wilson, REACTOR Design Studio Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Advanced

Bringing Teacher Benefits Into the Twenty-‐First Century Retirement benefits can be confusing and what many schools can offer probably does not line up well with recruiting high quality teachers. This interactive session will be a conversation about understanding retirement benefits, knowing what options are available, and discussing the career paths of today's teachers. Presented by: Susan Pendergrass, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate


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Building Student Recruitment from the Inside Out Enrollment is the life's blood of public charter schools, especially those looking to grow. It can be tough for even the best charter school to stand out in competitive markets. Most leaders don't realize that their strongest student recruitment tool is in their own building and neighborhood. Learn battle-‐tested techniques for engaging your families and local community in an integrated student recruitment strategy. Leave tools to immediately impact your recruitment results. Presented by: Lyman Millard, Breakthrough Schools Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate

Exploring CMO Growth: National Trends with Tennessee as a Case Study Join us as we explore the current geographic expansion trends among CMOs and learn about the opportunities and challenges that accompany this growth. Hear lessons learned from CMOs and developers who are at the forefront of these geographic expansion trends, and compare the experiences of two CMOs who have each recently expanded into this year's host state of Tennessee. Presented by: Sabrina Ayala, Green Dot Public Schools; Melissa Garcia, Low Income Investment Fund; Laura Kozel, Rocketship Education; Claudia Lima, Pacific Charter School Development Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate


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Financing Facility Projects Through Budget and Programmatic Challenges Experienced charter facility lenders and a CMO will use recent projects to illustrate how lenders evaluate project budgets and organizational health, how to access nontraditional financing sources and how to tell your evolving story to lenders. We will share industry benchmarks used to assess project feasibility, provide strategies to effectively discuss programmatic challenges, and describe sources that can be used to fill budget gaps including subordinated debt, credit enhancement, equity and bridge loans. Presented by: Michael Nilles, Boston Community Capital; Kathy Olsen, Nonprofit Finance Fund; Susan Pollock, Ascend Learning Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Beginner

Growth Strategies for Charter Schools -‐ Start-‐Up, Expansion and Maturity Charter schools face a variety of challenges at each stage of growth. This panel session will outline these stages of growth from start-‐up to expansion to mature school and highlight the challenges schools face at each stage. Our panel of experts will offer best practices learned from their experiences. Presented by: Stuart Ellis, Charter School Capital Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate


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Is Your School Safe? Analyzing and Mitigating School Threats Many schools develop safety plans as a compliance task but rarely see it as a living document that evolves as enrollment, facilities, and staffing change. Few schools analyze threats to their staff, students, and facilities on a regular basis leaving the community vulnerable and often unprepared. This session will explore common and often overlooked threats to schools and through analysis develop an unofficial profile of things and people that could potentially cause harm to others. Presented by: Jason Lody, Innovative Educational Programs Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Beginner

IT and the 21st Century Classroom: Cloud or Premise Based? 21st Century learning requires significant investment in your school's IT infrastructure. One of the most important decisions you will face is whether to host that infrastructure in your school or move it to the cloud. This session will dive deep into this important decision as we lead a debate on the merits of each method, covering hot-‐button topics such as security, scalability, and content. Please come prepared to share your school's IT challenges and goals. Presented by: Thad Coming, Staples Technology Solutions; Marco Rafanelli, BuyQ Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate


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School Daze: Navigating the Facilities Financing Maze Does your school have a renovation or expansion project planned? Join us to learn how to successfully plan your facilities project. During our session a panel of experts will introduce the key elements of project planning, project readiness and creditworthiness. Following the panel these experts will guide schools through a practical exercise to estimate their project financing needs. Armed with their facilities financing gap number schools then review their facilities financing options. Presented by: Jeff Bennett, IFF; Jane Ellis, Self-‐Help Credit Union & Ventures Fund; Molly Melloh, The Reinvestment Fund; Sara Sorbello, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate

Simply Flawed, Financially Fraud, or Shades of Grey? School environments require quick decision-‐making and determining right from wrong is not always clear. This session explores the decisions that continue to make you nervous. Anonymously submit your scenario to learn whether your situation now or in the future is fraudulent, flawed or one that depending on the school's actions could go either way. Attendees and a panel of experts in auditing, finance, authorizing, operations, law and grant making will vote and discuss the implications. Presented by: Lori Clement and Raj Thakkar, Charter School Business Management Inc.; Brian Hedges, Mengel Metzger Barr & Co. LLP Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate


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So Happy Together! How to Hire People with Shared Values Hiring is about you and me, and me and you. One of the biggest determinations of a good fit is a set of shared values. Knowing if a potential hire shares your values can be challenging, but it is imperative to building (and keeping) a successful team. This session will allow you to be happy together! Presented by: Lisa Diaz and Marisol Rodriguez, Insignia Partners Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate

The ABCs and 123s of Facilities Options for Charter Schools Facilities access is one of the biggest challenges charters face nationwide. Learn about the variety of options available to charters and best practices to help get the facility to match your needs today and for your growth of tomorrow. You will come away with an understanding of options to determine what's best for your school. Presented by: Stuart Ellis, Charter School Capital Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Intermediate


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Three Phases of New Schools: Application, Pre-‐Opening, and First Year Applying to open a charter school? Chartered but not yet open? In the first year of the charter term? If so, this session is for you! During this roundtable session, our expert presenters will move from group to group discussing best practices, common missteps and mistakes -‐ providing honest conversation and feedback from a variety of perspectives, including finance, academics, governance, communications, and media. Join us for a session full of invaluable advice and feedback. Presented by: Jill Shahen and Jessica Mokhiber, Northeast Charter Schools Network; Charlene Reid, Bronx Charter School for Excellence; Yamuna Menon, Booker T. Washington Academy; Taishya Adams, American Institutes for Research; Karen Daniels, Charter School Business Management, Inc. Programming Strand: Operations Content Level: Beginner


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Policy Sessions A Charter School Guide to Student Data Privacy As school use of technology and data increases, parents and the media are asking more questions about what personal student information is collected and how it is used and shared. Two leaders on policy and practice will outline what charter schools need to know to safeguard student information, work with vendors, and effectively communicate with stakeholders. You will learn to do the right thing while ensuring your parents and community are aware and supportive. Presented by: Reg Leichty, Foresight Law + Policy; Mark Schneiderman, SchoolMessenger Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate

Addressing Child Trauma: Unlock the Door to Academic Success Addressing the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) may be the most important ingredient to academic success that many have never heard of before. Participants will learn how ACES affects students' physical, social, and emotional development, what teachers and other charter school leaders in the trenches can do to address it, and about promising practices occurring throughout the country. Presented by: Sunil Mansukhani, The Raben Group; Ana Ponce, Camino Nuevo Charter Academies Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Beginner


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Charter Restarts: Stakeholders Speak Charter schools serve a significant market share in a growing number of American cities. When charter schools close, families and children are often left scrambling to find seats in other, high quality schools. Charter restarts are an emerging policy alternative that aims to mitigate some of the negative effects of outright closure. Come hear early findings from research into how restarts affect various charter school stakeholders. Presented by: Jessica Sutter, EdPro Consulting Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate

Civil Rights and Charter Schools: Avoiding Pitfalls This session will explore common civil rights issues that surface in the charter school context. These include, but are not limited to, school discipline, transgender discrimination, and special education. We will address relevant legal requirements and ways for charter schools to ensure they're in compliance with civil rights laws. Presented by: William Bethke, Kutz & Bethke, LLC; Rob Reed, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools; Ricardo Soto, California Charter Schools Association Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate


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Coaltions! This session will walk attendees how to build and sustain a coalition targeted at a specific goal. Key elements include understanding motives, promoting transparency, building strategy, using empathy, and having fun! Presented by: Suzanne Tacheny Kubach, PIE Network Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate

How to Recruit Quality Charter Management Organizations to Your State Charter management organizations (CMOs) are playing an increasingly important role in the growth of the charter public school movement. As they have expanded over the last decade, CMOs have learned a lot about the key factors that enable their success. This session will discuss the findings and implications from a recent survey of CMOs that explored what policy and non-‐policy factors in states and localities are the most important to them. Presented by: Todd Ziebarth, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate


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State Policy Trends for Charter Schools Charter advocates continue working to improve the laws governing these innovative public schools, with the goal of creating a legal environment that's more supportive of the growth of high-‐quality public charter schools. Come to this session and learn about the policy trends we're seeing in statehouses across the country—both positive and negative. Presented by: Todd Ziebarth, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate

The Every Student Succeeds Act: What You Need to Know The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 has been signed into law, and implementation has begun by the U.S. Department of Education. Learn what you need to know about critical changes made by the law, as well as proposed guidance and regulations on standards and assessments and accountability and other issues. We will also address any other federal developments impacting charter schools Presented by: Stefan Huh, U.S. Department of Education, OII; Gina Mahony and Christine Wolfe, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate


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Under the Hood of Charter School Collective Bargaining Agreements Currently less than ten percent of teachers in public charter schools are unionized, but that could be changing. What does this mean for schools and educators? What do collective bargaining agreements in charter schools look like? This session will look under the hood of contracts at several schools and discuss trends, opportunities, and challenges that can inform how charter school leaders and reformers approach collective bargaining going forward. Presented by: Eric Lerum, America Succeeds; Pamela Witmer, Illinois Network of Charter Schools Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Intermediate

Why Backfill Matters: Lessons from New York and Beyond This session will be a discussion of findings of the Democracy Builders 2015 study on net mobility in New York City schools both public and public charter and discuss why the practice of backfill actually matters. We will also look at how the topic has been discussed publicly over the last year. This session will ensure operators and practitioners have a full understanding of backfill and its implications for the sector. Presented by: Dan Clark, Democracy Prep Public Schools; Robin Lake, Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington; Princess Lyles, Democracy Builders Programming Strand: Policy Content Level: Advanced

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NCSC16 Sessions Updated 3.11.16 · 11/03/2016 · Updated!March!11,!2016!–!All!ContentSubjectto!Change!and!Cancellation!!! 2! Programming&Strand&Descriptions& & Governance:!Sessions!in!the!Governance!strand!focus