Charter School Turnaround: Proving What’s Possible Seth · PDF filecollege of their...

Seth Andrew #NCSC2013 @AlumniRev

@DemocracyPrep July 1, 2013

Charter School Turnaround: Proving What’s Possible

The mission of Democracy Prep is to educate responsible citizen-scholars for success in the

college of their choice and a life of active citizenship

Our Core Values at Democracy Prep

Is the

epicenter

of national school reform.

Democracy Prep and our peers have

created

more quality school choice per square foot in Harlem

than any other community

in the world.

H A R L E M

One  Minute  Introduc.on  to  Democracy  Prep    

VISIT:www.YouTube.com/DemPrep/PublicSchools  for  

video  content  

•  Agricultural Model •  International Achievement Gap •  Income Achievement Gap

•  Proportions of the Crisis

School Turnaround Is Long Overdue

The International Achievement Gap

300 350 400 450 500 550 600

ShanghaiKorea

FinlandHong Kong

SingaporeCanada

New ZealandJapan

AustraliaNetherlands

BelgiumNorwayEstonia

SwitzerlandPoland

United StatesIceland

LiechtensteinGermany

SwedenIrelandFrance

TaiwanDenmark

United KingdomHungaryPortugal

MacaoItaly

LatviaSlovenia

GreeceCzech Republic

LuxembourgAustriaMexico

#16

Reading 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650

ShanghaiSingapore

Hong KongKorea

TaiwanFinland

LiechtensteinSwitzerland

JapanCanada

NetherlandsMacao

New ZealandBelgiumAustraliaGermany

EstoniaIceland

DenmarkSloveniaNorway

FranceAustriaPoland

SwedenCzech Republic

United KingdomHungary

LuxembourgIreland

United StatesPortugal

LatviaItaly

GreeceMexico

#23

Math 300 350 400 450 500 550 600

ShanghaiFinland

Hong KongSingapore

JapanKorea

New ZealandCanadaEstonia

AustraliaNetherlands

GermanyLiechtenstein

TaiwanSwitzerland

United KingdomSlovenia

MacaoIrelandPoland

BelgiumHungary

United StatesCzech Republic

NorwayDenmark

FranceIcelandSwedenAustriaLatvia

PortugalItaly

LuxembourgGreeceMexico

#31

Science

15-year-olds in the The United States perform worse than those in the majority of the developed world, from Finland to Korea.

Korea  Korea  

Korea  

Fewer than 9% of students

from the lowest income quartile graduate with

a four-year degree.

Income-Based Educational Achievement Gaps in the United States

Source: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, J.P. Morgan Summit on U.S. Education, 2010

92% 81% 77%

71%

41%

9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Graduate high school

Enter college Graduate four-year degree

High-income Low-income

10

15,000,000 American children live in low-income communities Only 71%

graduate from high school

Just 9% receive a college diploma

The Low-Income Dropout Pipeline

Urban Schools in America

91% Failure Rate is an

Unimaginable Crisis.

What If Other Public Systems Failed on this

Scale?

Planes, Water, Electric Grid,

Highways, Prisons?

Key Lesson: When your Authorizer Calls, Pick Up

Could School Turnaround Work at Harlem Day Charter Using the Democracy Prep Model?

The  New  Harlem  Prep:  October  2012  

VISIT:www.YouTube.com/DemPrep/PublicSchools  for  

video  content  

Big CHALLENGES For Turnaround Schools

1.  Governance Vs. Management 2.  School Leadership Talent 3.  Quality Teacher Supply 4.  Community Engagement &

Political Support 5.  Authorizer Legalities 6.  Financial Considerations  

Qualities of SUCCESSFUL TURNAROUND Schools

Qualities of SUCCESSFUL TURNAROUND Schools

Qualities of SUCCESSFUL TURNAROUND Schools

Qualities of SUCCESSFUL TURNAROUND Schools

Qualities of SUCCESSFUL TURNAROUND Schools

Same Qualities of NO EXCUSES Schools

…so what makes

Democracy Prep

unique?

adds three things to the equation

that yield

Our civic mission encourages a life of active citizenship

We educate all students in all subject areas in all grades

100% of operating expenses are covered by public funding

Democracy Prep

UNIQUELY EXCELLENT

RESULTS

REVIEW: CHALLENGES For Turnaround Schools

1.  Governance Vs. Management 2.  School Leadership Talent 3.  Quality Teacher Supply 4.  Community Engagement &

Political Support 5.  Authorizer Legalities 6.  Financial Considerations  

What are the Results at DP

& Harlem Prep Thus Far?

of graduating seniors have been accepted to at least

two colleges

83% 87% 91% 94% 96% 96% 98% 99%

18% 13% 9% 6% 4% 4% 2% 1%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Algebra 2/ Trigonometry

Chemistry Global History Algebra Biology US History Geometry ELA Perc

ent o

f Sc

hola

rs P

assin

g 2012 Democracy Prep Charter High School New York State Regents Exam Results Outperform Westchester County

Fail Pass

Average number of college acceptances per senior:

Different colleges accepting scholars

from Democracy Prep’s first graduating class:

15

500+

100%

78 76

67 66 66 60 59

44

35

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

Three-year average (2009-10 through 2011-12)

Ove

rall

Aver

age

Scor

e  

NYC Chancellor's Progress Report Overall Scores, 2009-2012 DPPS vs. Comparison Charter Management Organizations (CMOs), Grades 3-8 Democracy

Prep Success Academy

Harlem Village Academies

Uncommon Schools

KIPP

Achievement First

Icahn

Harlem Children's Zone

Public Prep

Democracy Prep is the only CMO in New York

City to have received “straight A’s”

since the adoption of the Chancellor’s

Progress Report in 2007.

2 0 1 2 2 0 1 1

2 0 1 0

2 0 0 9

2 0 0 8

2 0 0 7

87.7% 89.6%

92.1%

96.6%

80%

84%

88%

92%

96%

100%

NYC CD 5 CD 4 DPPS

Attendance Rates, 2011-12 NYC Chancellor's Progress Report

“As a Democracy Prep Principal and a proud parent, I am so lucky. My

son has some of the best teachers in the world who keep him safe,

challenge him, and support us when he struggles. From the moment my son started, he has been living and

breathing college. I can’t wait to see him change the world!”

-Natasha Trivers, Principal, DPHS Parent, DPMS

2010 - 2011 2011 - 2012

25%

44% 46% 57% 59%

72%

ELA Math

Percent of Scholars Proficient

New York State Tests - ELA & Math Harlem Day Charter School (2011), NYC (2012), Harlem Prep Charter School (2012)

HDCS (2010 - 2011) NYC (2011 - 2012) HPCS (2011 - 2012)

Source: NYC Chancellor’s Progress Reports, 2011 - 2012

96th Percentile

3rd Percentile

Democracy Prep began to transform Harlem Day Charter School in 2011

In a single year of operation, Harlem Prep had the most student growth of any school in New York State history.

-0.05

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

Average National Charter

Average NYC Charter

Harlem Children's

Zone

Average KIPP School

SEED Boarding School

Democracy Prep

Treatment Effects in Context Academic improvement vs. control group

Math Reading Source: No More Excuses

Dr. Roland Fryer, Harvard University

Externally Validated Results St

anda

rd D

evia

tions

Key Lesson: It’s not all about money! It is all about talent & culture

Educational Initiative Approximate Cost Per Student Approximate IRR

Compared to District Investment Rate of Return

SEED Boarding School $25,000 More ~1.38% Reduced Class size $3,501 More ~6.20% Early Childhood Education $8,879 More `~7.60% "No Excuses" Charter School $2,496 More ~18.50%

Democracy Prep Priceless

Harvard researchers found Democracy Prep has the

largest impacts they have ever studied in

ELA and math

Strongest results, lowest costs:

Public Funding for NYC Traditional Public School:

Base Public Funding for NYC Charter School:

$19,126

$15,601

Democracy Prep does more with less.

What’s Next?

How can we share what we’ve learned with charters & the world?

Share Best Practices In the Media:

Harlem has already noticed. There are more than 6,000 families on our waiting list each year.

…where will we go next?

Expand Across the Nation:

Demand for DPPS seats still far

exceeds supply

Harlem, NY Trenton, NJ

Camden, NJ Wilmington, DE

Washington, DC

In 2005, Democracy Prep

was just one school.

By 2018, Democracy Prep

will have up to 25 schools in multiple communities.

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of

others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple

of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep

down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Robert F. Kennedy

Democracy Prep scholars have traveled & explored Democracy Prep Influence has been felt

DP Scholars explore 5 continents in 5 years. In order to change the world, we must first seek to understand it.

How can we scale our turnaround impact most

effectively?

Family Advocacy

Alumni Advocacy

Student Advocacy

Democracy Prep alumni must truly be prepared with the

knowledge, skills, and disposition

to succeed in the

college of their choice and a life of active citizenship.

Civic Skills

Civic Knowledge

Civic Dispositions

@DemocracyPrep @AlumniRev www.Youtube.com/DemPrepPublicSchools facebook.com/DemocracyPrepPublicSchools

Connect with Democracy Prep Come see for yourself in Harlem.

We have an open door!

Newsletter: www.DemocracyPrep.org

www.DemocracyPrep.org

Work Hard. Go to College. Change the World!

Thank  You  &    Pay  it  Forward