San Mateo County Grand Jury
• 2013-2014
Educational Frenemies1: Can Charter Schools Inspire Better Student Outcomes in Public Schools in San Mateo County?
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 5 findings
F1
Page 13
Charter schools and charter school organizations in San Mateo County are not actively sharing information with traditional public schools in the County.
F2
Page 13
No formalized, efficient avenue exists in the County for sharing of information between charter and non-charter schools, and in particular the County Office of Education is not adequately facilitating such sharing of information.
F3
Page 13
The California Education Code does not restrict a school’s ability to be successful or to implement policies or practices leading to better student outcomes.
F4
Page 13
Underlying contentions between administrators and teachers at charter and traditional public schools, as well as between school administrators and teachers’ unions, stand in the way of constructive collaboration beneficial to students in this county.
F5
Page 13
Longer teaching cycles (whether in the form of longer school days or longer school years) are likely to benefit students in San Mateo County.
Recommendations 4
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R1Page 13By December 31, 2014 utilize the monthly superintendents’ meetings with the County Office of Education to develop and implement a written protocol to create more robust communication among the leaders of charter and traditional public schools, including but not limited to determining a method for including charter school leaders in relevant meetings of leaders of non-charter schools and districts. One charter school official noted that “every student meets with their mentor at least every week.” And a county-level education leader stated that “Kids need to know that there is at least one adult who knows them and cares about them.” Researchers interviewed by the Grand Jury expressed similar opinions, tying schools’ success in part to the idea that “every kid can learn” and “learning can be fun.” 75 Both charter and non-charter leaders were consistent in stressing the importance of home environments which share common goals with the schools. One local principal was lauded by a superintendent for hiring a coordinator specifically to work on family outreach. Another district leader called parent involvement “key” and opined that once you have that family encouragement and support, better student outcomes “are like shooting fish in a barrel.”
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R2Page 14By December 31, 2014 develop in each County school district a plan to determine the viability of extending the school day.
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R3Page 14By December 31, 2014 develop in each County school district a plan to determine the viability of extending the school year.
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R4Page 14By December 31, 2014 develop, at a district level, detailed mission statements which include quantifiable goals designed to produce better student outcomes. Mission statements will be posted on a publicly accessible website.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.