Throughout California there are almost 600 Charter Schools at this time. More will be coming soon. Until recently, each school has operated independently and has faced the challenge of 'running an enterprise' while 'educating young people'. The purpose of this session was to explore the opportunity of leveraging products and services to support a large group of schools (if not all of them) to enable school administrators to place their primary focus on innovation in their school programs.

The first round of work focused on articulating a vision for Charter Schools in 2011 and lead to an exploration of possible business models for Charter Schools to consider. This round of work lead the group to identify four areas worth further exploration in round two (round 2: Efficiencies) - support for teachers (a teacher network), support with facilities, support in the back office and support with marketing and policy. In round 4 the group narrowed the opportunities to a few they felt could actually gain traction within the Charter School community: marketing, back office and a Charter BTSA program (program for new teachers). In Round 5 the group articulated some steps that could be taken to establish pilots in each of these three areas.

Round 1 Assignment

Context Imagine that it is 5 years from now (2011). This activity is designed to give participants an opportunity to articulate a vision of what charter schools in California can look like when they are working optimally. This activity will be in pairs – so find someone you do not know to work with. Objective Develop the ideal model/vision for how Charter Schools in California work when they are working optimally and all inefficiencies have been addressed. Process Assignment Pairs You have 15 minutes for this activity. As a duo/pair, using the markers provided, on a white wall panel marked with a red dot (one 3x6 panel) please prepare a stand alone ‘model’ that articulates your vision for Charter Schools in California working optimally. Use the following questions to stimulate your thinking: What is your vision for how Charter Schools in California work 5 years from now (2011)? What is the ideal model for creating efficiencies for all Charter Schools? What are the top 3 to 5 inefficiencies that Charter Schools faced back in 2006 that are now being met in 2011? What are the top 3 to 5 actions that had to be taken to realize this vision? Use words and images to develop your vision. Exchange After you finish this activity we will use your work in the next activity.