September 4, 2024
How can state leaders achieve the ambitious goal of coordinating and delivering high-quality professional development for staff in charter schools across their state? The New York Resources, Information, Support, and Engagement (NY-RISE) initiative provides a successful model.
Launched by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and WestEd with funding from NYSED’s Charter School Programs, the initiative delivered 84 professional development sessions, engaging more than three quarters of the state’s charter schools and management organizations from 2021 through 2024.
Partnering with leading experts from the Center for Learner Equity, Manhattan Strategy Group, and Tugboat Education and evaluated by Westat, NY-RISE provided sessions for critical areas identified by NYSED: special education, financial operations, governance, and home-to-school connections. Sessions focused on educating English language learners were also added based on needs in the field. The sessions were designed to enhance participants’ knowledge and drive meaningful changes in their practices and policies.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive: Over 90 percent of participants found the sessions invaluable for skill-building, with 87 percent of all participants planning to implement new practices based on what they learned.
“WestEd served us very well by producing a wide variety of valuable resources that will be available to our charter schools for years to come,” said Valerie Martin Kowalski, grant administrator at NYSED. “The professional development was engaging and responsive to the needs of our schools.”
The NY-RISE initiative created quick guides that provide key takeaways and select recordings from the professional development sessions offered within each content area. Dive into how NY-RISE is supporting capacity building in charter schools by exploring the quick guides for each content area below.
English Language Learners
Recognizing the unique needs of New York’s charter schools, NY-RISE introduced additional resources to support ELL students. Led by WestEd experts Amanda Bradley, Melanie Packham, Andrea Rolla, and Sara Wiger, these sessions covered compliance, best practices, identification procedures, program options, and coteaching models, among other topics.
Students With Disabilities
In collaboration with the Center for Learner Equity (CLE) and Meghan Fitzgerald, consultant to CLE and special education manager for Uncommon Schools, sessions for students with disabilities delved into compliance systems, behavioral challenges, teaching strategies and structures, transitions, and financial planning.
Financial Operations
In collaboration with Manhattan Strategy Group and WestEd’s Tara Bergfeld, Anthony Mukuna, and Tia Taylor, financial operations sessions focused on best practices for budgeting and financial management for charter schools. Specific topics included financial management of grants, internal controls, and allocation of resources to support student needs.
Governance
The governance sessions outlined charter school board members’ responsibilities as well as best and promising practices for fulfilling their roles. Topics included legal compliance, open meeting laws, strategic planning, school oversight, and preparation for renewal. These sessions were provided by Heather Wendling, vice president of consulting services at the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), and Paul O’Neill, founder and chief executive officer of Tugboat Education.
Home-to-School Connections
Sessions on home-to-school connections included both webinars and podcasts. The sessions provided effective strategies for planning and leading authentic family engagement, partnering with families to support students’ academic success, and building family leadership. Faith Burtamekh and Andrea Browning of WestEd led several sessions along with Manhattan Strategy Group, WestEd’s partner in providing training on home-to-school connections.
WestEd and our partners are committed to providing enriching learning experiences tailored to the needs of charter school staff. For further information on how WestEd can assist you, please contact Robin Chait, Project Director in WestEd’s school choice team.
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