The authorizing community has recently begun to prioritize obtaining community input and addressing community needs when authorizing new schools. Yet how to assess community needs or how to ensure that these needs are met in authorizing decisions is a new endeavor for many authorizers.
This session will share promising strategies for designing a community needs assessment process and engage panelists who will share their experiences in assessing community needs. Attendees will hear from:
- Robin Chait, Project Director, School Choice, WestEd
- Kelly Wynveen, Program Associate, School Choice, WestEd
- Joseph Escobedo, Senior Director of Charter Schools, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS)
- Mark Modrcin, Director of Authorizing, Nevada State Public Charter School Authority (SPCA)
- John Carlos Green, Community Engagement Manager, DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB)
Joseph Escobedo will discuss how APS collects community input from a variety of stakeholders at different stages of the authorizing process. Mark Modrcin will describe how SPCA implemented a legal requirement to assess community needs to guide charter authorizing. John Carlos Green will discuss how DC PCSB has implemented a variety of strategies to assess community needs as part of their new Strategic Roadmap that prioritizes strengthening dialogue with families and communities.