A Status Report on Charter Schools in New Mexico

By Jean Casey, Kathleen Andreson, Barbara Yelverton, and Linda Wedeen

Though still in the earliest stages, New Mexico's charter schools appear to offer a viable educational alternative, the authors point out. They provide "schools of choice" that are within the means of parents who could not afford private or parochial schools. For many students and families, charter schools offer the promise of a high-quality education while remaining within the public school system.

Art © 2002 by Susan Todd

THE CHARTER school movement began in New Mexico in 1993 with legislation that gave rise to five conversion charter schools. These schools remained largely under the umbrella of their sponsoring districts, and, although attempts were made at innovation and change, these were charter schools in name only. Of the original five schools, only two have retained their charter status.

The current charter school initiative in New Mexico began in 1999 after a new charter school law was enacted. New charter schools are required to apply for charter status from the district in which they are located. Limited start-up monies are available to new charter schools, the amount depending on an annual funding allocation from the state legislature. Guidance and technical assistance for the application process are provided by the state department of education.

At the end of the 2000-01 school year, 11 charter schools were in full operation in the state -- two of the original conversion schools and nine start-up schools. Charter schools in New Mexico enrolled more than 1,350 students that year and employed more than 200 certified teachers and support staff members. After a full year of operation, the newly designed charter schools have provided some preliminary indicators of varying degrees of success. These indicators are, for the most part, consistent with trends found in studies of charter schools across the nation. National findings suggest that progress in New Mexico is comparable to that of initiatives in other parts of the country.

The Nature of Charter School Work

The work at charter schools is labor-intensive. There is more to starting and running a charter school than is apparent to most founders, whether they are community members or former classroom teachers. Nothing is in place at the start-up of a charter school, and what must be created has taken decades to evolve in public schools. In the first year, charter schools must meet all the regulations and requirements that the state department of education has established for all schools/districts in the state. The curriculum must be defined, developed, and aligned with state standards. Suitable school facilities must be procured and made ready for students. Classroom furniture, equipment, textbooks, and instructional materials and supplies must be purchased. School policies and operational procedures must be established and put into place, and networks must be developed to communicate effectively with parents and the community. The demands of the start-up effort are often daunting to charter school officials, governance representatives, and faculty members, and, as a result, a few have already chosen to leave their charter schools.

The application for charter school status is only a preliminary plan for a school. The details of putting that plan into action are numerous and time-consuming and influence the success or failure of the school. We recommend that initial charters in New Mexico be granted for a period of six years (rather than the current five), in order to allow an extra year prior to opening for addressing all the issues, mandates, and planning that currently consume the time and energy of charter school staff members, parents, and communities during the school's first year in operation.

Curriculum and Instruction

New Mexico's charter schools are committed to developing curricula that align with the state's performance standards and benchmarks. The process of designing and implementing the curriculum that had been envisioned in the charter application is a slow and arduous one. During the first year, the majority of charter schools invest more of their time and creative energy in the opening and daily operation of their schools. The schools report that examination of the curriculum is a top priority for the second year of operation.

One of the expressed goals of many charter schools is to offer a curriculum that is more relevant, innovative, and student-centered than is believed to exist in most regular public schools. This is not currently the state of the curricula in New Mexico's charter schools. For the most part, the curricula are traditional, and teachers employ rather standard methodologies. In some cases, commercially produced curriculum programs have been substituted for original designs. The only true and successful innovations at this time seem to be service learning/community-based projects and mentoring programs, which are found in about half of the currently operating charter schools.

That there is a lack of curriculum innovation should not be surprising and may actually serve charter schools well in the beginning. Dramatic curriculum changes have historically not fared well in public schools. Parents and communities often become suspicious of too much change too fast, and innovations are abandoned before they are tested. True and lasting curriculum innovation is evolutionary, and it appears that most charter schools are moving in the direction of deliberate and thoughtful curriculum planning.

An aside to the discussion of charter school curriculum is the question of extra- and cocurricular activities, which are scarce to nonexistent in current charter schools. Activities that are in place tend to be limited to intramural sports, arts and crafts, community activities, and after-school programs. The lack of extracurricular offerings is of concern to many parents, particularly those with youngsters in middle or high school. Athletics, academic competitions, and performing groups are such integral parts of traditional American secondary education that their absence could have a significant impact on the future enrollment and stability of charter high schools.

There is one other aspect of the curriculum that is frequently not considered -- the character of the teachers themselves. New Mexico charter schools, by and large, are well staffed with experienced, certified teachers. So far, finding and retaining excellent teachers has not posed a problem -- in fact, good teachers appear to be seeking out the charter schools, which often pay competitive salaries, provide a place for innovation and experimentation, and allow for greater professional autonomy. Charter school teachers seldom find themselves alone in the classroom, as a new model of differentiated staffing allows for a number of adults and educational professionals to interact with students throughout the school day. Most charter school teachers say that they have not had a wealth of professional development during the first year -- that is, traditional inservice days, workshops, and meetings. However, the experience of opening a new school has itself served as powerful professional growth for many and is, indeed, job-embedded professional development of the highest order.

In addition to having excellent teachers, New Mexico charter schools benefit from the involvement of parents and community members who contribute time and teaching talents in the areas of their expertise. These "adjunct" faculty members are present in charter schools in significantly larger numbers than in traditional public schools.

Student Achievement

Charter schools in New Mexico must participate in the state's required assessment program. All schools have administered required standardized tests for each grade, including the Terra Nova or the California Test of Basic Skills, as well as grade-level writing assessments. In order to develop baseline data for future comparisons, some schools have used additional standardized measures (Stanford 9, Briggance, Gates-McGinitie). Traditional classroom assessments are also in place in all schools -- criterion-referenced tests, quizzes, and written reports. Charter schools are using alternative forms of assessment more frequently -- authentic work, performance assessments, and portfolios. Although the development of these models is slow, it represents a move toward assessments that can contribute significant information about student learning. As these approaches become more clearly defined and more purposefully implemented (as in the case of portfolio designs), the assessments will drive curricular and instructional change, and charter schools will move toward the innovation they envisioned.

Tracking student achievement is difficult with little or no baseline data available. The 2000-01 test scores do indicate that charter schools operating in communities with test scores historically below the norm continue to have a majority of students scoring below the norm. Although there is some scant evidence of individual student growth and progress, it is premature to offer any conclusive evidence of the effects of charter schooling on academic achievement.

It should also be stated that if student academic achievement is influenced by smaller class and school size, by learner engagement and time-on-task, by personal attention and motivation, by a sense of the worth and usefulness of schooling, and by positive attitudes, then New Mexico's charter school students will be the beneficiaries of this innovation in the state. All these factors have been observed or recorded in the majority of charter schools, but significant measurable change in academic achievement may not be apparent for another three to seven years.

Effects of School Size

The fact that charter schools are typically much smaller than their public school counterparts will certainly have an effect on the educational experience of students. In charter schools, students are known by nearly the entire school community -- teachers, administrators, parents, and other students. Being known to others helps develop a sense of belonging and contributes to the development of a true learning community. Smaller size allows for closer monitoring of student behaviors, attitudes, and academic achievement. Parents appear to feel more welcome in smaller schools, and their relationships with administrators, faculty, and staff are perceived as "closer." Small schools appear to be more responsive to the needs of both students and parents so that levels of satisfaction with the charter schools are high. However, small school size has a negative impact on curriculum opportunities, limiting the availability of academic offerings, sports competition, and other extracurricular activities.

School Enrollment

Most charter schools have waiting lists of applicants, but the population of students that might have been anticipated by both proponents and opponents of charter schools has not materialized. Charter schools have not become mini-academies for an elite school population as some had feared. Nor have charter schools become a refuge for the most at-risk students. By and large, the student enrollment in charter schools is reflective of the larger population of the state's students, with some exceptions. Charter schools have taken in many students who were formerly home-schooled as well as a number of students from alternative settings. Most of the students in charter schools appear to be "regular" students, but there is also a sizable special education population. In New Mexico, charter schools have more special education students than anticipated, with an average that appears to be somewhat higher than the state's average, depending on the school district and location.

Facilities

Instructional facilities and school location are major concerns for nearly all start-up charter schools. (Conversion schools typically do not have this same experience, yet they too have concerns about facilities.) While all school buildings that currently house charter schools are reaching ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, nearly all are temporary and sub-par facilities. Some school sites are inconveniently located and have presented transportation problems for parents. The first year saw charter schools housed in churches, storefronts, an armory, portable classrooms, and older school buildings no longer used by their districts. Most charter school sites do not include suitable facilities for physical education, science, vocational training, libraries, or fine arts instruction. In addition, supplies and resources (furniture, equipment, books, and other instructional materials) are largely used or have been donated by other institutions. Most schools have made valiant attempts to provide a clean, safe, and pleasant physical environment for their students, but it appears that start-up monies have been insufficient (even inequitable in some minds), and no provision has been made in state law for adequate capital expenditures for charter schools. Allocation of start-up monies differs each year after the legislative session, adding to the perplexities. Until these issues are addressed, a majority of New Mexico's charter schools will continue to be challenged by substandard facilities.

Financial Management

In their first year of operation, new charter schools predictably suffered from a lack of understanding of financial management and budget planning. Many charter school founders and administrators are unfamiliar with the state funding formula and cash flow for schools. The fact that most operational money for charter schools flows through the sponsoring district has caused delays for some in receiving money and has created confusion, tension, and antagonism between some charter schools and their school districts. It might be anticipated that, as charter schools become established in New Mexico, issues of finance and budget will become clarified and less problematic. Again, specific technical assistance and training for charter school personnel would be helpful. Some charter school founders have also recommended that all potential charter school applicants engage a financial/business manager at the very beginning of the application process to assist in budget development and fiscal oversight.

Compliance with Rules and Regulations

Charter school founders and personnel have been shocked and overwhelmed by the demands that are placed on schools. Their lack of knowledge of the regulations and requirements of the state department of education has resulted in expressions of frustration, anger, and antagonism toward state department personnel. The need to submit plans for school safety, professional development, technology implementation, and parent and community involvement was unclear to charter school staff members. They were dismayed that their plans were expected to be as detailed and specific as those submitted by the already-established schools and districts. Lack of information about channels of communication (including the name of the state department unit requiring each individual plan) served to exacerbate the frustration. While every attempt appears to have been made to inform charter schools of their requirements and responsibilities, the perception remains that too much is being asked of charter schools too soon. The more recently approved charter school applicants have echoed this frustration with the state department of education, but as the movement grows, as experience is gained, and as knowledge is shared among the growing network of charter school participants, we can hope that a more positive relationship will be developed.

Charter schools are purposefully allowed to seek "waivers" from certain local and state policies that regulate public schools. In the first year in New Mexico, the specific waivers requested in charter school applications generally fell into the categories of class size, length of duty day and school year, staffing patterns, administrative duties and titles, personnel evaluation procedures, operating and budget procedures, the ability to purchase property and equipment, and the ability to enter into contracts. At this time, the effects of the waivers that have been granted are barely discernible. School founders seem to have assumed that charter schools would also be exempted from dealing with what they saw as existing bureaucratic red tape. Such has not been the case.

We expect that knowledge and understanding of the state department of education's involvement with charter schools will improve as schools mature and as the chartering process becomes more clearly established. However, we recommend that increased technical assistance be provided to charter schools during both the application and the three-year implementation periods. We also recommend that the specific regulations for charter schools -- including the agencies to which they must report and the time lines they must meet -- be clearly outlined for them. We further recommend that some latitude be given charter schools in terms of the degrees of specificity and levels of implementation for some requirements (a "phase-in" period) so that schools might spend quality time and energy on the development of such initiatives. The state's Charter School Handbook might serve as the vehicle to convey this information and to promote more positive relations between charter schools and the various units of the state department of education.

Governance

Specific issues of governance have posed problems for most charter schools. Minor questions involve who should serve on governing councils/boards (teachers, parents, community members, administrators). The makeup of the governing bodies of current charter schools is variable in both size and the constituencies represented. Another governance issue that was peculiar to the first year for start-up schools was the transition from a founding governance body to a permanent one. For most schools this membership question was resolved by year's end, although a few unfilled positions remained.

The larger and more serious question of governance has to do with the role of the governing council/board. Some governing board members have perceived their roles as equal to that of local school board members. Others have acted as de facto "superintendents" of the school, micromanaging day-to-day operations or overriding decisions of administrators. Still other board members have seemed to blur the lines between governance responsibilities and opportunities for volunteering at the school. This lack of clarity between questions of governance, administration, operations, and volunteerism poses a serious threat to new charter schools -- indeed, some qualified administrators left their positions during the first year, in part as a consequence of such misunderstandings.

A final issue related to governance is the relationship between the charter schools and the local school districts. It is often perceived that founders and participants in charter schools represent the "dissatisfied customers" of the public schools. As a result, adversarial relations between the two emerge even before the charter schools have opened their doors.

Governing councils/boards appear to be most effective when their responsibilities to the school are clearly delineated and limited to the "big picture" school issues such as budgets and finance, fund-raising, and facilities development. In terms of technical support for charter schools, governance training sessions sponsored by the state department of education would be of benefit -- just as local school board members receive regular and ongoing training in New Mexico.

Parent/Community Involvement

The vast majority of charter school parents in New Mexico feel grateful for the opportunity to have a charter school, are happy to be more active participants in their children's education, and feel some personal sense of responsibility for the success of their schools. Most feel that they are more "involved" in school than they had been with regular public schools, but parent involvement at some levels has been a double-edged sword. For some schools, parent interest was high at the start of school but waned dramatically as the school year continued. In other schools, actively involved parents (particularly those who also serve on governing councils/boards) complain that there is not enough involvement of all parents, while those who are less involved in school activities complain that the school is "dominated" by a small group of parents.

Charter schools need and welcome the involvement of parents -- and, in fact, parent involvement in schools appears to be much higher than in traditional elementary or secondary public schools. But many schools are unsure of what to do with so much unaccustomed volunteerism and uncertain about how best to channel interests, talents, and involvement. The state's newly required Plan for Parent and Community Involvement could serve to define and clarify parents' roles and responsibilities in charter school settings.

Satisfaction with Charter Schools

Survey data, interviews, and anecdotal notes from New Mexico charter schools indicate that parents, students, and teachers are generally very satisfied with their charter school experiences. A majority of the parents say that their reasons for choosing a charter school included class size, the quality of instruction, the curriculum, and dissatisfaction with local public schools. Parents' responses to open-ended survey items suggest that they are pleased with having chosen a charter school, and they find more positive characteristics than negative ones in their charter schools.

Most teachers in New Mexico charter schools did not mirror the attitudes reported by charter school teachers in other states. By and large, they feel well compensated, happy, and proud of their work. Teachers in New Mexico charter schools describe themselves as ''exhausted'' but ''challenged'' and ''excited.'' They recognize the labor-intensive nature of their jobs but are also quick to appreciate the autonomy and rewards of their work as well as the promise for future improvements in their schools.

The most significant results of the first-year charter school evaluation have to do with charter school students' attitudes about school. Students (grades K-9) were largely satisfied with their charter school experience. The majority believed that teachers' expectations for them were high (that is, they were expected to "work hard"), but students were still very positive about school. When asked to compare their charter school with their previous public school, students (grades 4-9) gave significantly higher ratings to their charter school than to their previous year's school. The students said their work in charter schools has been more challenging and more interesting, as well as more useful and worthwhile than their studies in their previous schools.

Impact on Districts

To date, little attention has been directed toward the impact that charter schools have on local districts in the state. School board members from affected districts indicate that there are, in fact, ramifications for the district when charter schools are approved. The districts' most feared effect is the loss of revenue when per-pupil monies are turned over to charter schools. In some cases, charter schools are viewed as contributing to declining enrollment. Other areas affected are scheduling, hiring and assignment of personnel, and student services. School district representatives remain uncertain about their relationship to charter schools, the scope of their authority, and their accountability to the state. School board members made no mention of the influence of charter schools on improving educational programs or "customer service." While most districts are committed to providing viable educational alternatives, many of the questions regarding charter schools are still unanswered.

Schools of Choice and Promise

Charter schools in New Mexico are faced with substantial, but not insurmountable, challenges. The need for high-quality school facilities in the absence of capital funding is a critical problem. Curricular programs that represent innovation, relevance, and high academic standards have not been realized but are still in the developmental stages. Appropriate plans to assess and monitor student growth must be defined and implemented. Issues of governance and oversight remain clouded and need clarification. Appropriate involvement of parents and community members is a concern at most schools. Full compliance with requirements and regulations established by state agencies will take time and dedicated effort.

In spite of the challenges, New Mexico charter schools have accomplished much in their first year. Small schools and small classes already show the promise of increased gains in student achievement. Charter school students appear to be engaged in their daily lessons, and they express positive attitudes about school. Parents and other community representatives are involved in local educational efforts in ways that most of them have not previously experienced. Both groups report high levels of satisfaction with the progress of their schools, and levels of commitment and participation have escalated.

The development and growth of charter schools can be likened to the stages of development of a new teacher. In the first stage, "survival," there is little appreciation for the complexities of the job and minimal understanding of the requirements. Survival means establishing practices and procedures that will get one through the day, the week, and the year, and the shock of reality is almost overwhelming. Charter schools are passing through the survival stage and are ready to move on to a focus on student learning and achievement, to a commitment to effective curriculum designs, and to reform efforts consistent with their original vision. They are working hard to be successful. Currently they are engaged in the process of culture building -- exploring and defining what it means to be a charter school. In time, they will find their fit in the larger educational community.

Though still in the earliest stages, New Mexico's charter schools appear to offer a viable educational alternative. They provide "schools of choice" that are within the means of parents who could not afford private or parochial schools. For many students and families, charter schools offer the promise of a high-quality education while remaining within the public school system.

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