OAPCS Newsroom

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OAPCS is a nonprofit advocacy organization that proactively educates and informs the public, families, stakeholders, policymakers and thought leaders about the importance of educational choice and charter schools. In this capacity, OAPCS serves as a clearinghouse of charter school data, research and stories pertaining to the charter movement, quality in education, state and federal school legislation and other topics that affect student equity. 

For the Media: 

Inquiries, information and interview requests and questions should be directed to Julie Conry, OAPCS Director of Communications, at jconry@oapcs.org or 614-744-2266, ext. 203.

In the News:

ILEAD Charter School Opening for 2016-2017 School Year

April 22, 2016

A new charter school is opening in Northwest Ohio this fall. Watch an interview with the founders of iLead Schools by WTOL.

Richland Academy School of Excellence breaks ground on new building

April 22, 2016

Richland Academy School of Excellence has broken ground on what will be the school’s new building beginning in August.

Read more in the Richland Source article here.

Facilities Commission Opens Charter School Grant Applications

April 13, 2016

The Ohio School Facilities Commission opened applications Monday for a $25 million funding pool to assist charter schools with constructing, buying or renovating classroom space. 

The application deadline is 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15.

The biennial budget, HB64 (R. Smith), created the grant program, which requires a one-to-one match. 

To be eligible to apply, a school must fit the budget bill’s definition of a “high-performing” charter school, as measured by performance index and value-added grades on the state report cards. Different grading…

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Applications Now Open for the Community School Classroom Facilities Grant Program

April 11, 2016

Applications are now being accepted for the Community School Classroom Facilities Grant Program with submissions due by Wednesday, June 15, 2016 by 4 p.m.  Award notifications from the Ohio Facilities  Construction Commission (OFCC) will be announced August 15, 2016 with Controlling Board approval in September, 2016.

In June, 2015, Amended Substitute House Bill 64 authorized the creation of the Community School…

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Ohio Needs to Provide Fair Funding to High-Performing Public Charter Schools: Alan Rosskamm and John Zitzner (Opinion)

April 8, 2016

“Terrance Reynold’s mom moved him into a Breakthrough School in sixth grade. Her choice opened up a world of opportunities for Terrance, putting him on a path that led from Collinwood to graduating college, studying in Hong Kong, and returning to Cleveland to build amazing websites for nonprofits.”

Read the full op-ed article in Cleveland.com.

State Releases Report Cards for Dropout Recovery Schools

March 30, 2016

State report cards for dropout prevention and recovery schools show a mixed bag, with about equal numbers of schools meeting or failing to meet standards and a small group exceeding them. 

Report cards for the schools do not follow the traditional A-F grading scale but instead rate schools as “meets standards,” “does not meet standards” or “exceeds standards.” Standards measured on the report card included graduation rates with four to eight years of entering ninth grade; percentage of students passing five graduation tests by 12th grade or age 22; schools’…

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OAPCS Statement on State Report Card for Dropout Prevention and Recovery Schools

March 29, 2016

The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools (OAPCS) President and CEO Dr. Darlene Chambers made the following statement today regarding the just released Ohio State Report Card for Dropout Prevention and Recovery Schools:

“The dropout prevention and recovery school report card recently issued by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) indicates that for the most important goal – graduating students – these programs are not just meeting, but exceeding standards statewide and in the Urban 8,” said Dr. Chambers.

The overall graduation rate metric for all 93…

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Central Ohio Charter Schools Leading Efforts to Diminish Rich-Poor Achievement Gap

March 23, 2016

According to a national report released Tuesday, March 23, five Columbus charter schools are succeeding at closing the achievement gap between low-income students and their higher-income peers. 

Click here to read the Columbus Dispatch article.

CEO of OAPCS to Join National Charter Schools Institute

March 22, 2016

The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools (OAPCS) announces that Dr. Darlene Chambers will be transitioning from the President and CEO position in April, 2016. Dr. Chambers will be joining the National Charter Schools Institute (NCSI), which is headquartered in Michigan and works across the country to inspire and democratize excellence in education. She will be a member of the Institute’s executive leadership team and will initially focus on supporting the Institute’s work with schools, boards, authorizers, and support organizations.

Chad Readler, Chairman of…

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Ohio Charter Alliance Chief Leaving for National Group

March 22, 2016

Darlene Chambers, who led Ohio’s largest charter school advocacy group during a time of major changes for the sector, will step down next month to join a national charter school organization. 

Chambers, CEO of the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools (OAPCS), will leave in April to take a position with the Michigan-based National Charter Schools Institute (NCSI), a nonprofit that offers services, training and consulting to schools. OAPCS intends to name a new CEO this summer, and plans to release application information this spring.

Chambers took over…

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