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Practices from the Portfolio, Volume I

In NewSchools Venture Fund's engagement with the entrepreneurial education organizations we support, we have found that these entrepreneurs have much to share with – and much to learn from – one another. Our new Practices from the Portfolio series seeks to capture, synthesize and share this powerful knowledge residing within the NewSchools portfolio.

This first volume of Practices from the Portfolio includes some of the most effective practices in use by the organizations in our portfolio, many of whom are working to create new systems of public charter schools. With the help of FSG Social Impact Advisors, NewSchools documented the details of how these practices were developed and implemented, and collected tools and templates used by these entrepreneurial organizations along the way. The result is a set of case studies that we believe will inform practitioners who are looking to improve practice within their own organizations across three areas: human capital, organizational growth, and educational curriculum and quality.


Full Report: Practices from the Portfolio, Volume I

Executive Summary


Individual Cases

Section 1 - Human Capital: Recruiting, Training and Supporting Teachers and Leaders

• Achievement First: The Design and Implementation of a Highly Effective Teacher Recruitment System
• New Schools for New Orleans: Partnership with New Leaders for New Schools and The New Teacher Project
• High Tech High: Implementation of a Teacher Credentialing Program
  • Attachment 1: Sample Precondition Statement
  • Attachment 2: Sample Common Standard
  • Attachment 3: Sample Program Standard
• DC Prep: Implementation of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP)
• Green Dot Public Schools: Working in a Union Environment
  • Attachment 1: Union Contract

Section 2 - Home Office: Strategies for Managing Scaling Organizations

• Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools: Board Engagement in Fundraising
  • Attachment 1: Board Member Bios
  • Attachment 2: Donation and Commitment Totals
  • Attachment 3: Alliance Supporters
  • Attachment 4: Alliance Fundraising Needs
• Partnerships to Uplift Communities: Community Outreach
  • Attachment 1: California State University Northridge (CSUN) Community Partner Guide
• Aspire Public Schools: An Approach to Opening New Schools
  • Attachment 1: Rubric for New School Openings
  • Attachment 2: Growth Options 2007
  • Attachment 3: Sample School Start-up Workplan
  • Attachment 4: New School Opening Status Report
• Lighthouse Academies: Annual School Opening Survey
• Aspire Public Schools: Board Management
  • Attachment 1: Executive Committee Self-Evaluation Process
  • Attachment 2: Sample Board Packet
  • Attachment 3: Growth Options 2007

Section 3 - Education Program: Curriculum and Quality

• Mastery Charter Schools: The Design and Implementation of an Effective Social and Emotional Learning Program
  • Attachment 1: Mastery First Year Seminar Survey
• Perspectives Charter School: Character Education
• Partnerships to Uplift Communities: College Partnerships
  • Attachment 1: LAUSD Concurrent Enrollment Agreement
  • Attachment 2: Individualized College Plan
• New Schools for New Orleans: School Review Process
  • Attachment 1: Sample Observation Tools
  • Attachment 2: Sample Completed Rubrics
  • Attachment 3: Sample Full Report