Charters 101 Parent Advocacy Workshop — In Person

708 West Summit,San Antonio TX 78212

14 September, 2021

Description

Your kids are getting a great education at a charter school . . . but what exactly is a charter school? Learn more at Charters 101! Your kids are getting a great education at a charter school . . . but what exactly is a charter school? Join San Antonio Charter Moms for a Charters 101 workshop and learn about how to be a charter school parent advocate. We will cover how charter schools are authorized and funded, as well as how to identify your elected officials who make education policy and how to reach them. Meet up with a small group of fellow parents in a welcoming, low-stress setting to learn and ask questions. Inga Cotton is the Founder and Executive Director at San Antonio Charter Moms, a trusted source for information about education. She has experience writing blog posts and speaking to groups of parents about choosing schools for their children and becoming parent advocates to improve the quality of education in our community. Lora Idol is the Executive Assistant at San Antonio Charter Moms. In this workshop, we will cover these topics to help you understand charter school advocacy in more depth: Who represents you? — Which elected officials have the most influence over education policy, and how to find your elected officials using your home address. Contacting your elected officials — Getting your message across via social media, phone calls, and emails. Setting up meetings with elected officials. Effective communication strategies for sharing your story.School finance — How are charter schools paid for? The differences between funding for charter schools and traditional public schools. How school finance impacts issues like teacher pay and school facilities.Authorizing and accountability — The charter school application process. When charter schools have to close. Standardized testing, assessment, and letter grade ratings for schools and campuses.On sachartermoms.com, we have resources about Charters 101, but it's not necessary to read those blog posts before the workshop. This event will be held in person in the Studio — the back conference room — at the Impact Guild, a co-working space. We will be following the Impact Guild's safety procedures, including mask wearing and social distancing. Our goal is that everyone who participates in our Charters 101 workshops will learn who represents them on education policy issues, will know how to contact them, and will understand how charter schools are created and funded. This knowledge will help you be a stronger charter school parent advocate and get involved to improve education in our community. San Antonio Charter Moms is a nonprofit organization that helps families find schools that are the right fit for their children. We host events to help families get fair, reliable information on topics such as how to do a school search, how to read a STAAR report card, and "Charters 101"—how to be a charter school parent advocate.