| The Founder Network |
|
Through purchasing the founder network, you are entitled to the following:
The annual fee to join the Founder Network is $500. If you purchase the Founder Network and then are awarded the Planning & Implementation Grant from the Michigan Department of Education within 3 months of the purchase, you can use the $500 towards the $10,000 of technical assistance required within the grant. Online Resource Warehouse The Resource Warehouse heads up the Founder Network and provides you with a member-only password to explore the written and detailed resources on numerous topics related to chartering a school. This resource has no limit on how much information we will put into it over time, thereby providing you with an ever-increasing learning experience. Written in a user-friendly question and answer format, each resource speaks to a particular topic. Topics include common areas of inquiry from both beginner and more advanced founder groups. See below for a sneak peek at our resource warehouse homepage!
Professional Learning Community A Professional Learning Community, or PLC, is an extended learning opportunity to foster collaborative learning among colleagues within a particular work environment or field. Each development team will be assigned to a Professional Learning Community (PLC) and be provided with the essential tools to communicate and collaborate with other members of the PLC. All Founder Network members are combined into one PLC in the Online Learning Community. Your collaboration and communication with one another provides the value to this service. The purpose of the PLC is to place you into a group with the shared vision of starting a charter school and provide opportunities for continuous improvement, opportunities to learn, identification of solutions, reflection, and encouragement, all leading to an ongoing improvement and professional learning. See below for a sneak peek of the Online Learning Community homepage. There is a forum dedicated to Founder Network members ONLY!
1-on-1 Coaching Sometimes, the best way to learn is to sit with an expert on a subject and allow them to tailor instruction to your specific needs. It's an ideal learning situation and we've created that for you through our one-on-one coaching from chartering experts. We used our coaches last year to help groups prepare for the 2008 MI Department of Education planning grants. Twenty-eight planning grants were awarded in 2008 that has enabled founder groups to pursue advanced training toward their dream of opening a charter public school. Through the Founder Network package, you receive two free hours of coaching, a value of $250. This will enable you to "try out" this service without paying any additional fees. On average, groups that we worked with last year utilized approximately 2-3 hours of coaching to prepare their grant applications because our coaches were concise and have high levels of knowledge and chartering experience. They can direct you to your next steps and pertinent resources without wasting time. Electronic News Publications We keep our members well-informed and we are active in raising awareness across the state about charter schools, the issues and legislative concerns that impact them, good news, and anything else that's tied to the movement. For example, the Legislature introduced a bill that would require charter school board members to be publicly elected by the parents of charter students, rather than the current system of appointing board members by authorizers. We updated members on the contents of the bill and began collecting individual school scenarios to use in testifying about this bill. This situation will most definitely impact you and your future charter school and we believe it's important that you know about it. Our Member Confidential e-newsletter will also come to you electronically, a value that you will only receive through this package. Discounted Registrations for the Annual Charter Schools Conference & Charter Prep Annual Trainings Your whole team will benefit from attending one of the largest charter school conferences in the nation and through this network you can attend for less money. It happens in Detroit every year. Last year's conference drew in 3,000+ charter educators. We also house a large vendor gallery, which can introduce you to many education resources. Read more about our keynotes and the conference at www.charterschools.org. All members of the founder network will also receive 15% off ALL Charter Prep trainings throughout the year.
Throughout the year on a quarterly basis, a representative of our organization will meet with you at no charge to help you with various needs. We are here to help you build relationships with key people in the charter movement. These meetings are also applicable to our New School Development Director, who can provide guidance to your school development process through one of these meetings. Guaranteed Seating At Events As a member of the Founder Network, we guarantee you a seat at our events. We do this through early registration opportunities for you when the demand is high.
Please click HERE to purchase the Founder Network |
Don't Forget... Do you want to change education? Attend MAPSA's Charter Prep training to learn more on how to start a charter school today!
Registration ends February 17.
