Arizona

Arizona’s charter school law was first enacted in 1994.  There are more than 500 charter schools in Arizona that enroll more than 100,000 students. There are three ways to obtain a contract to operate a charter school in Arizona, by applying to: 1) The State Board for Charter Schools, 2) The State Board of Education, and 3) the school district within whose boundaries the charter school will be physically located.  Charter schools are organized and operated in a variety of ways. Each charter school has a governing board.   Some charter schools are organized as non-profit corporations, for-profit corporations and still others have different structures. School decisions are made at the school level. The sponsoring boards have very little to do with daily charter school operations. Each charter school develops its own policies related to discipline, personnel, attendance, etc.   Charter schools participate in the state’s nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement test. Each charter school also completes an annual report card for the Department of Education and an annual report for its sponsoring board.  Charter schools also design a method to measure pupil progress toward student outcomes.  Charter schools are funded by the state and receive money based on student attendance. A specific charter school’s funding is as stable as the school’s enrollment. Charter schools may also solicit and receive contributions.  The term of charter school contracts is fifteen years. Charters are reviewed by the sponsoring board every five years and monitored regularly.

GREEN CHARTER SCHOOLS                                                                                             

Acclaim Academy  --  http://www.acclaimacademy.org/index.php

Desert Star Community School  --  http://www.desertstarschool.org/philosophy.html

Paulo Freire Freedom School –  http://www.paulofreireschool.org

STAR School  --  http://www.starschool.org/aboutus.html

Sky Islands School  --  http://skyislands.org

CHARTER SCHOOL RESOURCES

Arizona Charter Schools Association  --  http://www.azcharters.org

Arizona State Board for Charter Schools --  http://www.asbcs.az.gov

Arizona Department of Education  --  http://www.ade.state.az.us/charterschools/Info

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools  --  http://www.publiccharters.org/dashboard/students/page/overview/state/az/year/2009

National Association of Charter School Authorizers  --  http://www.qualitycharters.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3277

US Charter Schools  --  Arizona Profile  --  http://www.uscharterschools.org/cs/sp/view/sp/2

Center for Education Reform – Arizona  --  http://www.edreform.com/From_the_States/index.cfm

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESOURCES

Arizona Association for Environmental Education

Environmental Fund for Arizona

Environmental Education Exchange