Through the California Department of Education’s Public Charter Schools Grant Program, The Learning Collective has conducted external reviews of 80 charter schools, 16 of which were remote reviews during the COVID-19 pandemic. Going beyond the requirements by the California Department of Education, we have added a half-day strategic planning session which has proven to be invaluable to the schools. Watch these video testimonials from principals.
The Learning Collective’s external review process consists of a 2.5 day on-site (or remote) review; two days of information gathering (classroom observations with instructional leaders, administrator and teacher interviews, document review) and a 1/2 day strategic planning session (in which TLC presents the findings from the previous two days and a team from the school prioritizes next steps stemming from the findings). TLC then follows up the on-site visit with a written report (sent to the school) one week after the visit.
Since 2015, TLC conducted Public Charter Schools Grant Program external reviews at the following charter schools:
- Achieve Charter (Chico)
- AJJCS (Weott)
- Allegiance STEAM (Chino)
- Arts in Action (L.A.)
- Aspen (Fresno)
- Beacon Classical (National City)
- Bridges (Compton)
- California Collegiate (L.A.)
- Castlemont (Oakland)
- CCCS (5 schools – home/independent study)
- City Language Immersion (L.A.)
- Clarion Middle (L.A./Remote)
- Community Montessori (Escondido)
- CPMS-LMSV (La Mesa)
- Crete Academy (L.A.)
- Elevate (San Diego)
- El Rio (L.A./Remote)
- Empowering Possibilities International (Sacramento)
- EPIC (Lathrop)
- Excelencia (L.A.)
- Francophone (Oakland)
- Gabriella 2 (L.A.)
- Gateway International (Sacramento)
- GOALS (Anaheim)
- Golden Valley (Folsom)
- Growth Public Schools (Sacramento)
- Hayward Collegiate (Hayward)
- Highland Academy (Beaumont)
- Invictus (Richmond/Remote)
- ISSAC (Tustin/Remote)
- JLPAA (Lake Elsinore/Remote)
- John Adams Academy (El Dorado)
- John Adams Academy (Lincoln)
- Kairos (Vacaville)
- Kepler Neighborhood (Fresno)
- L.A. Promise High (L.A.)
- L.A. Promise Middle (L.A.)
- LBDS (L.A.)
- Libertas College Prep (L.A.)
- Los Feliz Middle School for the Arts (L.A.)
- Metro Charter (L.A.)
- New Hope (Sacramento)
- New L.A. Elementary (L.A.)
- New School (San Francisco)
- One Purpose (San Francisco)
- Palm Lane (Anaheim)
- Perseverance Prep (San Jose/Remote)
- Phoenix (Redding – home/independent study)
- Placer (Rocklin/Remote)
- Prepa Tec (L.A.)
- PUC Community (L.A.)
- PUC Inspire (L.A.)
- REALMS (Ridgecrest)
- Ross Valley Charter (Fairfax)
- Rise Kohyang High School (L.A.)
- Rise Kohyang Elementary (L.A./Remote)
- Rising Sun (Sacramento)
- Roses in Concrete (Oakland)
- Scholarship Prep (Oceanside)
- Scholarship Prep (Santa Ana)
- Shanel Valley (Hopland)
- Sherman Thomas (Madera)
- Soleil (L.A.)
- Stella Elementary (L.A.)
- Summit Prep (L.A.)
- Sycamore (Chino Hills/Remote)
- TEACH PS Elementary (L.A./Remote)
- TEAM Academy (Stockton/Remote)
- Temecula International (Temecula)
- Tree of Life (Anderson)
- U Prep (L.A.)
- Vista Condor (Santa Ana/Remote)
- Vista Horizon (L.A./Remote)
- Voices Morgan Hill (Morgan Hill)
- Voices Mt. Pleasant (San Jose)
- Vox (L.A./Remote)
- Watsonville Prep (Watsonville/Remote)
- We The People High (Long Beach)
- WISH High (L.A.)
- WISH Middle (L.A.)
- Wonderful (Delano)
- Valor (L.A.)
Of the 2.5 day review, our experience suggests principals and instructional leaders – as well teacher and other participants in the strategic planning session – find the strategic planning session to be the most beneficial element of the review. Each strategic planning session produces 1-2 SMART goals, with detailed action steps and timelines and individuals responsible for carrying out those action steps, that the school will meet in the subsequent 3-6 months.