Public Charter School Sponsorships

Echoing the disciplinary and methodological diversity evidenced and valued by its faculty, Saint Louis University embraces and seeks to serve the children of St. Louis, Kansas City and across Missouri in the multiple educational settings and formats available throughout the area.

We recognize that no one educational method or system is best for all students, and that the breadth of schooling options remains one of St. Louis' and Kansas City's greatest strengths. We champion student learning and development first and foremost, and we support efforts across the educational spectrum that best enable students to reach their full potential.

Public Education

The University has an extensive history of collaboration with public school districts in Missouri. We seek to expand our involvement in public schooling in all of its forms — traditional, magnet, alternative, and public charter schools — throughout Missouri.

Private Education

Independent, nonparochial educational institutions serve a significant portion of Missouri's students, especially in urban settings. The diverse funding and organizational structures of these institutions, as well as their diverse curricula, often serve as examples of innovation and experimentation from which all educators and community members can learn.

Parochial Education

Anchored by one of the largest Catholic school systems in the nation, parochial education in St. Louis features schools rooted in many faiths and educational visions. The University seeks to expand its curricular and co-curricular offerings to prepare even more students for a full range of faculty and staff roles throughout parochial education systems.

Across these diverse educational environments, Saint Louis University endeavors to engage a broad range of its students, faculty and staff. There are obvious, direct connections between Missouri's schools and the University's teacher- and administrator-certification programs; we seek to capitalize on those connections for the benefit of students and schools, as well as for future generations of teachers and school leaders.

But in both conceptualizing and implementing a comprehensive vision for the advancement of K-12 schooling, the University favors an interdisciplinary approach respecting the reality that education in the schools both complements and is dependent upon a range of social, cultural, political and economic forces. And as a major research university recognized at the undergraduate and graduate levels for excellence throughout its colleges, schools and departments, Saint Louis University serves as a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary resource for school and community development.

The following administrative departments and academic units contribute to the University's collaborative efforts with public, private and parochial schools:

Administrative Units

• Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement
• School of Medicine Multicultural Affairs
• Office of Admission
• Student Development
• Pre-College, Access, and TRIO Programs
• Academic Affairs

Academic Units

• School of Education
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Doisy College of Health Sciences
• Chaifetz School of Business
• School of Medicine
• Center for Advanced Dental Education

Through over 40 initiatives, University faculty, staff and students work with faculty, staff and students in schools to improve curriculum, instruction, and administration; mentor and tutor children; offer health and wellness programming; provide counseling and other support for children and families in need; and deliver a host of related community-based programs and services.

These initiatives are augmented by faculty research efforts that capitalize on the curricular, organizational, economic and cultural breadth of Missouri's schools for advanced, comparative research in urban community education.

Background

Saint Louis University has an extensive history of collaboration with St. Louis' public schools and continually seeks to assist the St. Louis Public School District, neighboring public school districts, the City of St. Louis and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as appropriate to advance student learning. Toward that goal, the University has committed to sponsorship of public charter schools. The University sponsors the City Garden Montessori Charter School in St. Louis and Académie Lafayette, Frontier Schools, and Hope Leadership Academy in Kansas City.

Program Description

The purpose of the Charter School Sponsorship Faculty Grant Program is to provide the opportunity for faculty to conduct research to further scholarship, professional practice, or policy in the field of public education, with a particular emphasis on public charter schools or SLU's sponsored public charter schools.

Eligibility

All full-time tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track faculty members with active research programs are eligible to apply. Proposals must be approved by the chair of the applicant's department and their dean/director; applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to consult with their unit administrators before developing proposals. While it is anticipated that most applications will be from individual faculty members, joint proposals — particularly those engaging faculty from different departments/colleges/schools — will also be considered and are encouraged.

Anticipated Time Commitment

Each grant will be awarded for a period of one academic term (typically the fall or spring semester), although longer-term projects may be considered; awards extending into a summer term (for analysis of data collected during the school year, for example) may be considered. The research period should generally coincide with the start and end dates of the award term. The workload for the research is expected to be equivalent to teaching one three-credit academic course (see the Budget section).

Proposal Requirements

Grant proposals should be no more than 10 pages long and should include the following elements:

• Cover page with name, title, academic unit and contact information
• The research problem/question to be addressed
• An explanation of the importance of the research activity within the field of public education
• An explanation of the research design or methodology
• Specific objectives and anticipated outcomes, both short and long-term
• A description of the research-specific qualifications of the researcher(s)
• Letter of support from chair and dean/director

Selection Criteria

The following criteria will guide the selection of proposals:

1. Potential impact on the community
2. The likelihood that the proposed project will make an important scholarly contribution
3. Applicant's demonstrated expertise
4. A feasible work plan
5. The support of faculty and staff of the school
6. The availability of the school's students, faculty and staff as needed.

Budget/Funding

Awardees will be granted a release from three credit hours of teaching in each academic term in which the grant is awarded. Funding will be provided by the School of Education to the awardee's academic unit equal to the amount of a) the salary and fringe benefits (if any) of an adjunct faculty member or b) a standard course overload stipend during each award term (typically $3,500 per course). In lieu of direct compensation, applicants who are granted awards for research into a summer term or who serve in an administrative capacity will receive an equivalent amount of funding for the faculty member's travel or professional development account. Awards for research projects requiring IRB approval will only be disbursed following the submission of IRB approval documentation to the School of Education.

Regardless of the grant term, it is expected that the awardee's department will continue to fully support the faculty member for office space, copying, telephone, postage, office supplies, software, database searches, and other like expenses. Special requests for any additional, research-related funding should be included as part of the proposal.

Awardee's Accountability

Within one month of the end of the award term, the awardee must submit a full report addressing the research conducted, research objectives met, publication results, etc., to the School of Education. The awardee is responsible for completing all of the short-term objectives specified in the proposal by the end of the grant. Any requests for extensions to complete short-term objectives must be approved by the School of Education before the grant period has expired. Awardees should report additional outcomes resulting from the grant to the School of Education if they occur after the progress report has been submitted.

Application Timeline

Proposals are accepted on a year-round basis. However, applicants should plan their proposal submissions with their supervisors well in advance of the proposed grant term. The ability of the awardee's academic unit to cover the course release specified above will impact award decisions.

How to Apply

Submit proposals electronically (preferably in a Word or PDF file) to the School of Education. For further information, contact Alexandra Boyd, executive director of public charter school partnerships, at 314-977-1975 or alexandra.boyd@slu.edu.

Individuals or organizations interested in Saint Louis University’s sponsorship of a new public charter school should take the following steps:

1. To have an initial conversation addressing your interest in SLU’s sponsorship, contact Alexandra Boyd, executive director of public charter school partnerships in the School of Education, at 314-977-1975 or alexandra.boyd@slu.edu.  Or call the School of Education’s Office of the Dean at 314-977-3292.
2. If, following that conversation, you are interested in submitting a prospectus, access the prospectus form.
3. If, after reviewing the prospectus, SLU invites you to submit a full application, access the application form.

What are Public Charter Schools?

First and foremost, charter schools are public schools. They are funded by the same tax dollars as "traditional" public schools. Those funds are allocated on a per-student-enrolled basis, as well. And, like "traditional" public schools, to be eligible for those funds charter schools must adhere to all state and federal laws governing public education. Charter schools cannot charge tuition or set admission standards, and they must be non-sectarian in all activities.

What is a Public Charter School Sponsor?

Sponsors are local institutions — such as Saint Louis University — that enter a contractual relationship with charter school boards for oversight of board responsibilities. Sponsors are charged by state law with ensuring that the charter schools meet student achievement goals and financial and operational standards required by the contracts (or "charters" — hence the term "charter school") made between the charter schools and their sponsors.

Impact of Public Charter Schools on Other St. Louis Area Schools

The presence of charter schools in an area such as St. Louis impacts existing schools/school systems in several ways. At the heart of the rationale for the legislation authorizing charter schools is the hope that the innovations successfully employed at charter schools will positively influence the educational design and operations of existing charter and non-charter schools alike.

As a major research institution, Saint Louis University has the potential to capitalize on its role as a sponsor to initiate a research agenda that will inform future policy and practice throughout the urban education landscape.

From an enrollment standpoint, many students who attend area charter schools are students who might otherwise attend "traditional" public school, Catholic or other sectarian private school, or an independent private school.

To strengthen and advance the educational programs and operations at those schools in the face of continually shifting enrollment patterns, Saint Louis University seeks to enhance its partnerships with the SLPS District, neighboring suburban public school districts, the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis, and other school operators throughout the region.

Ultimately, we believe that cooperative strategic planning amongst those educating the children of St. Louis will manifest itself in more options for better schools in both the public and private educational sectors.

Toward that end, the University is committed to:

• Maintaining and expanding many of the current partnerships between Saint Louis University and numerous public and private schools throughout the Metro area
• Seeking new partnerships benefiting the education of public and private school students, as well as the professional development of their teachers and administrators
• Communicating regularly with staff at area schools regarding the current state and future scope of the University's charter school sponsorship initiatives
• Encouraging and facilitating dialogue and cooperation among all area charter school boards/sponsors, area public school districts, the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and other area schools.
• Offering institutional expertise to area educators and administrators to assist them in strategic planning in the context of the expanding landscape of schooling options