CCSA's annual Fall Data Campaign (FDC)
August 10, 2012 A data-driven membership and professional organization, CCSA is now in the midst of this vital project, which collects movement-critical information from every single charter school in the state. That is more than 1,000 schools this year!
What is involved?
- August - Each pre-existing charter school will be contacted via email during the month of August. Charter Management Organizations and charter networks will have an opportunity during that same time to aggregate responses on behalf of all their schools. There are two different questionnaires: one for Office Managers that updates school contact information and another for School Leaders that collects movement-critical vital signs.
- September - Beginning in September our staff will call charters we have been unable to reach by email. We will also connect with all new charters to confirm their opening.
How are the results put to work?
Fueled with this invaluable information, CCSA is better equipped to educate the public, enact change in Sacramento, and make advancements in areas of import to the charter school movement like funding, facilities and special education.
- Immediately after collection is complete, CCSA will issue a press release that chronicles the number of new charters opened, as well as the total number of students served by all charters in California. Local reporters and state representatives chomp at the bit for the release every year.
- When advocating for increased facility funding for charter schools, CCSA arguments are strengthened by data showing high percentages of charter school general fund dollars going to facilities costs.
- Through this campaign our staff will identify schools planning to serve more students. This will allow CCSA to proactively identify individual and collective school needs and streamline technical support to address them.
- For CCSA to be an effective voice for charter schools in Sacramento, we need the information the Fall Data Campaign provides to answer questions from elected officials, such as: "How many charter schools have collective bargaining agreements?"
What is my school's role?
- Please encourage your Office Manager or lead administrator to keep an eye out for our email request to update contact information and to complete it as quickly as possible.
- School Leaders and CMO and network staff are asked to set aside some time to complete our Data Collection questionnaire. Keep an eye out for our email, or contact Member Services to participate over the phone or via an Excel spreadsheet. For more information about CCSA's data collection efforts, or for assistance participating in the Fall Data Campaign, please contact Member Services at membership@ccsa.org or 866-411-CCSA(2272).