Restarts: An alternative to closing a school

A new option is emerging to closing underperforming schools: restarts. A restart happens when an underperforming school is closed and a new school is opened to serve the same students under new management. Public Impact and EdPLex recently released the School Restart Authorization Process Guide which provides guidance to authorizers, school operators, and support organizations about what they should consider when designing or refining a restart process.

Naomi DeVeaux, DC PCSB Deputy Director, served as a member on the working group which advised on the recommendations and resources provided within the guide. 

As the authorizer for the Washington, DC’s public charter schools, we have a responsibility to all students and families to close underperforming schools after a thorough and comprehensive review process. Closing a school is never easy and the closure process leaves many families feeling uneasy about what that means for their students, while students may leave the only school they’ve ever known.       

In the past four years, to minimize the disruption to families and students, we helped initiate five restarts. A 2013 Public Impact report on charter school restarts found that a closing school’s board and leadership should be fully engaged throughout the process. In DC, those findings hold true. While we set high parameters for the restart, we let the closing school’s board choose the operator (through an RFP process) as well as negotiate the terms of the restart. We also ensured that the incoming board brings its best staff and resources, so that the school starts off on the right foot.

The National Charter School Resource Center recently released a series of videos highlighting Achievement Prep PCS success to restart the underperforming Septima Clark PCS in 2013. Read the post and watch the videos here.

A restart happens when an underperforming school is closed and a new school is opened to serve the same students under new management.