Know Your School
Now that you know your rights, it’s time to get to know your child’s school.
We encourage caregivers to make it a priority to build partnerships with the adults educating and caring for their child every day.
It’s also vital to talk with other families in your school community at the bus stop or during drop-off and pickup and find ways to support each other.
Attending your school’s board meetings and connecting with your school’s charter authorizer will help you keep informed about the school’s policies, practices, and educational programs.
Read on for more tips to help you get to know your school!
Resources for Building a Family + School Partnership
-
![]()
Tips to get you started
Read Lamont Davis’ “Back to Basics” Education Post article with 6 tips each for parents and teachers who want to build partnerships.
-
![]()
See what it looks like
Watch “Effective Family Engagement Could Look Like This” a brief video showing exemplary family engagement practices and their impact.
-
![Woman with her left hand holding her right arm.]()
How to email your kid's teacher
Ed Navigator gives parents helpful tips on how to communicate with busy teachers.
-
![]()
Learn about advocacy
Understood.com gives parents 8 tips on how to speak up for your child at school, even when it’s not comfortable.
-
![Woman standing with palms raised.]()
When the school isn't being responsive
EdNavigator walks caregivers through how to raise concerns in the school system.
Partnering With Your School’s Board Members
Charter school board members are responsible for making sure their schools deliver on their promises to their student and communities and fulfill their charter contracts.
Learn about board service from Bluum's five video series--Charter School Governance: The Essential Guide. Bluum is a non-profit organization committed to ensuring Idaho’s children reach their fullest potential by cultivating great leaders and innovative schools. We've posted their first video, Governance, to the right.
Click here for the rest of the series. Then, go to your charter school's website, look for a link to a "Board" or "Governance" page, find out when the next board meeting is, and log on or stop by to get connected to the board and what's going on in the school!
Make it more fun by getting a few friends, neighbors, and family members to go with you.
Be ready to introduce yourself during the time for public comment and feel free to share any other thoughts you may have at that time.
Partnering With Your School’s Authorizers
Washington's charter schools operate under 5-year contracts with state-approved authorizers.
Families, teachers, students, and community members help authorizers with their oversight duties by letting them know how their schools are doing throughout the year.
We also have an important part to play when a school is applying to open, when a school is applying to expand, and when a school applies for a charter contract renewal.
Help your school communities get what they need by letting the authorizer know your opinion (yes, no, or yes with conditions) and the reasons why.
TIP: Use sample letters in the Communicating with Your Child’s School Through Letter Writing toolkit for guidance and inspiration when writing to authorizers.
District Charter Authorizer
Learn about the state's only district charter authorizer, Spokane Public Schools here.
They oversee two charter schools, Pride Prep and Lumen High School. Look up their contracts here.
Get to know the Spokane Public Schools’ Board of Directors here. Find the schedule and agendas for their monthly Zoom and in-person meetings here.
State-wide Charter Authorizer
The Washington State Charter School Commission (WSCSC) is the state-wide authorizer.
They oversee the performance frameworks for sixteen charter schools. Look up your charter school’s contract with the Commission here.
Learn about WSCSC's Performance Framework, and then check out your school's latest Performance Framework Report here.
Get to know the Commissioners and the Commission Staff (they carry out the Commission’s oversight work) at bi-monthly hybrid meetings.
Find the schedule and materials here. Stop in, watch live on Zoom, and either catch it live or see the replay later on TVW.
Wait, What is Charter School Authorizing?
Authorizers are the organizations who decide who can start a new charter school, set the standards for academics and operations, and decide whether or not a school continues to operate at the end of their contract.
For more information, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) has a thorough explanation of authorizing here. They've also made two very helpful videos that we've posted to this page: What is a Charter School? and Why Authorizing Matters for Quality.
Charter School Authorizing Basics
Why Authorizing Matters for Quality