New Leaders

Great leaders = Great schools ^TM

EPIC National Charter School Consortium

New Leaders’ EPIC National Charter School Consortium is the only network of charter schools to bring together both nationally renowned charter management organizations like KIPP, YES Prep, Denver School of Science & Technology, Mastery, and independent charters such as University Heights (Newark), Synergy (Los Angeles), and E.L. Haynes (Washington, DC), to share what is working to transform their schools.

Charter schools in the Consortium driving the highest student achievement gains will be recognized as EPIC award winners in March. There are 179 schools participating in the 2011-12 National Charter School Consortium, and eligible teachers, instructional aides, and school leaders in the award-winning schools will receive individual awards ranging from $1,500 to $12,000. Since 2008, EPIC has awarded more than $6.9 million to more than 1,600 charter school educators in exchange for sharing their effective practices so that others could learn from their success.

Learning from Leaders of High-Gain Charter Schools
Case studies, videos, and school artifacts featuring the effective practices of nearly 200 EPIC award-winning schools, including 50 charter schools, are shared with all participants in the Consortium on the web-based EPIC Knowledge System. School leaders can use the resources to learn about the leadership actions and practices of schools driving dramatic student achievement gains and to build capacity in their own schools through integrating EPIC resources into coaching or professional development sessions.

Most frequently viewed charter school resources include:

Observation and Feedback Practices to Support New Teachers and Instructional Rigor, Boston Collegiate Charter School, Boston, MA
Addressing Students’ Social-Emotional Development Needs, Mastery Charter Schools (Shoemaker Campus), Philadelphia, PA
Creating Structures and Protocols for Focused Data Talks,Monarch Academy (Charter), Aspire Public Schools, Oakland, CA

If you are a member of the EPIC National Charter School Consortium and would like more information about creating an account on the EPIC Knowledge System or using EPIC resources for PD sessions, contact: David Negron, 646-792-7859 or email CharterEPIC@newleaders.org.

How are winners selected? | Who is eligible? | Previous participants and winners

How are winners selected?

EPIC’s partner, Mathematica Policy Research, analyzes student test score data using a value-added model that measures student growth from year to year, offering a way to assess schools’ impact on student learning. The schools achieving the highest student gains are selected as EPIC winners.

Value Added vs. Proficiency

Schools are selected for awards based on their value-added score, a calculation of the growth that individual students make on academic tests from year to year.
Schools are NOT selected for awards based on the percentage of students scoring proficiency on state tests.

Who is eligible?

School eligibility requirements include:

A student population with 30% or more students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch;
Elementary and middle schools: submitting three years of state test scores for ALL students;
High schools: submitting state high school test scores and eighth grade test scores for ALL students; and
Willingness to share their effective practices with New Leaders and our EPIC partners.

Educator eligibility requirements include:

Educators must have taught at the award-winning school during the year the gains were made (2010-2011) and currently teach at the school.
Educators must agree to share information about the practices that led to their significant student achievement gains.

For more information, please call David Negron at 646-792-7859 or email CharterEPIC@newleaders.org.