Terry Croy Lewis, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Colorado Charter School Institute
A Model of Excellence: CSI’s Vision for Charter School Authorization
The Charter School Institute (CSI), established by law in 2004, embarked on a mission to serve as a model authorizer and redefine the landscape of charter school authorization. Tasked with being both an alternative and a pacesetter, CSI's journey has been one of...
Keith King: A Legacy of Championing Charters
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” — Ralph Waldo EmersonA Pioneer for the Charter School Movement The foundation and success of the charter school movement has been championed and led by numerous leaders over...
Universal Preschool Support at CSI Schools
Guest Blog: Willyn Webb, CSI Early Learning and School Support CoordinatorPreschool Support at CSI Schools As CSI schools navigate the first year of Colorado’s Universal Preschool initiative, I’ve been working to provide guidance and integral support along the way. As...
Celebrating Excellence: CSI’s ‘Performance with Distinction’ Ratings
CSI’s approach to authorizing balances autonomy and accountability, offering schools the flexibility to choose the methods that best meet the needs of their students. In return, CSI holds schools accountable to clear expectations for performance.The Accreditation...
The Ongoing Practice of Mission Alignment
Last month, Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) staff converged at Chatfield Farms for a two-day staff retreat. Staff members reside all over the state in the communities we serve, so we try to make the most of our limited in-person opportunities together. One of...
The Impact of Social Emotional Learning in CSI Schools
Guest Blog: Betsy Basch, CSI Mental Health Programs Coordinator SEL School Supports at CSI Schools CSI charter public schools continue to develop and implement Social Emotional Learning (SEL) practices. As CSI’s Mental Health Programs Coordinator, I (Betsy...
What Does It Mean to Be a Model Authorizer?
When CSI was established by law in 2004, it was charged with serving as an alternative to the existing district authorizers. It was also charged with serving as a model authorizer and making best practices available to district authorizers. Back in 2020, we shared...
2022 NACSA Conference Reflections
In October, several CSI staff and board members attended the 2022 National Association of Charter School Authorizers conference. Every year, our staff looks forward to the opportunity to learn from and network with other charter authorizers and leaders from around the...
Be a Charter Ambassador: Know the Facts!
I have worked for over twenty years in the charter public school sector – as a founder, board member, consultant, and more. In that time, I have heard my fair share of charter school misconceptions from opponents and supporters alike. It is so important for charter...
The Importance of Capacity Building
What is Capacity? Last week, several members of the CSI team participated in the first of four Cognitive Coaching® training sessions for this school year. One of the foundational concepts (and the ultimate goal of the trainings) is to develop one’s identity and...
CSI Equity Screener: A Tool to Improve Equity and Access for All
Guest Blog: Brooke Frarck, CSI School Improvement & Equity Specialist With the Fall 2021 rollout of the newly updated Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) Equity Screener, numerous schools are fully immersed in their data and are holding equity...
DEI at The Colorado Charter School Institute
Over the past year, CSI has continued our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We have partnered with Social Justice Associates on three main initiatives: DEI professional development, DEI organizational assessment, and DEI strategy development. Take...
Taking Action: Addressing Mental Health in Our Schools Today
Guest Blog: Betsy Basch, CSI Mental Health Programs Specialist Mental health is a critically important part of overall wellness as has become even more evident over the course of the pandemic. Schools have been hit especially hard by this current mental health crisis,...
What Makes a Quality School?
This year continues to bring surprises as schools seek to address learning loss, support staff and students with very real mental health concerns, and develop, maintain, or recreate a culture that is welcoming and safe. In addition to all this, school are still being...
A School for Every Kid
Last spring, CSI had an amazing opportunity to partner with Ready Colorado to tell the story of four CSI schools through film. Earlier this week, the film “A School for Every Kid” was shared with a community of CSI school representatives, education reform partners,...
Funding Equity for CSI Schools: Mill Levy Equalization 101
I spend a great deal of my time educating our partners, legislators, and the community about funding inequities for CSI schools. Funding Inequities for CSI Schools Despite being part of the public education system for over 15 years, CSI students continue to face...
Starting the Year with Purpose
Welcome to the 2021-22 school year! It is hard to believe that summer “break” is already nearing its end. It is even harder to believe there are only a few weeks (or days, for some of you!) until students return. As we gear up for the school year, we are anticipating...
Partnership Authorizing
Partnership Authorizing One of the many challenging and rewarding aspects of our role as a statewide authorizer is statute’s charge for CSI to be a model authorizer. High-Quality Authorizing We have sought to fulfill this role as model authorizer through our...
Reflection on CSI’s Equity Initiatives
Reflection on CSI’s Equity Initiatives As we enter April - Celebrate Diversity Month – and continue to process the recent racially-based violence, I have been reflecting even more about our role as leaders and educators in addressing inequities within our schools and...
One Year of COVID-19: A Reflection
One Year of COVID-19: A Reflection It is hard to believe it has been a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The past twelve months have been uniquely challenging and a true test of our ability to adapt our work quickly to support our schools as they responded...
Leadership Series: Women’s History Month Reflection
I am excited to welcome CSI’s Board Chair, Jill Anschutz, as our guest blogger this month. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it is quite fitting that we recognize the highly capable and remarkable women who serve on the CSI Board including Jill Anschutz, Danyell...
Leadership Series: Black History Month Reflection
Throughout this past month I have read numerous commentaries, reflected, and discussed with colleagues about how Black History Month has been celebrated and honored in their organizations and personal lives. I also read alongside my 10th grade daughter as she learned...
Leadership Series: Presidents’ Day Reflection
It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through February. I have been thinking a lot about the importance of leadership over the last few months and knew I wanted to discuss leadership on this platform. However, leadership is a big topic, so rather than dedicating...
CSI at the Colorado League of Charter Schools Annual Conference
Annually in late February/early March, charter school staff, leadership, board members, and supporters come together to network, learn, and grow together at the Colorado League of Charter Schools’ Conference. The Colorado League of Charter Schools (CLCS) is a...
Welcome to 2021!
Welcome to 2021! There are many sentiments that capture the challenges of this past year and the hurdles we still need to overcome. However, many would agree that “the only constant is change” epitomizes what we can expect in 2021. In fact, the first couple weeks of...
Reflecting on the National Association of Charter School Authorizers Conference
Each year, CSI staff members participate in the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Conference as both learners and presenters. This year was the same but, of course, things looked a bit different: the conference was held virtually and took...
Community-Responsive Authorizing
As the COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of in-person learning in the spring of 2020, schools scrambled to continue engaging students by working with available resources and using innovation and creativity. At CSI, we were also forced to take a hard look at our...
Women in Leadership: In Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fight for equality has had an enormous impact on this country, and we owe her our deepest gratitude for her life’s work. Given my age, I’m both too young to have experienced the level of systemic sexism that women in her...
Welcome CSI School Board Members
At CSI, we believe that behind every successful charter school is a high-performing governing board. School board members volunteer their time and expertise to give back to their families and communities. Having served as a member on numerous charter school boards, I...
Helping Ensure Educational Success During the Covid-19 Era
Last week, I had the honor of serving as a panelist for the African Leadership Group’s (ALG) 5th Annual Afrik Impact Educational Forum. The forum had a fitting theme that has been the topic of conversation in both my personal life and professional life: "Defining the...
Getting Back on the Horse
So, this happened last week! This photo is of my 15-year-old daughter who was in a horse show. First and fortunately, she is absolutely fine! Ultimately, she had 5 falls during the course of the show, which is highly unusual. This was the first time she was showing...
Charter Reauthorization during COVID-19
COVID-19 has brought new challenges to most every aspect of life, and public education has not been spared. Schools have had to quickly adapt to their changing circumstances, whether due to restriction of in-person learning or the anticipated impacts to funding....
Celebrating Our Teachers
It’s hard to remember a time when we have been more grateful for educators! This pandemic has turned our education system upside down. It has also given us the chance to witness how innovative, creative, and dedicated our teachers are! We have asked so much of them,...
Embracing the Challenge
As many people have remarked, the last month seems more like six months. So much has happened and we have had to adjust to a radically new way of living and educating our students. Our lives are often full of conflicting experiences as well as the interpretations of...
CSI Enrollment Highlights from the 2019 October Count
With data from the 2019 October Count released by the state a little over a month ago, CSI’s Evaluation and Assessment team got to work digging, slicing, and dicing the data. The analysis allows CSI to get a better grasp on how we’re performing as a portfolio over...
Model Authorizing: Sharing Best Practices
When CSI was created 15 years ago, it was the intent of the General Assembly that CSI “model best practices in authorizing charter schools and make those practices available to school districts.” (C.R.S. 22-30.5-503). CSI has taken this call to model authorizing...
Guest Blog: Ryan Marks on Model-Specific Measures
This guest blog post was written by Ryan Marks, CSI Director of Evaluation and Assessment. Ryan has been with CSI since 2014, working in various roles. He currently oversees all state assessments, student performance analysis, and academic evaluation. Prior to working...
Celebrating School Choice
This week marks National School Choice Week. Here in Colorado, Governor Polis has officially proclaimed this week Colorado School Choice Week. What is School Choice All About? School choice means that families have access to educational options that best meet their...
Our Why
At the turn of the year, a common tradition for so many is reflecting on the highlights of the year and crafting New Year’s Resolutions. This past year, CSI as an organization experienced many successes and challenges: We saw another year of increased service to our...
Reminders for this Holiday Season
I’m not sure about you, but I’m feeling the hustle and bustle of this wonderful, beautiful, yet stressful time of year. The holiday season is full of joy, celebrations, excitement, family and traditions. It can also be just as filled with challenges and stresses. No...
Celebrating Excellence: CSI Charter School Performance
This past week, the CSI Board of Directors approved the charter school performance ratings for our schools. These performance ratings, known as accreditation ratings, are established through the CSI Annual Review of Schools (CARS). CARS is the annual performance...
Principles over Performance Ratings
With preliminary district and school performance framework ratings having been released by the state earlier this fall, the past month has been the time for districts and schools to review their performance against state expectations. It has also been the time for...
Practicing Gratitude
November is the month that our schools focus on teaching the importance of practicing gratitude. Walk the halls of any school and you will see bulletin boards full of student work. Handprint turkeys, colors of fall foliage, and expressions of gratitude are commonplace...
CARS: Looking Under the Hood
Fall is in the air. For CSI schools, that means the coming of Thanksgiving break, and potentially a change in quarter or trimester. It also means the release of our CARS Reports! For those unfamiliar, CARS stands for the CSI Annual Review of Schools. It is the annual...
NACSA Conference Takeaways
The CSI team returned from our annual trek to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers NACSA Conference feeling energized. We feel privileged to work alongside so many professionals that are committed to high-quality authorizing and charter schools. So...
Estimating Enrollment
Estimating Enrollment October Count has come and gone. Schools and districts across the state are working to validate data and finalize numbers before submitting data to the state. Our Data Submissions Team is working closely with school staff in this process...
Happy Keith King Day!
Educating Students with Disabilities
Educating Students with Disabilities Last week, the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools and the Center on Reinventing Public Education released Seizing the Opportunity: Educating Students with Disabilities in Charter Schools, a report...
Is School Choice the Black Choice?
Is School Choice the Black Choice? As an organization whose mission is to foster high-quality school options across the state, CSI welcomes opportunities to partner with organizations in advancing the conversation around school choice. We are excited to have...
Sharing Our Experiences and Expertise
Sharing Our Experiences and Expertise The coming of October means that fall is fully upon us, football is back on TV, and the holidays are just around the corner. For us at CSI, it also means that we are closer to the annual National Association of Charter...
What is this thing called “Model Authorizing”?
What is this thing called “Model Authorizing”? Last year, I wrote a blog post describing what charter school authorizing is. It is such a foreign concept to so many in the public education sector, and can be for those in the charter sector. (Don’t worry—we’re...
Supporting our Gifted Children
Supporting our Gifted Children One of CSI’s priorities is to ensure access and equity for all students across our schools. When folks typically hear this priority, they usually think of supports around students with disabilities, English Learners, and economically...
Takeaways from the First Ever Equity Convening
As I have shared in previous blog posts, at the heart of CSI’s mission is a focus on high-quality options for all students, with a particular focus on at-risk kids. As an organization, CSI continues to actively prioritize service to and outcomes for at-risk students...
The Challenges of Rural Chartering
Earlier this summer I participated on a panel at the National Charter Schools Conference put on by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools to advance the conversation on improving the climate for charter schools in rural communities. With me on the panel was...
Diving into Access and Equity in Special Education
The Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) is committed to the creation and success of high-quality charter public schools that meet the needs of their communities, particularly those serving at-risk populations and working to close the achievement gap. CSI...
Celebrating CSI’s 15th Anniversary
The Colorado Charter School Institute Act was signed into law 15 years ago this summer. The Act established a statewide charter authorizer with a mission to foster high-quality school options with a particular focus on service to at-risk students. In preparation for...
School Safety
School safety is a topic that is on the forefront of everyone’s minds, especially after the recent threat in the Denver metro area and the tragic incident at the STEM school in Highlands Ranch. It is an unfortunate reality that the threats within schools are dangerous...
National Charter Schools Week
May 12-18, 2019 is National Charter Schools Week and this year’s theme is: Charter Schools Are… because each charter school is unique and we all have our own definition of what charter schools mean to us. Charter Schools Are… The open-ended nature of the theme...
Teacher Appreciation Week
“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. It might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” John Steinbeck As a parent, I have seen the amazing...
2019 Legislative Session Recap
As this year’s legislative session comes to an end, I am relieved that we made it out relatively unscathed (and actually, with some important wins). Here’s a recap of legislation and decisions directly impacting CSI: Session kicked off with a bill seeking to strip CSI...
Compelling & Creative School Leadership
As James MacGregor Burns writes, “One of the most universal cravings of our time is a hunger for compelling and creative leadership.” This is true in all aspects of our lives, from the expectations we hold for the legislators who represent us to those who lead our...
Recent Findings on Curriculum and Student Achievement
Does curriculum matter? Maybe not as much as previously thought, according to a recent study released by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. The study, which looked at student achievement data in six states across three school years and...
The Fight Continues
The Fight Continues Background on the Mill Levy Override Inequity Students attending district schools—traditional public schools, innovation schools, and district authorized charter public schools—have access to over 50 percent more public funding from Mill Levy...
Guest Post: Ryan Marks on Accountability
This post was written by Ryan Marks, CSI Director of Evaluation and Assessment. While the CSI Annual Review of Schools (CARS) currently serves as a model for other charter school authorizers in Colorado, CSI is interested in spurring continued innovation across...
CSI at the Colorado League of Charter Schools Conference
One of the many events that charter school staff, leaders, and boards look forward to is the Colorado League of Charter Schools Annual Conference. For those unfamiliar with the Colorado League of Charter Schools, it is a statewide membership organization dedicated to...
School Board Recognition Month
January is School Board Recognition month, and while the month is coming to an end, I wanted to be sure to take the time to recognize our many volunteer charter school board members for engaging in this critically important work. Charter School Accountability School...
School Choice – It’s about the right fit!
National School Choice Week is a weeklong event which exists to highlight the importance of school options, including magnet schools, private schools, online schools, and charter schools. As a charter school authorizer, it’s no surprise that I believe in the charter...
Navigating the World of Special Education
By the time my fourth child reached elementary school and after many years as a principal, I was much more prepared to identify the diverse learning needs of my own children and how to navigate the world of special education. Most parents are confused and overwhelmed...
The Educators Holiday Season
Well, here we are – yes, it’s the holiday season, but by the end of the month we’ll be halfway through the school year. How can that be possible? This month will be filled with classroom celebrations and plays, finishing up the second-quarter, and for some schools,...
Post-Election Reflection
Now that we have processed the results of the elections, it’s time to get to work. In Colorado, we will have many new legislators in January and, importantly, a new Governor. For those of us working in or supporting charter schools, we are excited about Governor elect...
NACSA’s Annual Conference – Takeaways from Orlando
Last week many of the CSI staff traveled to Orlando for the National Association of Charter School Authorizers Leadership Conference. This annual event is something we all look forward to as it gives us the opportunity to meet and network with charter school...
So what is this thing called a “charter authorizer”?
So I’m sitting in the dentist chair and the hygienist asks “What kind of work you do?” The first thing I think is that this is not going to be easy to explain, so I start with some simple statement: “I work in education.” The conversation continues. “Oh, so you’re a...
Caring for the Mental Health of our Students
Last week marked another week of tragedy in Colorado schools with the two suicides at Arapahoe High School. Last month, Denver School of the Arts also lost a student, and goodness knows how many other schools in Colorado have experienced tragedy since the beginning of...
Enrollment Wars
Now that we’re at the end of September, many school leaders focus on the impending Pupil Count Day, which takes place on October 3rd this year. This is a critical day for public schools, especially charter public schools, since the vast majority of a charter school’s...
Welcome to Terry’s Blog!
I am Terry Croy Lewis, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Colorado Charter School Institute. I have worked in the charter sector for over 20 years as a founder, school leader, consultant, and governing board member. I will be regularly posting on topics ranging from...