Application of Library Service Charter in Quality Service Delivery in University Libraries

Purpose was to assess the application of library service charter in quality service delivery in university libraries with reference to the University of Nairobi Library in Kenya, and propose measures to ensure successful implementation and management of the practice. Objectives of the study were to: examine the extent of the library service charter in quality service delivery in the library, establish levels of library staff awareness, perception and responsiveness to information service delivery, assess the actualization of the matrices of the library service charter for quality improvements, establish the challenges experienced by the library in realising the commitments of the service delivery charter, and propose measures to be undertaken to ensure successful actualization of the library service charter. Mixed research methods of qualitative and quantitative design were applied in the research. The library service charter played critical role in delivery of services to the information customers, significantly enhanced information management through professionalism, staff performance, teamwork and timely feedback. The challenges experienced in implementing the service charter included low work motivation, increased workload, complexity in understanding the provisions of the charter, bureaucracy, institutional weakness, targets set inhibits performance and inadequate facilitation. There is need for elaborated information fluency programme to equip the library staff with adequate knowledge and skills on all matrices of the practice. In addition, the library should plan for capacity building, provide enough copies of the service charter to patrons, and monitor and evaluate the service charter for continuous improvement of service delivery

A Critical Analysis of the Conceptualization and Implementation of Citizens’ Charters: Case Studies from UK, India, South Africa and Ethiopia

Citizens’ quest for efficient and effective public service delivery, the economic and fiscal pressures in the 1970s and early 80s and the revival of new right politics necessitated to change the way public sector was functioning in western countries. Management ideas were proliferated, packaged and marketed by international management consultants, donor advocacy and lending conditions of international financial institution. Citizens’ Charter (CC) approach to service delivery is one of the systems introduced to ensure quality service to citizens and foster transparency and accountable among service providers. Recently, Ethiopia introduced the charter approach to public service delivery, but needs much to learn from countries like UK, India and South Africa who have a cumulative experience in the area. This study aims to critically analyse the conceptualization and implementation of Citizens’ Charter. It also provides case study analyses of United Kingdom, India, South Africa and lesson drawn for Ethiopia. Accordingly, the challenges are conceptual, bad record track and pick-drop culture of reform tools, the top-down approach or lack of adequate consultation of stakeholders and lack of implementation capacity. Keywords: Citizens’ Charter, Transparency, Accountability, Service Delivery, Ethiopi

Charter School Governance: An Exploration of Autonomy and Board Effectiveness

Despite the increased numbers of charter schools each year, we understand very little about their governing boards. According to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation (2004) factors that correlate with charter school success such as accountability, public support, and institutional capacity to progress toward established goals are typically under the management of a charter school governing board. While there is no shortage of governance recommendations for charter schools, there are few empirically validated prescriptions. There are empirically validated characteristics of successful Non-Profit Organization (NPO) governing boards (Herman & Renz, 2008). The methodology for this research was designed to determine if governance practices of successful NPO governing boards impact charter school outcomes. A charter school’s governing board has tremendous power. A governing board can help optimize the educational outcomes of the school it serves. The theoretical framework that supports this research involves institutional theory; schools are open systems. Schools are impacted by external factors that may advance or challenge institutional goals. The Board Effectiveness Quick Check is a valid and reliable governance survey that can provide a small non-profit governing board with information about their quality of governance, areas of strength, and areas in need of improvement. This study analyzed the relationship between charter school governance and student progress on the Board Effectiveness Quick Check scores between two groups of schools: schools whose student growth exceeds the district average and schools whose student growth falls below the district average. The results from this study provide evidence that there is a correlation and a moderate effect size between governance practices and student academic growth

Understanding Charter School Governance: A Case Study of a Conversion Charter School Board of Directors

The charter school movement has been at the forefront of educational reform since the 1990s. The majority of charter school research has focused on academic achievement and issues of access, equity, and funding. Less attention has focused on charter school governance, yet evidence suggests that governance challenges represent a significant impediment to the long-term sustainability of this movement. This qualitative case study examined the operations of a board of directors in a conversion charter school. The study included observations of monthly board of directors meetings over a 16-month period (February 2008–June 2009), interviews with members of the board of directors and representatives from other key internal and external constituent groups, and document analysis of official charter school materials, including minutes, agendas, and historical documents. The period proved to be a turbulent one, with the resignation of the founding executive director, a failed search for her replacement, the dissolution of the university partnership, and the resignation of nearly half the board at the end of the period. The findings reveal three tensions at the heart of the conversion charter school governance structure—governance v management, transparency v confidentiality, and representation v trusteeship. Exploration of these tensions, and the ways they manifested themselves during the 16-month period, suggest several areas for continuing focus for both charter school researchers and practitioners: building the leadership capacity of boards and executive directors; analyzing Sunshine Laws, such as the Brown Act, with an eye toward helping boards more effectively manage these complex requirements; and finding ways to proactively and more effectively manage partnerships, particularly university partnerships

Charter School Replication: Growing a Quality Charter School Sector

NACSA's Policy Guide series is intended to support state legislatures and charter school advocates in creating policy environments that result in high quality authorizing and high quality schools. This guide outlines key considerations for policymakers committed to supporting the replication of existing successful charter school models

The Promise of Citywide Charter Strategies

Charter school enrollment is on the rise in many urban areas. In fact, 56% of all public charter schools are located in urban areas, and 10 of our nation's largest school districts now have 20,000 students enrolled in public charter schools. With this growth in the charter movement, there is an increasing need for local infrastructure support through technical services, advocacy, and coordination. This report examines the potential for citywide charter strategies as a key leverage point for increasing charter school quality

Performance Management in Portfolio School Districts

Explores the challenges of performance-based oversight of portfolio districts -- districts trying to provide diverse types of schools with common standards and accountability -- and the capacities needed. Includes profiles and best practices

Working Together to Manage Enrollment: Key Governance and Operations Decisions

Common enrollment systems designed to manage student enrollment across district and charter sectors introduce a host of governance challenges. City charter and district leaders realize the importance of cross-sector representation when deciding policies related to enrollment, such as the number of choices families should list or whether some students will have enrollment priority over others. The question of who will administer the enrollment process once these policy decisions are made can be highly controversial. Cities that don't attend to these management questions early on risk major political fights that can stall or derail progress on the effort. There is little precedence, nor is there a ready-made legal framework, for coordinating enrollment across sectors; how these systems will be governed and operated must instead be resolved through the collaboration of agencies, many of which have histories of competition, mistrust, and hostility. In this issue brief, we draw from a series of interviews with local education leaders in Denver, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C., focusing on the governance issues that emerged as these three jurisdictions sought a cross-sector common enrollment system.While some urban school systems have long had enrollment processes to manage choice for schools under their control, the expansion of charter schools presents a different and more complicated challenge for both parents and administrators. In many places, students no longer have a single "home district" in the traditional sense. Instead, they can now choose to enroll in the local school district or one of the city's charter schools. State charter laws give charter schools -- whether they are an independent local education agency or not -- authority over their enrollment processes; a charter school must conduct its process in a manner consistent with the law, typically a random lottery. As charter schools grow in number, so does the number of separate enrollment systems operating across individual cities. In Denver, for example, a 2010 report showed that 60 separate enrollment systems operated in the city at the same time. Similar situations occurred in New Orleans and D.C. As individual selection processes grew to unmanageable levels in these cities, education and community leaders sought ways to rationalize and centralize student placement across an increasing number of school choice

Florida Charter Schools: Hot and Humid with Passing Storms

This report examines the history of Florida's charter school initiative, results to date, and areas where the state can improve

2015 State Legislative Session Highlights for Public Charter Schools

2015 has proved to be another successful year for public charter school legislation across the country. Some of the biggest developments of the 2015 state legislative sessions include:Alabama became the 43rd state to enact a public charter school law.Connecticut defeated a proposed two-year moratorium on opening of new charter schools.Indiana increased school autonomy, strengthened school and authorizer accountability, and funded facilities and finance programs.Nevada improved funding opportunities and modified its automatic closure requirements for low-performing public charter schools.New York increased flexibility for teacher certification and adjusted its cap to allow more public charter school growth in New York City.Ohio increased per-pupil funding for charter facilities and expanded the ability of traditional districts to levy taxes for charter schools that are sponsored by "exemplary" sponsors.Oklahoma overhauled law, including provisions to allow charter schools statewide, strengthening school and authorizer accountability, and allowing charter schools to borrow money.Wisconsin overhauled its law to allow more entities to authorize independent public charter schools, strengthening school and authorizer accountability, and providing additional funding to independent public charter schools