Visit to the District of Columbia's Charter Schools

An American Youth Policy Forum Field Trip — May 17, 1999

Charter schools, unbound by school system bureaucracy, are learning to experiment with curriculum, staffing and programs. They have a unique opportunity to create learning environments for children who have not done well in traditional public schools and try new programs responsive to community needs and interests. A group of 14 Washington policymakers made an excursion to five of the District of Columbia’s charter schools to get a close look at this new movement that provides greater choice in publicly supported education. All schools visited opened as charter schools in 1998; however, Options Public Charter School was contracted earlier by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the Washington Math Science Technology Public Charter High School was previously an Academy within a District high school.

Community Academy Public Charter School

The first school visited was The Community Academy Public Charter in Northwest, DC, with Fonda Sutton, the school’s director and Kent Amos, founder of The Urban Family Institute and driving force behind the Academy. Amos gave the philosophical background for the school’s creation, which comes from his experience with the violence and crime that claimed the lives of several of the children who he has mentored and taken into his family. Amos is committed to "creating a world where children plan for college, not for funerals." In his charter school, children are respected for their abilities, helped with special needs and encouraged to achieve. According to Amos, the school has to look at the substantive difference between how they educate a child and how they prepare him/her to be a citizen in their community.

The Community Academy is a neighborhood-based, multiple campus charter that offers primary through secondary education. Next year they will add another site in another location within the city. Currently a Pre K-7 grade school, the Academy is preparing to accept classes of students that will bring enrollment to 4,000, up to grade twelve. A nine-member board of community members monitors the school. The school seeks to offer children a ‘nurturing village’ experience by including social services and education to family members. Sponsors of the Academy hope to create a neighborhood in which "families have the resources necessary to realize their potential, individually and collectively." This goal, they believe will best allow a child to reach his/her full potential and become a responsible adult who actively pursues lifelong learning opportunities.

Children come from all over the city to begin their day at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast, if needed. Sixty-five percent of enrolled students are free or reduced lunch eligible. There are 15 classrooms with up to 23 students in each class. Seventeen students out of the 350 students enrolled have been identified as having special needs. Parents are expected to be part of the school and are invited to help in school activities and a parent involvement program has been put in place that asks parents to serve eight hours per month. A $25 fee is paid by parents for the afterschool program, Kids House, that is an extention of the instructional day. The program’s curriculum includes four modules containing three themes that lay the foundation for teachers to create one year of interdisciplinary education. Theme topics include: Hurray for the USA, Space is the Place, Caring for Our Community, and Sights and Sounds. The Academy makes a special effort to work with fathers who are incarcerated. Family days are created to allow fathers to practice teaching techniques with their children. Some of those fathers who have been released from incarceration are now volunteering with the school. The school has a strong focus on literacy in the curriculum, maintaining a reading program that asks students to read a minimum of 25 books per year. Parents are asked to work with their children to track progress in a reading log.

Professional development for teachers, especially in the area of standards and assessments, is a high priority at the Academy. Teachers must participate in four weeks of professional development per year. Their training is broken down into half a day per month and two weeks during the summer. Teachers are trained to use a standards-driven curriculum. The curriculum is based on the New Standards Performance Standards from the National Center on Education and the Economy. The Academy uses two assessments. They follow the rest of the District’s schools with the SAT9 in April and also administer the New Standards Reference Exam, which is also tied to the standards. Teachers are asked to volunteer once a week as tutors.

Options Public Charter School

Options Public Charter School is the District's first charter school and operates under the sponsorship of the Capital Children's Museum. The school is run by Catherine Martens, president of the Children’s Museum and Linda McKay, principal. The school provides 100 of the District’s most at-risk students, in grades 5,6,7 and 8, with an alternative learning experience. The school's philosophy is to give students tools and resources to make responsible choices. Options is in its tenth year of existence; in the past it was contracted by the District of Columbia Public Schools to serve some of the District’s most at-risk students. The school is located on the fourth floor of the Children’s Museum and is a subsidiary non-profit of the Museum. Students are mainly from African-American, single-family homes that have been exposed to violence and poverty. A majority of the students at the school are diagnosed with special needs.

Academic goals for students include: improving critical thinking and problem solving skills in math, science, reading, English and geography. Attention is also given to the media and performing arts and technology. Students compile their best works for inclusion in portfolios. The school puts top priority on improving scores on standardized tests and instilling self-directed motivation for learning. Reaching beyond academics, the school’s goals are to create a safe, protective and nurturing environment that facilitates learning and opens the door for family involvement. Options hopes to increase students’ self-respect and respect for others, improve attendance, study skills, classroom behavior, and the ability to make responsible choices.

Options has developed educational partnerships and projects with business and government. In 1996, the United States General Services Administration (GSA) adopted the school and donated 14 computers. The GSA also initiated a program called Spend Time with America’s Youth (STAY) that provides mentors for the students. In 1998, the Children’s Museum, Options’ home, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) formed a partnership that asked students to study the "human impact" that people have had on the earth’s ecosystem and weather patterns. Results of the children’s studies were culminated into a video that was broadcast in early 1999. In 1999, Options’ students benefited from a partnership between America On-Line (AOL) and the Children’s Museum. AOL enhanced Options’ computer lab by integrating the Museum and Options School into one network and providing a T1 line for high-speed Internet access. Through their affiliation and proximity to the Children’s Museum, Options’ students benefit from exposure to the Museum’s Media Arts Facility, ranked as one of the top five of its kind in the United States by Disney Magazine. At the Arts Facility, students study animation, claymation, video production, web page design and the Internet.

SEED Public Charter School

The School for Educational Evolution and Development (SEED) Public Charter School is also located on the campus of the Children’s Museum. SEED is the nation’s first inner-city public charter boarding school. It provides a nurturing environment, strong role models and a rigorous academic program for boys and girls. The school is home to 39 seventh graders and is gearing up to accept 300 students as it adds grades 8 through 12. SEED’s first class of students included eight youngsters with special needs and two National Merit scholars.

Students live in a newly renovated dormitory where they are provided with meals, clothing and basic health care services. They receive 24-hour adult supervision and leadership from a team of Residential Advisors who also live in the dorms. On weekends students stay at the school and participate in field trips, cultural events and community service activities. Parents are invited to SEED and are asked to participate in extracurricular activities with their children. Students are also allowed to leave the campus on weekends to attend religious services and for occasional visits home. Both parents and students must sign an agreement to come to the school. Dr. Thomas Stewart, the founding executive director says that the school is not for everyone. The agreement is signed by students who believe that the type of educational environment that SEED provides is right for them.

SEED, like the Community Academy, has an academic program that strives to enable all students to succeed to their full potential. The curriculum is a traditional one of English, math and science with "enrichment courses" in life skills training, computer skills and public service. Other benefits include small class size (14 students to every teacher), an extended school day that includes 24 hours of adult attention, if needed, and individual and group tutoring sessions. Students develop leadership skills through participation in community service, athletics, student government and mentoring programs. Currently, the operating costs for each student is $39,000. Approximately $14,000 of the cost comes from Foundation grants, i.e., Cafritz, Arcana, the Walton Family and District public funds. Parents pay a nominal fee.

Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy

The Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy is managed by founding director, Irasema Salcido. The school is located at the Waterside Mall in southwest Washington in an adapted Environmental Protection Agency office space and shares a floor with the Washington Mathematics, Science, Technology Public Charter School. Both schools are inside a charter school incubator sponsored by the AppleTree Institute for Educational Innovation and are seeking a permanent residence. AppleTree helps with funding and offers technical assistance to new charter schools to provide them with a good foundation. The Cesar Chavez School’s mission is to draw on the public policy resources in the nation’s capital as a support to their rigorous curriculum that promotes citizenship and prepares students to excel in postsecondary education and life. The school opened with a class of 60 ninth graders and will add a grade each year. At full capacity, the school will serve 240 students in grades nine through twelve.

Expectations are high for all students at Cesar Chavez. Students and families understand that the workload will be heavy and required classes may be scheduled on Saturdays and in the afternoons during the week. The curriculum is an adaptation of the Modern Red School House curriculum. Knowledge acquisition and skill development are stressed in mathematics, science, English, geography, history, art, foreign language, health and physical education. Some advanced placement classes are available. A public policy theme runs through the curriculum, and is the focus of a field internship and a thesis paper to be completed by each senior before graduation. Students learn through lecture, debates, discussions, seminars and interdisciplinary projects on public policy. Technology is used in the classroom to help facilitate some class projects. Students are assessed by their completion of interdisciplinary units of study and end-of-course exams. Upon graduation, students will have a portfolio demonstrating their development in reading, writing, speaking, analytical skills, and an evaluation of their public policy knowledge gained during their internship. In order to graduate: students must complete end-of-course exams in five subjects, score ‘proficient’ on the SAT 9 test, write a research paper on a policy issue, present a speech on an important issue, compose a piece of art, music or drama, converse in a second language, and run two miles or an equivalent physical activity.

Cesar Chavez has partnerships with universities, government agencies, public policy and grass roots organizations. These partnerships allow the school to gain access and assistance in curriculum development, materials, lectures, workshops, recruiting mentors, tutors, volunteers, and internship and research opportunities for students. Students have the opportunity to meet some of the District of Columbia’s prominent leaders and to attend some U.S. House of Representative Committee hearings on Capitol Hill.

Washington Math Science Technology Public Charter High School

The Washington Math Science Technology Public Charter High School (WMST) is managed by founding director, Dr. Mary Johnson. The school’s mission is to offer a rigorous, standards-based, college preparatory education for youth interested in math, science and technology. The school’s vision supports certification of mastery rather than a diploma that rewards seat time. The school’s Board works closely with the principal, faculty and outside advisors to successfully implement the school’s business plan. Funding for the charter school comes from the District and private corporations. Funding was provided by The Washington Post to provide the school’s journalism lab with a scanner, iMac computer, laser printer and power Macintosh G-3 computer with a 23-inch screen monitor. In the journalism lab students publish a monthly newspaper called The Observer.

To support a student body that generally does not perform at grade level in reading, math or science, the school’s leadership has created a community partnership program to develop a full range of human, financial, material and in-kind resources to help in the following areas:

Human resources:

• Tutors, mentors, teacher partners, substitute teachers
• Speakers for classrooms, staff, parents and career days
• Special career development including requests from businesses, career exploration, mock interviews, field trips, internships, summer jobs
• Computer Assistants, programming assistants, class monitors, teacher training
• On loan staff

Financial resources:

• General operating funds
• Capital funds
• Extra curricular activities
• Student incentives, scholarships and other rewards

Material resources;

• School/office equipment
• Science equipment and supplies
• Technology

In-Kind resources

• Use of auditorium
• Transportation
• Recreation facilities
• Health services

The Washington Charter School serves ninth and tenth grades and is preparing to include grades 11 and 12. Their curriculum is from a standards and research-based Modern Red School House whole school design model. The graduating class, in 2002, will be expected to pass a high-stakes exit exam to receive their certificates of mastery, a super-charged diploma. Currently, student enrollment is around 208 students and is expected to grow to over 400 in three years. By hiring energetic and dedicated teachers, partnering with local business and maintaining community connections, the WMST school hopes to create an environment that challenges and inspires the minds of young people to prepare themselves for future challenging education opportunities at the university level.

Conclusion and Comments from Trip Participants

Charter schools are free to explore curriculum innovations; create a family environment among faculty, parents and students; allow teachers to try innovative teaching strategies; and connect with the community and businesses. Teachers have the opportunity to work with smaller classes of students within a smaller school. The District of Columbia Public Schools allows its teachers up to two years of time away to teach at the charter schools, and a number of teachers are choosing this option. Regardless of its successes, this new movement is in the middle of a critical growth period. The start-up process of running a school is challenging for many school leaders as fundraising becomes an integral part of their existence. Schools are finding that their freedom is tied to handling more and more responsibilities with less resources. Are these reflections of early problems felt by traditionally run public schools? Charter schools are a fresh, new movement, filled with enthusiastic supporters, but budget and facility issues, in many cases, need to be resolved so that these schools can concentrate their time, talent, people and money on educating students. The challenge is to stay fresh, continuously educate and challenge their staff, and maintain the spirit that persuaded them to become charter schools. Like fast Clipper Ships, they try to excel quickly past the slow moving public school system, attracting the attention of parents. We can hope these schools remember the reasons they came into existence and not overburden themselves with the bureaucracy that has strangled many public school systems.

Comments from trip participants

"I was impressed and intrigued by several of the schools, particularly the SEED Public Charter School and the Community Academy Public Charter School, for different reasons. SEED seemed to show how creative one could become within the charter law framework -- e.g., the small size, residential component, and attributes of the teaching staff. The Community Academy Public Charter appeared to be much more mainstream in its academic elements and organization, but showed its creativity through its focus on the whole child and his or her family. It may be harder for Community to carry out its mission if it grows too large, although the creation of various campuses would help."

"It may be a small thing and I am probably making more of it than it deserves, but at Community, even as our large group blocked hallways and doorways, the students invariably either waited for us to move or said "excuse me" as they moved past. Granted this is easier to achieve with younger children, but having worked with first and second graders in a church environment, I recognize this is hard to do even with young children. I did not take that to be a sign that the children were intimidated by adults, but, rather, were used to functioning in a civil environment where respect was shown. That is an important accomplishment."

"From a policy perspective, the most important element of the visits was the concluding session at Cesar Chavez and the Washington Math and Science Charter where the relationship of the DC public schools to the charters was discussed. This was a very revealing session that merits further exploration. It would be nice to somehow see if DCPS can counter the impression left by that session."

"It was a well organized trip, although fewer schools and more time to interact with students and staff would have been helpful. It will certainly be a source of information that I will mine in the future."

"Seed and Community were the two charter schools that seemed to really have the charter notion embraced. The other three should really be magnet schools. The offerings at those three could be magnet schools and if DCPS had the ability to support magnets then it could work, but what you have in those three is magnets with charters because the staff have a core dislike for the DCPS. Seed and Community have a broader vision and a need for a charter, and they seem to be using it wisely."

"Three schools made a distinct impression on me. First, I thought [the] Community Academy was a very interesting school, not because it looked so different from other public schools, but because of the dedication of its leader, Kent Amos (and the teachers and administrators' dedication as well). I was also impressed with the Kids' House curriculum as well. The SEED school was also impressive. Their goals are ambitious, but again they seem to have a good team. Options did not make as good an impression on me. Granted, this is an impression based on a brief visit, however, it seemed like the school was still muddling through how it would manage a highly demanding curriculum

(project-based and expeditionary learning are very labor and time intensive) as well as manage the various social needs that the kids have. I didn't get the sense that the school had worked out how it would address the kids' need for learning basic academic and social skills with an integrated, project-based curriculum."

"I was impressed with how articulate and polite the kids at SEED were (that is, the ones we met. It's hard to say what the other ones are like.)"

"[I enjoyed] talking to the kids at Cesar Chavez and SEED. It was great to hear their impressions of the schools."

"Having conducted a study of the first year of charter schools in NJ, I now have a basis for comparison. It helped reinforce what I had learned before about the difficulties associated with starting a charter school. Seeing these schools also gave me some great insights into what factors I would look for in any future work I did with charter schools."

"I think I was most struck by SEED, probably because the concept of a public boarding school for inner city kids is such an unusual one. I was also struck by the commitment to the idea of all parties -- the principal, teacher, and students."

"I think we observed the most classroom settings in Options and I was actually the least impressed by that school. The structure seemed very chaotic and the students didn't seem all that engaged by their teachers."

"On a more positive note, although I didn't any SEED classrooms in operation, the teachers, principal, and students at that school seemed really plugged into the idea behind that charter and really seemed dedicated to making the idea work."

"I was inspired by hearing Kent Amos at the Children's Academy Charter School. It was inspirational to hear someone who made it in the business world "give back" to the community in which he grew up. His commitment to children and his holistic approach to education seem like they could really make a difference in the lives of DC students."

I also found it meaningful and worthwhile to talk with other field trip participants; I really enjoyed the company of people in attendance and felt like I made some meaningful contacts for my work at SRI. This field trip will (and actually, already has) help with the work I do at SRI. I really couldn't be happier with how the day went!!!"

Contact Information

Fonda Sutton
Director
The Community Academy Public Charter School
1300 Allison Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011
202-234-5437, 202-723-6867 fax
www.ufi.org

Catherine Martens
President
Options Public Charter School
800 3rd Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-675-4127, 202-675-4140 fax

Thomas Stewart
Executive Director
SEED Public Charter School
Children's Museum
800 3rd Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-547-5651, 202-647-6295 fax

Irasema Salcido
Founder
Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School
1346 Florida Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-387-6980, 202-387-7808 fax

Dr. Mary Johnson (Darnel Bethel is current Director)
Founder
Washington Mathematics, Science, Technology Public Charter High School
Waterside Mall
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024
202-488-1996, 202-488-1997 fax

Jack McCarthy
Managing Director
AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation
400 7th Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
202-488-3990, 202-488-3991
JMcCarthy@Appletreeinstitute.org
www.appletreeinstitute.org

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