Moved the Blog

I've transferred the blog to our website...so keep up with it over there.

www.aberdoveyschool.org

On the Cusp

Another thing to mention...the more I research, the more I realize that charter schools are really on the cusp of exploding into a common market.  With all of the discussions that have taken place around the elections, charter schools are being targeted as a point of interest.  I am certainly interested to see what our officials have in store for the educational system and many are point to charter schools as a great alternative.

I think that as the US education system is looked at, people are realizing that we need to do something to increase success.  The No Child Left Behind Act attempted to address this, but it left many challenges still standing.  I think that the option of a charter school gives parents the ability to make informed decisions about how their children learn.  Not all kids do well in the traditional environment and charters give a vast number of choices.

More prospects.

I had the opportunity to talk with several amazing women this weekend and a couple of them sounded interested in helping with the school.  One is certain that this is something she would like to be a part of.  It's great because not only does she have a teaching credential, she has legal experience.  She has expressed a desire to be on the board.  I think she would be a great asset to our team.

I talked with two current public school teachers.  It was interesting to hear their perspectives. One was confused as to why I would want to talk with her, as she is not going to teach at a charter (I think she mentioned a bad experience at a charter).  I really hope that she doesn't generalize her experience to that of all charters...they are all very different.  She did ask about STIRS (?), the public employee retirement fund for California and whether or not our charter would be participating.  I honestly had not thought about this topic, but it is nice to hear what public teachers are looking for when they consider teaching at a charter school.

The other public school teacher seemed more interested in helping out.  She had some good questions as well, about salary comparisons and benefits - two more topics to consider.  She seemed much more willing to help out with her connections.  She is a member of a prestigious group of teachers and felt like her connections might lead me to many educators interested in helping with the school.

It is so great to talk with other people.  Granted, this weekend was a social event so we kept our conversations to a minimum, but still...good stuff!  I can feel the team coming together.

Thoughts on Administration

When the guys at CCSA mentioned that I would be the Executive Director, I was shocked.  I have no experience in administration and while I think it is important to have a teacher's perspective when in administration, I think that you also need to have an administrator's perspective.  So...I've been working on a mental list of the qualities that I have seen and admired in my administrators (and the qualities that I could do without).  Granted I get that administrators will NEVER be able to please everyone at the same time, but I figure I should at least start thinking about it.

Here are a couple of thoughts (incomplete to say the least)...

Great administrators...

  Spend time in the classroom - both observing and participating.

  Provide continual feedback to teachers from a mentoring perspective.

  Make themselves available to parents, students, and teachers alike.

  ALWAYS back their teachers in front of parents (kind of like parents do in front of kids).

  Have high expectations for their staff and students.

  Make a habit of publicly recognizing effort - with students, staff, and parents.

  Have concise and organized weekly staff meetings.

  Ask staff for input on professional development and scheduling needs.

  Foster an environment of mutual respect between staff, students, and parents.

  Communicate with parents on a weekly basis - through email, newsletter, coffee meetings.

PLEASE feel free to add other things that you have noticed about your administrators.  I'm focusing on the positive things at the moment, but I am mentally creating the opposite list as well.  I would love input from the community at large...parents, teachers, students...

Slowly but surely

I am working on building a team.  I have little in the way of flexibility to get out and about town without a vehicle, but I am drawing on my other networking skills...the internet and phone.

I have talked with two women now who are interested in helping.  To what degree, I'm not sure.  And then there is another friend of a friend who has voiced an interest.  Interest is good.  But what I'm going to need to find is commitment.  I need people who will step up and say, "Yes, this is a GREAT idea and I am willing to give my time to make it happen."

The woman I was going to meet with today had to reschedule due to an illness.  I hope that we can get together this week.  I would like to give her a task or two to work on.  I may just give her a call and chat instead of wait for the face to face.

Meeting with CCSA

I had an informal meeting with the General Manager and Assistant General Manager for Riverside County Region California Charter School Association (mouth full, eh?).  We talked for about an hour about where I am at in the process, how the Charter Launch program could help me, and what I need to work on next.

Bottom line is...I need a TEAM.  I need to network until I come up with 3 or 4 like-minded individuals who believe enough in this charter school to dedicate their time and energy to its creation.  Where will these people come from?  I'm not sure.  I am new enough to the area that I don't have much in the way of connections, but I will talk with everyone I know.

My team needs to include people with experience in governance, education, finances, administration, and real estate...to name a few suggestions.  I want to create a team that comes from diverse backgrounds in this community, but who are able to come together with their knowledge to work toward a common goal.  Honestly, at this point, anyone with the passion to help is welcome.

The Charter Launch program will start in January 2009 and all team members will be welcome to attend workshops and benefit from the professional advice that CCSA will give us.  We will have many resources available and CCSA will guide us through the process to when we (hopefully) submit our petition in September 2009.  There is a general meeting on December 6th that CCSA has invited me and any potential team members to that will step us through the process of creating a charter school.  I hope to have at least two people coming with me to that meeting.

More Business Plan Finished

Well, I've been plugging away at the Business Plan.   I am in the Research and Market Analysis section at the moment and find it easy to get side-tracked while researching.  There are so many exciting articles about charter schools.  And it seems like everything is on a dramatic incline!

For example:

One school in San Diego County went from 17 students in 2000 to over 3800 students in 2006.

The Press-Enterprise reported that businesses and chambers of commerce were looking to charter schools for their employee base.  "Public charter schools should be actively supported by local businesses and chambers of commerce in light of the unprecedented need for a highly educated workforce allowing the nation to compete in the global economy" (www.prnewswire.com).  It stated that due to the high demand for well-educated employees, businesses and chambers are looking at supporting charter schools to increase their output of qualified applicants because of a downturn in public school students who are prepared "...for further education and jobs of the 21st century" (www.prnewswire.com).  

The public school system is doing what they can, but they are severely limited by the mandates of their districts and state.  They are doing their best to meet those expectations, but what people are realizing is that there need to be more options available to students so that ALL types of students will be able to succeed.  The general public school system works well for certain students, but it doesn't have the resources to meet all of the diverse needs that a community presents.  Charter schools are one way that this need can be met.

But I digress...I've got the National Trends section done and am working on the Local Trends.  I should be finished with it by the end of the day, depending on the boys.

Next week I have a possible team member coming over to talk with me about what she would like to add to our venture.  She is ECE trained and has some background in EL.  I am hopeful that this will become my first official crew member.

Qualifications for Starting a Charter

It was asked of me...what are my qualifications for starting a charter school.  Well, I am a teacher and have had experience teaching in an EL school.  I've taught in the public school system for 10 years in grades K-9th.  I hold a Bachelor of the Arts from Scripps College and a Masters of the Arts in Teaching from Pacific University.  I have been a statewide scorer for Math and Writing tests.  I have excelled in the classroom and often found myself undertaking semi-administrative positions within the schools that I have taught at.

But those things are not really why I feel qualified to start this charter school.  Honestly, starting the school begins with a desire to add choice to the public school community.  I have a passion for expeditionary learning and I want to promote it.  I have a good solid understanding of the ins and outs of EL, what it looks like in a classroom, how it works with students and teachers, and what outcomes are possible.  As for HOW to build a school, I am learning as I go.

I see myself as the seed.  I am working on creating a team that will be able to help this school grow into something spectacular.  I am going to search out those professionals with experience in the areas of business, administration, curriculum development, professional development, personnel, real estate...My goal is to gather a group of people who do have the credentials and the qualifications.

Support from ELS

I was so excited to talk with the California Regional Director from EL Schools yesterday.  He and I chatted about my plans and he gave me some excellent suggestions.  But the most important thing is, he feels that ELS would like to work with our charter and is behind it 100%!  That vote of confidence means a lot.  He has school designers living  in the LA area who are ready to work with our charter school to build curriculum and professional development.  How awesome to have those supports in place before we even have the charter.

I have looked into joining the California Charter School Association (a suggestion from ELS), but the fee is $1500 and I just can't afford it at the moment.  I'll look into some fund-raising for it.  The support system that they offer looks like it would greatly improve our proposal.  I'm sure that we'll find a way to get involved.

Another suggestion that ELS made was to work on building our team.  This is a goal that I have had from the start and I guess I am not using enough channels to get it done.  Jason suggested that I write an article about what I am trying to do and submit it to the local papers.  He said that highlighting the fact that everyone is talking about the challenges of public schools today but that nobody is doing anything to change it.  Play on the elections and how I, just a stay-at-home mother of three who can barely pay the bills,  am doing something about it.  He thinks it might draw support and I agree.

"Framework" versus "Content"

One of the hardest things for people to understand is that EL is a framework for teaching and not a specific content.  When I imagine it in my head, I see a set of shelves.  These shelves are how I am going to present my information to students.  I could choose to present them in a different format (like on a table or on the floor), but I choose to use these shelves.  The information that I put in the shelves is the curriculum.  It looks different when I present it on the shelves than if I were to lay it out on the floor, but it's the same information.  I just think it's easier to see on the shelves.

So with EL as the framework (the shelves), my charter school will use a variety of sources to create a curriculum (the information).  We will look at the state standards, the school district's curriculum, curriculum from other schools.  In the end, our curriculum will meet state standards (because we have to) but we will be learning it in a completely different manner.

It's Late and I Wanna Go to Bed...

My husband (tech support for the school) gave me a gift at about 9:30pm tonight, just as I was slipping off to bed.  He set up my website and wanted me to create at least three pages of content to publish before the night was over.  So I did it.

It's not much to look at yet, but as I have the time to update and upgrade, the Aberdovey Charter School website will be a wealth of information.  As it stands, it has three pages...

Check it out at www.aberdoveyschool.org

PS.  I guess we need to get used to the name 'cos it's not gonna change any time soon. ;-)

Door Hangers and EL Schools

I'm working on creating some door hangers to announce the Community Forum in November.  I have mixed emotions about using door hangers as I hate to find them on my door, but they do get to everyone.  I don't know where the money will come from to print them, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.  I'll enlist friends to help put them on doors when it's about two weeks out from the meeting date.

I got an email today from the California Regional Director for EL Schools.  It sounds like they are gearing up for some growth in the Los Angeles area.  He will be traveling here to meet with a few people in the coming weeks to discuss their plans.  I hope to find a time to meet with him as well. It would be great to have such wonderful professional development and school design support in place so early in the process.

A Buzz in the Air

I am hoping that the discussion that Menifee 24/7 can carry into the community enough to get people interested in coming to the informational meeting in November.  I am a little concerned that it's too far off in the future and that people will have forgotten about it by the time it happens.

It's exciting to hear that there are parents interested in the option.  I hope to be able to explain well enough that ELOB is a strong academic program and not a "squishy" charter school that doesn't meet standards.  I know that this is a stereotype that I will have to overcome.  I think it is possible simply because of the background and supporting studies of ELOB schools and their academic achievements across the country.

It's neat to listen to people debating the qualities of the school.  It gives me pause to think and decide each time for myself if my school vision is solid.  So far, it passes the test for me.

What's in a name?

It's interesting to me that the first few comments placed on the Menifee 24/7 site are regarding the name that I chose for the school.  Don't get me wrong...I'm excited that people are talking about the school at all, so if they want to discuss the name, that's fine with me.  It's just interesting that they would focus on the name instead of the type of school or the type of framework.

As for why I chose Aberdovey Charter School...in my research about ELOB, I read a lot about Kurt Hahn (the founder of Outward Bound).  The first school that he started was in Aberdovey, North Wales (as "anonymous" pointed out on Menifee 24/7).  I thought that the place had a cool name and used it as a nod to the origins of ELOB.  Doesn't seem like a rip-off to me as the school had a different name.  I want this school to have a unique identity that is tied to its foundation in Expeditionary Learning.  It is not just Menifee Charter School...it is an ELOB charter school and as such, I want to make note of it in the name.  Since Menifee Expeditionary Learning Charter School is pretty long, I was looking for a name that "symbolized" ELOB.  Maybe "Hahn Charter School" would work just as well.  I happened to like the sound of Aberdovey.

Point is, I am the ONLY PERSON working on this charter school at the moment, and while there aren't many advantages to being the sole crew member on a voyage, one of them is that I get to name the ship!  If you'd like to join my crew, we can certainly explore other names.

I want more crew members.  But this crew is not focused on the beauty of a name.  It is focused on the important task of creating a school that will give children in this area a chance for a great education.

First Public News!!

I had to link here as it is the first official publicity for Aberdovey School.  Boy does it feel cool to get the news out there.  This came from Menifee 24/7...obviously a website that is current with local news!

www.menifee247.com

Getting the Word Out

Here's what I posted on a community Menifee forum:

I am working to create a new charter school for the Menifee Union School District.  It will be based on Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound design principles (a proven framework in over 150 schools).  I am looking for other people interested in creating more choice for free education in our area.

Please attend my Informational Community Forum at Grace Church on Goetz Road on Tuesday, November 18th from 6:30 to 8:30pm.  I will talk about what a charter is, what ELOB is, and what we need to do to get this school going.

I'm hoping that as I start to get the word out on the internet, that the number of people who attend will grow.  I also posted a similar thing on the Menifee 24/7 website and I am going to post in on Craigslist in the Community section.

Found a Meeting Place!

Well, I guess persistence is a virtue.  I kept calling around and finally got one of the local churches to let me rent their sanctuary for my community forum.  Thing is, they charge $50, which isn't a lot of money for a rental, but it's a lot of money for us right now.  We'll set up the date for a few weeks from now and I'll start collecting quarters!

So, the meeting will be held at Grace Church on Goetz Road.  It's a small church but it's in a very easy location to find.  I want to make this meeting big enough to be worth my while so I am going to make door hangers for the neighborhood and try to get as many people as possible to the event.

I may even try to get a note in the local paper...maybe they'll do it for free in the events section.

Keep on moving forward!

Business Plan

I have been working on the Business Plan aspect of the school today.  I figure that I had better file for incorporation and get my not-for-profit stuff going, but in order to do that I have to have Articles of Incorporation to submit to the state.  That means I have to write at least that part of the business plan.

I was hoping that I would have several people around to help with this task, but it may be a blessing in disguise.  This way I write the Business Plan and when I have a task force, I can give it to them for revisions.  Revising an already created plan is less challenging than creating one as a group from scratch.   Too many opinions to include.  If it's already written, people will be more likely to revise only the things that they feel strongly about and not fuss about the little details.

One thing that is hard for me is creating the infrastructure for the employees and the board.   I'm not sure exactly what it should look like.  I'm going to keep searching for some good models that are already out there.  No use reinventing the wheel, right?

An Ally at Last

Well, it seems that my talking has paid off.  You know, I am passionate about this school and I share it with EVERYONE I talk with.  I was talking with the parents around Kobi's soccer practice a few weeks ago, telling them about what I was trying to do.  Nobody seemed particularly interested.

Then last week, one of the moms asked me if I was serious about the school.  I told her that I was and she told me that one of the parents on her husband's soccer team (he coaches little ones too) was very interested in working with me on the school.  She has a background in administration and has worked in several schools.  From them, I got her contact information and gave her a call.

I explained all about EL and why I feel it is a great way to teach.  She agreed and was excited to do some of her own research.  We talked about accountability to the state and how to approach the school district.  We talked about how we both feel that parents will embrace the idea of an option outside of the regular public school system that doesn't cost them anything.

She seems very interested in helping.  And she even volunteered her husband (although we'll see if he wants to help).  She suggested looking into the Perris School Disctrict instead of the Menifee School District, mainly based on the socio-economic group.  She volunteers for a childcare resource system in Riverside County and has taken a few grant-writing classes.  She said that one thing she learned was that zip code matters.  If we can find a place that balances between the Menifee/Quail Valley population but houses in a Perris zip code, we may qualify for more funding.

She also has several contacts in the area.  She said that she would work on calling a couple of people to find us a place for an initial community forum meeting.  I told her that my goal is to get this meeting done before the end of October (to beat the holiday business) and she thought she could find us a place to use before then.

WOOHOO!!!  One ally down...a bazillion to go!

Still Looking

I am still unable to find a place to hold my first meeting.  The school looked promising, but they cannot seem to find the form that I need to fill out to request use of the facilities.

I have tried several churches in the area, but they either don't rent their space or they charge an astronomical fee.  I am getting to the point where my house may be the best choice.  I would like to get this initial meeting done before October, but at this point I'm not sure that I will be able to give people enough notice for the meeting.

In addition to flyers, I would like to take out a small notice in the newspaper.  But both of those cost money and right now...well, money is very tight.

I'm going to make a few more phone calls today to see if I can find a place.  I'm also going to call the school district office to see if they have the facilities use form.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh...I also found an afterschool/support program in the area that sounds like a GREAT companion to our school.  Check it out.  It's called www.againstalloddsoutreach.com.  I've sent them an email and hope that they are willing to work together.

Project Plan

I have just about completed the Project Plan.  I don't have the money for Project Management software so I just used Excel.  It works fine.  I have a master plan and then individual pages for each major task with subtasks.  I gave myself a deadline of the end of the 15th...so I guess I am on schedule for that.

The next major undertaking is the Informational Meeting.  I am still trying to find somewhere to meet other than our house...want to keep it business-like.  The school might let me have it there. Trick is, I need to have lead time to get flyers out to the community.

Place to Meet

We are looking for a place to hold a public forum meeting in the Canyon Lake area.  If anyone has suggestions of a local public place that might be able to accommodate us, please email Robyn at rrogers@aberdoveyschool.org.

This meeting will last about 2 hours.  At the end of the meeting, attendees will be able to make the following statements:

1.  I can explain what a charter school is - who can attend, how it is governed, and what makes it different from other public schools.

2.  I can explain the basic process for creating a charter school.

3.  I can describe what EL is and how it helps students learn.

4.  I can name at least three EL Design Principles and Core Practices and explain what they are.

5.  I am committed to being a part of the Task Force to create this charter school.

Please plan to attend.  If we do not find a public venue, Robyn will hold this first meeting at her home.

First Post

This is the first official post for Aberdovey School.  I am writing this blog to record the challenges and successes of starting a charter school in the Canyon Lake area.