J. Strand, Ed..D., Consultant
REVISED—9/29-08
South Norwalk Community Charter School
CONCEPT PAPER
Background: Under the leadership of the Reverend Lindsay Curtis of Grace Baptist Church in South Norwalk, a planning team gathered to develop a school concept paper for a new charter school to be located in the South Norwalk community.
While the contents of this concept paper represent for the most part a consensus among the planning team members, this paper is by no means a finished, complete description of the proposed school. It is a first draft, whose purpose is to stimulate discussion in the community about the kind of school that is needed and desired and to encourage more persons to participate in the planning of the school as we move forward toward a complete application for the creation of a new charter school.
School Mission Statement: The mission of the South Norwalk Community Charter School is to cultivate a community in which all members—students, staff, and families—are expected to do their best. Students will engage in a rigorous program to develop their critical thinking skills, self-esteem, and social and cultural awareness so that they can be prepared for college and fully meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
The Need for a New Charter School: As the enclosed document, “The Need for a New Charter School in the South Norwalk Community,” explains in detail, a wide achievement gap exists between low income, Black and Hispanic students and the rest of the students in the Norwalk Public Schools. On average, only about 30% of Black students and 35% of low income students scored “At or Above Goal” on the Connecticut Mastery Tests (CMT) in mathematics, reading, and writing in grades 3-8 in 2008. About 45% of Hispanic students, scored, on average, at the same level. Many of the students in these groups reside in the South Norwalk community and are bused to schools elsewhere in the school district.
Only a small number of these students are enrolled in the two public schools in South Norwalk—Side by Side Community Charter School and Columbus Elementary Magnet School.
A small, personalized charter school would serve these low income, Black, and Hispanic students and their families. Accountable to a Board of Trustees with representatives from these families and community members and organizations, the school would focus the resources of the schools, families, and organizations on raising achievement levels of these students to much higher levels.
Target Student Population: The school will target students who need options to their existing public schools, especially those who are on free or reduced lunch (“low income”), who live in housing projects, and/or come from single parent families. Located in South Norwalk—in zip code 06854-- the school will target students from that area, who are bused to elementary and middle schools in other parts of the city, but will also accept students from other neighborhoods who meet the above demographic criteria. The school will strive to maintain a gender balance in its student population.
In recruiting students, the school will seek students who have not received a high quality pre-school program. It will also seek students of parents who are willing to become involved in their children’s education.
Enrollment and Grade Level Structure: In order to build on expanding early childhood education programs in South Norwalk and to accelerate the development of low income students, the school will enroll kindergarten children in its first year. Because of the pressing need to accelerate the development of middle school students, the school will also enroll fourth grade students in its first year. Adding programs for first and fifth graders in the second year and for additional grades in subsequent years will enable the school to reach a full k-8 enrollment of 360 students (40 per grade level) within five years.
Goals for Student Development: Based on an assessment of the needs of the students in the target population, the school will focus on the following goals for student development:
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: The school, in collaboration with parents, will focus on the development of a number of intrinsic qualities within its students, beginning with their self-esteem. (“I am somebody.”) These qualities include a sense of their own personal values that form their “character,” respect for themselves as they interact with their surrounding environment, and a sense of personal integrity—including truthfulness and honesty. Other important qualities of this kind include perseverance, an ability to overcome distractions, coping with family problems that impact their school performance, and a love of learning.
In collaboration with parents, the school will also focus on the development of important qualities of its students in relation to their environment, including an awareness of the values of others, an awareness of their environment and their impact on it, and awareness that their actions have consequences. The school will also foster the development of the citizenship of its students, including a respect for authority.
ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT: The school will focus on developing students who are independent learners, who set goals for themselves, are critical thinkers, who have good problem-solving skills, who can work well in small groups, and who can use technology for research and communications.
It will develop their capacity as good readers, who love reading and become lifelong readers outside of school. They will have the ability to draw inferences from the texts they read. They will also develop a global awareness, especially of the history of the major ethnic groups represented in the school’s student population and will develop the capacity for mathematical and scientific thinking and mastery of the basis skills in those disciplines. Their final academic goal is to learn new languages, especially those most relevant in the communities in which they live.
To develop in the above academic areas, students at the school will need an educational environment which carries a belief in their capacity to learn and high expectations for their learning. That environment will include teachers who can engage the curiosity of their students through experiential learning and the integration of the various curriculum areas, and parents who support the academic progress of their children and who are themselves involved in further learning.
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT: The school will develop in its students a sense of being in a wider world beyond their own communities—of “big” ideas and “big” experiences. This sense will include the contributions and legacies of a wide array of cultural groups, as well as a sense of creating their own personal legacy in that world. The development of that legacy will be aided by a culture of rites of passage in the school—ceremonies that celebrate the various stages of development by students.
Students at the school will develop public speaking skills—in standard English, as well as the capacity to “switch” between personal language and standard English. They will learn the social skills to be in a group and work with others, as well as the capacity to consider and evaluate the views of others. As with the other goals, parental involvement will be essential.
School Performance Goals: Recognizing the need to establish its effectiveness in significantly raising the achievement levels of its target student population over current levels and in enabling its students to achieve many of its goals for their development, the school is committed to the following goals for student performance within its first five years of operation in order to warrant a renewal of its original charter.
ELEMENTARY: The school will be deemed successful after FIVE years of operation, if:
At least 65% of the students who have been enrolled in the school from kindergarten through grade four:
achieve “at or above goal” on the Connecticut Mastery Tests (CMT) in reading, writing, and mathematics;
meet or exceed State grade level standards/expectations in English language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and other major curricular areas in the school;
meet or exceed School grade level standards/expectations in areas related to the School Mission—e.g. critical thinking skills, social and cultural awareness.
At least 80% of these students achieve at or above the “proficiency” level on the CMT’s.
INTERMEDIATE: At least 65% of the students who have been enrolled in the school from grades four through eight also achieve the above outcomes, and 80% of these students achieve at or above the “proficiency” levels on the CMT’s.
The school will be deemed successful ANNUALLY if:
7% of the total enrollment who achieved below grade level standards in the previous year achieve at or above grade level standards—the rate of improvement to the standards;
95% is the average daily attendance rate;
90% of the students enrolled in the previous year return to the school;
95% of the school’s parents meet the standard in the “Parent Participation Metric.”
The above school performance goals provide a basis for the entire school community to hold itself accountable for continual improvement in student performance. The planning team believes that they are challenging, yet realistic, given the current levels of performance of students in the target population. Of special importance are the ANNUAL goals. For example, an improvement rate of 7% on the CMT’s would be necessary for the school to be on track to achieve the goal of 65% of Black students scoring “at or above goal” within five years, beginning at the current rate of 30%.
Of course, the school will expect every student to make improvement toward the standards each year, even if he/she has not yet reached them.
School Culture: The establishment of core values which inform the daily practices of teachers, students, and families are essential to keeping the entire school community focused on our mission. In classroom practice, we will value everyone, teachers and students alike, contributing to a learning community that ignites curiosity, encourages striving for excellence, and fosters perseverance. Members of the classroom community will demonstrate respect for themselves, for others, and for their surrounding environment. Students will be engaged and active learners through experiential, collaborative learning, based on brain research.
School-wide, we are committed to the values of identification, belonging to a community and equality, which will be expressed through school uniforms. The values of celebrating, rewarding, and motivating student progress and growth will be expressed through rites of passage in the school, similar to the use of belts of different colors in martial arts and progress toward higher performance levels in video games.
The school will foster open, transparent, and effective communications within the school community and in the world outside of it. The school will also value the peaceful resolution of conflict within students themselves, with others, and with real world problems in areas such as technology and families.
Curriculum Overview: The Connecticut State Department of Education grade level standards/expectations in English language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and in other curriculum areas will provide the foundation for the curricula at the school. Under the direction of the principal, and with the assistance of curriculum consultants/coaches, teachers will adapt published curricula that are aligned to these standards to the unique student goals and values of the school, emphasizing the integration of content across subject areas—e.g. English and social studies. These adaptations may involve emphasis of certain concepts and skills within the standards or addition of new content—e.g. emphasis on African and Hispanic literature in the English language arts curriculum or addition of units on African and Latin American history in social studies.
In some cases, additional curricula may be added to the State standards—e.g. peaceful conflict resolution program. In a few instances, the school may develop original curricula unique to the school—e.g. a rites of passage program.
The curriculum priorities within the elementary and intermediate units of the school are represented in the allocations of instructional time outlined in the daily schedules below.
Primary School (k-gr.3)
*Before School Program
(Tutoring, Breakfast, etc.): 90 mins.
Circle time: 15 mins.
Eng. Lang Arts: 90 mins.
Mathematics: 60 mins.
Social Studies: 45 mins.
Science: 45 mins.
World Languages: 30 mins.
Performing Arts (music,
dance, etc.): 30 mins.
Visual Arts: 30 mins.
Technology: 15 mins.
Phys. Ed.: 20 mins.
Health: 10 mins.
Lunch: 30 mins.
Recess: 30 mins.
**Wakaba--Extended Learning
Program (tutoring, sports, etc.):60 mins.
*After-school Program: 60 mins.
Total: regular school day from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Note: Daily allocations of 30 minutes or less may be achieved by scheduling subjects or activities on alternate days for twice as much time—e.g. physical education for 40 minutes on alternate days.
*Note: The Before School Program and After-school Program are voluntary for children of working parents and others who need them.
**Note: Wakaba means “fill your soul” in Swahili)
Intermediate School (gr. 4-8)
*Before School Program
(Tutoring, Breakfast): 60 mins.
Morning Meeting/circle: 20 mins.
Eng. Lang. Arts: 75 mins.
Mathematics: 45 mins.
Social Studies: 45 mins.
Science: 45 mins.
World Languages: 45 mins.
Phys. Ed.: 45 mins.
Health: 45 mins.
Lunch: 30 mins.
End of Day Reflections: 15 mins.
Wakaba--Extended Learning
Program (performing arts,
visual arts, technology, sports,
homework help): 130 mins.
*After-school Program: 60 mins.
Total: regular school day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(*Note: The Before School Program and After-school Program are voluntary for children of working parents and others who need them.)
The monthly school schedule for both primary and intermediate levels will also include an early dismissal on two Fridays per month to allow professional development sessions for teachers and other staff. During those periods, students may take field trips or engage in other activities which do not require supervision by the regular teaching staff.
Student Assessment: The school will, of course, administer the required CMT’s. Under the direction of the principal, the teachers, with the assistance of curriculum/coaches, will select benchmark assessments to measure student progress at regular intervals during the year and year-end assessments from the adapted published curricula to be administered to all students on the grade level. These will include performance assessments, in which students are asked to demonstrate what they have learned through individual and small group projects. The results from the year-end assessments in each subject/grade will be published throughout the school community for analysis regarding progress toward the school performance goals.
After the above assessment program has been established, the school will determine if a nationally standardized test should be administered as part of its accountability program.
Instruction: Criteria for Teacher Hiring: The criteria listed below provide a comprehensive illustration of the kind of teaching and teachers sought by the school.
PROFESSIONAL:
● thorough knowledge of subject(s) taught
● ability to differentiate instruction for individual students
● knowledge of performance assessments, including student projects
● comfort with experiential methods of teaching
● experience and competency with the cultures of the students
● able to teach outside of the box—i.e. different styles, keeping it fresh
● control the classroom with a nurturing presence
● proficient in technology
● brain based learning—awareness of cognitive development and structure of the brain in learning
● knowledge of the developmentally appropriate needs of children
● team building with students—collaborative learning methods
● collaborative learning among teachers—team teaching
● good communicator with parents and desire to do so
ATTITUDES/BELIEFS:
● values and respects parents’ input
● Students are critically important.
● Every student can learn (at high levels).
● empathy with students
● inclusiveness
● knowledge of social and emotional domains
● ignite curiosity, engagement and lifelong learning
● passionate
● patient
● have respect and integrity
●belief in the non-violent resolution of conflicts
● dedicated to putting in the hours it takes to do the job
● remain teachable—i.e. open to new learning, just as students
Student Support Services:
The school will use an English Language Immersion program for students with limited English proficiency. That approach will integrate these students into the school community as quickly as possible. Additional support to help them accelerate their English proficiency will be available in the Extended Learning Program.
Special education services will be provided by staff assigned to the school by the Norwalk Public Schools, according to the identified special needs of students. These services will be coordinated with parents and school staff through Planning Placement Team meetings.
A Family Center in the school will provide outreach and support to parents to enable them to support the academic and personal development of their children. The staff of the Center will include a social worker and parent outreach worker, who will be familiar with the cultural backgrounds of students and families in the school. They will serve parents directly, including making home visits, and will also refer parents to outside social service agencies that can provide needed assistance. The Family Center will also organize and support a “family university” program of parent education.
The school will contract with a school psychologist to provide consultation during after-school hours with parents and teachers regarding meeting the needs of individual students.
Parent Participation Metric: Upon admission of each student into the school, school staff will establish with the student’s parent(s) several basic expectations for parent participation in the school:
● take the initiative to contact the teacher/school regarding the progress of their student—e.g. giving the teacher addressed postcards to send home notes regarding student progress
● respond to communications from the teacher/school regarding progress of their student—e.g. teacher notes or calls;
● create an environment for students to do homework and read at home;
● attend parent/teacher conferences;
● participate in a minimum number of parent education programs offered by the Family Center;
● receive a home visit from the parent outreach worker or other school staff.
Additional indicators of parent participation may be added, based on input from parents.
The school will keep a record of participation by each student’s parent(s) on the above indicators and conference with those who do not meet the basic expectations.
School Calendar: The school will adopt a school calendar similar to that of the Norwalk Public Schools and will provide an extensive voluntary summer school program and encourage participation by all students. That program will be open to children who are not students of the charter school, including prospective students for the school. The school may also partner with existing programs such as Horizons to offer the summer school program.
School Governance and Accountability: The Board of Trustees will have the ultimate legal responsibility for the educational success of the school and the management of its finances, under the charter granted to it by the State Education Department. It will consist of at least 12 members and will include persons with the following expertise/backgrounds:
► attorney
► management skills
► fund-raising connections and financial management skills
► parents of current students (2)
► educators (2)
► mental health and social services, with a focus on child development
► community representative
► elected official
► clergy
► youth representative
► Principal (ex-officio member)
In identifying Board members, the school will seek to represent the ethnic, gender, and socio-economic diversity of the community.
Roles of School Community Members in School Decision-making: In cultivating a community which is inclusive of all members—Board of Trustees, administrators, staff, students, and parents--the school will provide a role for each group in influencing school decision-making, as appropriate—e.g. staff and parent input into the hiring and evaluation of the principal, student input into the creation of school rules and policies.
The underlying principles of decision-making in the school are a clear process for input by those affected by decisions and a clear delineation of those with ultimate responsibility for decisions.
Membership of School Planning Team:
Lindsay E. Curtis, Co-Chairperson
Kimberly Eaton, Co-Chairperson
Anthony Allison
Eric Fischman
Sherelle Harris
Roz McCarthy
Judy Meikle
Rosa Murray
Mary Peniston
Reaette Polite
John Strand, a local educational consultant with extensive experience assisting planning teams in developing new small schools, including charter schools, facilitated a series of 6 meetings, during which the team discussed its ideas for the major components of the proposed school.
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NEXT STEPS
■ Distribution of School Concept Paper and Solicitation of Feedback on it (Sept.-Oct.)
■ Community Forums on School Concept (Sept.-Oct.)
■ Changes and Additions to School Concept Paper, based on feedback (Oct.)
■ Obtaining Support for Phase II in School Planning: Writing the Charter School Application (July-Oct.)
■ Identification of Additional Persons to Serve on Expanded School Planning Team for Phase II (Oct.)
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