By Deb Risden
El Paso County School District 49 authorizes 11 charter schools. Brytni Brennan, coordinator of charter school relations, said, “While charter schools operate independently and have autonomy over their daily operations, including staffing, curriculum, grievances, etc., the district ensures they meet academic, financial and legal standards.”
“Our relationship is both supportive and accountable: We provide oversight, guidance and monitoring to protect students and public funds, while respecting each charter school’s independence and unique mission.”
Charter schools are public schools and are not tuition-based.
The Colorado Department of Education states that a charter’s purpose is to provide an avenue for new and innovative methods of education. It also requires charter schools to be nonsectarian and non-home-based; web-based might be allowed under certain circumstances.
Brennan said, “What students are taught is the same in charters as it is in the district-operated schools. The differences are in the nuances or areas of focus.”
Areas of focus
Although some schools might offer a traditional or classical type of education model with academic rigor, such as Rocky Mountain Classical Academy, Grand Peak Academy and James Irwin Elementary, they have other focus areas that set them apart.
Nicole Parker, principal of Grand Peak Academy, said, “We also place a strong emphasis on building meaningful relationships through the Capturing Kids’ Hearts Program. In addition to this social-emotional focus, we implement the Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum. CKLA enables teachers to design engaging curriculum days during which students can dress in period-appropriate costumes, sample foods from a specific era, and participate in hands-on activities that reinforce learning aligned to targeted topics and academic standards.”
Rob Daugherty, James Irwin Charter Schools chief executive officer, said, “All of our schools are focused on character education first. It’s a method called Direct Instruction that’s been around since the 1960s. The idea is that the students are highly engaged in their learning. They are repeating things back to the teacher and they are up and down. DI works really well for all of our students, including those with learning disabilities.” He said the school has always focused on teaching cursive starting in kindergarten, which sets them apart from other schools.
Banning Lewis Ranch Preparatory Academy and Banning Lewis Ranch Academy are examples of a blend of traditional and modern programming. Cynthia Harding, K-12 communications manager, said, “Our schools focus on academic excellence and strong character development. Students benefit from individualized attention, consistent expectations and a culture that promotes leadership, responsibility and respect.”
Liberty Tree Academy takes the rigor of a traditional style of education focusing on grammar and phonics and adds an emphasis on history and patriotism. Harold Siegel, headmaster, said, “We utilize the Barney School Initiative from Hillsdale College. It is content-rich and focused on Western tradition and the American experience. Our real focus is on cultivating moral virtue, respect, discipline and studiousness with our students.”
Vocational studies are available at Power Technical, also a James Irwin school. Daugherty said PTEC serves students who wanted a good education but did not want to go to college. “Our academic curriculum is more or less the same, but students spend 90 minutes a day in a shop class,” he said. Students can graduate with an associate’s degree or a certificate in a trade such as construction, welding, plumbing or automotive.
For students seeking project and fieldwork-based learning, Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning provides a connection between curriculum and real-life issues. Don Knapp, executive director and principal, said, “We focus on critical thinking and attach it to real-world applications. You can’t be a passive learner here. We don’t do lectures and notes. Students work on projects where they collaborate and learn to be part of a community.” Knapp said they want students to learn how to ask questions, how to look at things objectively without bias and how to make decisions about things like news, politics and friendships.
Knapp said a typical project at PPSEL might be around learning chemistry. “Our students don’t memorize the periodic table. They might do a water quality study where they learn the periodic table and all about atoms, and they do field work where they go and do water collection across the city, bring it back and test the water,” Knapp said.
Pioneer Technology & Arts Academy is a STEAM school (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics). Their focus is on inquiry-based curriculum, critical thinking, collaboration and innovation. In a presentation to the D 49 Board of Education in January, Shubham Pandey, superintendent of PTAA, said that curriculum is evolving continuously to meet future demands. Less than two years ago, there was a focus on traditional computer coding and desktop programming, and now students are utilizing AI-powered tools and learning AI literacy and advanced integration.
GOAL High School is the only online instruction school in the district. In contrast to the other 10 charter schools, GOAL is a statewide program for grades 9-12 that provides flexible instruction to meet the needs of students. The program has several drop-in centers around the state, including one in Falcon.
Class sizes are similar to district-operated schools. Elementary grades might have 20-25 students; higher-level grades can average about 27 students in each class.
Performance and accountability
Each charter school has a board of directors. Brennan said they have to abide by the same rules and laws that district boards are held to, however, they can set their own bylaws with regard to how members are elected and term limits.
Charter school students are required to participate in state testing. Brennan said the CDE puts parameters on testing, but schools can choose from a list of 15 different testing platforms to evaluate student progress.
Parker said, “It’s important to understand that charter schools are public schools and are required to comply with all state and federal education laws. What distinguishes our school as a charter is that we are governed by an independent board dedicated solely to Grand Peak Academy, comprised of parents and community members.” Parker said they are financially independent and make decisions at the school level to support students and the school community.
School districts are required to evaluate charters annually using criteria in the areas of academics, finance, operations and compliance. They use testing scores, audit reports, site visits, CDE data collected and other data collection within the district.
Sports and clubs
Several of the charter schools provide sports and clubs opportunities for students. For those that do not, there are opportunities to participate at operated schools in their area.
Harding said athletics at Banning Lewis Academy are considered an integral part of a student’s educational experience. “We offer competitive sports in football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, track, cross country, golf and cheerleading,” Harding said. “If a student is interested in participating in a sport that Banning Lewis Academy does not currently offer, such as baseball, wrestling or lacrosse, we work closely with neighboring schools to allow students the opportunity to participate in those programs.”
Parent involvement
Charters report experiencing a high level of parent involvement. Some ask families to contribute a certain number of hours per year to volunteer activities for their schools, which might support the classroom, athletics, carpools or any other programs.
Recruiting and retaining teachers
Brennan said qualifications for teachers are not the same for charters as district-operated schools. “Charter school teachers do not have to be licensed if the school has a waiver, except for special education teachers who are required to have a license,” Brennan said. “However, classroom teachers have alternative qualifications like a degree in their content area or must pass content exams.” Brennan went on to say that most of the teachers in D 49 charters are licensed.
Charter schools agree they have little difficulty recruiting teachers. Harding said,
“Teachers who come to us from district-operated schools often note that the biggest difference is autonomy paired with supportive accountability.” She said in a charter environment, teachers tend to have a stronger voice in terms of instructional decisions, school culture and problem-solving.
Parker said, “We intentionally care for and support our staff because we understand that teachers are extraordinary individuals whose passion, commitment and daily efforts shape the hearts and minds of our students.”
Knapp said people enjoy working at PPSEL and the community is strong. “This past school year, I hired zero people because nobody left,” he said.
Application process
D 49 is a district of choice with a combination of district-operated and charters to select from.
The application process starts in early February. Each charter school has its own process and criteria for acceptance. Details can be found on their individual websites, which can be linked through the D 49 website. Many have waitlists.
Editor’s note: a follow-up to charter schools coming soon
D 49 charter schools
Source: www.d49.org
