CHARTER SCHOOLS: A Chance for Choice

By: Ute Mitchell

It’s Monday morning and Leah Fanning, 9, enters her classroom where she is welcomed with a hug by her advisor at Trillium Charter School in Northeast Portland. Jenny, Leah’s advisor (that’s what teachers are referred to at Trillium), encourages Leah to continue working on a project that she didn’t finish the day before. Leah decides to work on a story she’s been writing until the class gathers for a snack and recess. After recess the students will return to their classroom where together they will learn about oceans. Jenny will read to the kids, go over some maps, maybe show a movie, or she might take the class to the library.

Leah’s younger sister, Kira, also attends Trillium. She is in kindergarten, and in her class, hugs are shared. The day starts with free play before the group gathers with their advisor, Polly, who will read to the class, and discuss the coming day. The rest of the day will be spent on art projects, cooking, walking to the library or learning about music.

Laura Fanning, their mother, loves the low-key, welcoming environment at Trillium. Teachers involve students in discussions and ask for their opinions on how to work on projects, what materials to use and what methods might be best.

Laura says, “We didn’t search out a charter school. We firmly believe in public schools and our intention was to put both of our children into one.” Then Laura found Trillium on the Internet and was instantly convinced that Trillium would be the perfect place to educate her young daughters.

“What I love about Trillium,” she says, “is the feeling of Trillium. It feels like real life. It is a K-12 school so all the different ages are together some of the time.”

At Trillium, service in the community and service within the school have high priority. Older kids frequently work with younger kids to assist them with special projects or with their reading and math. “This year Leah began her in-service training by going into the kindergarten classroom and reading to them. She really enjoys participating in this way,” says Laura.

Instruction in non-violent conflict resolution begins as early as kindergarten. The children are taught to respectfully use their words in a conflict and will seek out a trained mediator if necessary. Children learn to listen to someone else, to acknowledge that person’s point of view and feelings, and then have the opportunity to be heard by the other child, too.

Charter schools have been up and coming in the Portland area in recent years, with over 80 schools operating across the state of Oregon. While charter schools are considered public schools and are accountable for student performance, they enjoy the freedom to operate independently from the local school district. This allows charter schools to choose to cater to children with a special interest, such as those with an interest in the arts or science. The school may offer a Waldorf or Montessori approach, teach languages at a very young age, or focus in special-needs education. The stakes are high for charter schools. If a charter school doesn’t meet the academic goals they agreed to by contract, then the state may revoke their charter and close the school. Therefore, charter schools often set high standards for themselves.

Meet Nathan Saier, a second grader at MITCH (Multi-sensory Instruction Teaching Children Hands-on ) Charter School in Tigard. His parents chose MITCH “for its focus on hands on learning that incorporated all the senses.” Patricia Saier, who joined the Board of Directors at MITCH last year, passionately talks about the school that, unlike many others, still offers PE twice a week and even music. Nathan loves to go to school, especially his art class, which involves learning about famous artists, their styles and how they lived. When asked what he likes best about his school, Nathan replies, “I really liked learning about the Civil War and getting to be a wax Civil War character in our Wax Museum. I was Jefferson Davis. ”

Another specialty at MITCH is the four-day school week, which provides time for teacher conferences, field trips and clubs, such as the chess club and art club. “The clubs are all run by parents that volunteer their time and expertise,” says Patricia. Volunteering at MITCH, while highly recommended, is not a requirement.

To the parents at these schools, the answer to the question of why they send their children to charters rather than a regular public school is clear. Robyn Parnell, whose eighth-grade daughter, Sadie, attends Forest Grove Charter School, says, “We wanted a school that, while offering flexible and innovative but effective – not innovative as in flaky – teaching practices and curriculum that would also meet state standards and high school diploma/college entrance requirements.”

Robyn and her husband, Mark, both of whom served as classroom volunteers back when Sadie was still in public school, were disillusioned by the Hillsboro School District. Between “never-ending fund-raising schemes” that teachers discussed in class, large class sizes, the installation of soda vending machines, the “severe curtailing or even elimination of PE, library, art/music and foreign languages from the curriculum,” the Parnells saw only one solution: charter school. Private schools were neither within their vicinity nor affordable.

Forest Grove Charter School’s place-based learning style stresses relating all subjects to the wider community. Mondays are “Out and About” days for Sadie’s grade level, during which classes go on field trips that may be within walking distance, or they might take a bus trip to Portland to visit the art museum or interview a Holocaust survivor, but they might also take place at Fernhill Wetlands, Hagg Lake, Gales Creek Watershed or someplace else. The field trips are linked to the school curriculum.

Most charter schools in the Portland area have a lottery system in place since they are usually popular. Amy Hunter, whose 6-year-old son, Ben, is enrolled at Emerson School in Northwest Portland, won lottery entry into the charter school of her family’s choice.

“We didn’t want our son to be sitting at a desk all day long, doing worksheets and coming home with homework in kindergarten,” tells Amy. “Emerson seemed like a great fit for us and we were thrilled.”

The children at Emerson work on eight-week-long projects, which are split into three parts: talking about the subject and what the children will learn, going into the field to gather information and applying their new knowledge in the classroom. “This fall, my son’s class studied paint, so depending on the week they could be making their own paint, going to a car body shop and the Portland Art Museum, or doing their own mural for school.”

Amy, who volunteers every other week in her son’s K-1 blended class, admires the educators at Emerson, who she says, are truly dedicated to their jobs. She also appreciates the small class sizes and the personal attention Ben gets from his teacher, something she thinks would be impossible in her neighborhood school. Frequently changing projects keep the children and their teachers engaged and excited about their work. “Everyone is learning at Emerson,” says Amy.

Emerson’s excellent report card speaks for itself and the school is an accredited Positive Discipline School. This means that during daily class meetings, the students get to work out problems. Mutual respect between teachers and students, and among students, is emphasized.
Would she improve anything at Emerson?

“I wish it went through eighth grade so we didn’t have to leave,” she says with a smile.

All of the above schools have one thing in common: their dedication to reach out to the community, and even to the world. Trillium Charter School created a group called Kids for Kenya that, through fundraising efforts and education, financially supports a school in Nairobi, Kenya. Kids for Kenya was even able to send a group of 15 students to Kenya for a visit.

Forest Grove Charter School has collected non-perishable food items for needy local families. They also sent care packages to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and supported animal shelters. The students at MITCH have a holiday tradition: they sing for seniors at assisted-living facilities. After the kids finish singing, they walk around and greet the residents. It’s a great way for the kids to connect with the older generation.

Charter schools are not ideal for everyone, but a growing number of parents have learned to appreciate and love the individual attention their children receive at them. Older and younger children often get a chance to work together, and friendships are formed that might not happen otherwise. Community, volunteering and parent involvement are strongly encouraged at all of these schools, parents love the close interaction with teachers and the ability to truly understand how their children operate best. In a society that still struggles with the aftermath of “No Child Left Behind,” parents are forced to think twice and to consider carefully their choices when it comes to the one of the most important decision to be made during parenthood: their child’s education.

Thanks to the Internet, parents have the ability to find out everything they need to know about each school. Mission statements, curriculum choices and sometimes lesson plans are available on Web sites. If a charter school is an option you would like to look into, it’s important to do your homework. Things to look for in a charter school: When was the school established? What’s the enrollment? Does the school have a plan in place for growth? Are teachers highly qualified and well paid? And finally, how is the curriculum different from a public school curriculum, and will it meet state standards?

Many charter schools have mandatory parent meetings before a potential family can enter the school’s lottery. This gives parents an opportunity to get to know the principal and teachers, and get a feel for how things work at the school.

John F. Kennedy said it beautifully: “All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.” This quote is more relevant today as parents have more choices than ever before.

Ute Mitchell is a freelance writer and homeschooling mom of two.