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CHARTER SCHOOLS TODAY
Summer 2009
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JOHN HANCOCK THE ALEXANDER KUA O KA LA PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL COMPANY, INC CHARTER SCHOOL Rocketing to New Heights in Reusing andWith Revitilizing Education EducationAloha
THE MAG A ZINE FOR CH ARTER SCHOOL EX ECU TIVES
John Hancock Charter School
Rocketing to New Heights in Education Produced by Hanim Samara & Written by Jim Barlow The music plays, rockets fly and teachers are heard loud and clear at John Hancock Charter School (JHCS) in Pleasant Grove, Utah, south of Salt Lake City. Founded in 2001, this one-of-a-kind school keeps their students attention through a variety of tools from music appreciation to “Rocket Day.” JHCS began 2008-09 with a $1.53 million budget that was trimmed in April to $1.25 million by the Utah Legislature. The governing school board is gradually buying adjoining land for a future school, which now is in a white, metal building with 12 classrooms and four offices. Next door is the school's first home, a red-brick chapel of the Church of Latter-Day Saints that was converted by a previous
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owner into a private school. The building is still used by JHCS for music instruction, lunch and the library. Utah's first charter school opened in 1999. Today there are some 77 charter schools educating 5 percent of the state's total public school population with 5,000 students on waiting lists. JHCS’ student body is comprised of 14 percent minority students and 29 percent economically disadvantaged students, though the school does not participate in the federal Title 1 program.
Music to Their Ears
ety disorder, was shuffled among five teachers in a district that, she said, could not meet his needs. In addition to gaining a charter for JHCS, she was a founding member of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools. "The music sequence is a big part of our core knowledge sequence. We have a music specialist," Adamic said. "Every student, K through 8, has music appreciation at least once a week." JHCS teachers even carry iPods provided by the school. In a recent teacher-training program by the California-based Quantum Learning Network (QLN), the school's 13 teachers -- 12 highly qualified under No Child Left Behind -- learned strategies for using music to enhance learning. QLN, which provides school and business programs in 16 countries, was founded in 1981. "Our teachers learned how to keep students engaged all day by using auditory, visual and kinesthetic teaching methods," Adamic said. "My teachers came back from the training and said it was best professional training I'd ever provided." In classrooms, teachers' voices and audio materials are carried via sound systems. "We found that doing this was one of the best investments we have made in equipment Music is a priority for the 180 kindergarten-through-eighthgrade students at JHCS, which first opened in 2002 as the state's ninth charter school. Students entering the third grade learn how to play viola, violin or cello. "In seventh and eighth grades, students have the opportunity to play bass, but we only have one bass so we have to choose a winner each term from those who are interested," said JHCS Director Julie Adamic. Adamic was among the parents who met in the summer of 2000 to pursue a charter school. Her education in political science at Brigham Young University helped her lead the necessary lobbying efforts. Having stepped away from a teaching career to help her four children, she saw the need for a charter school when her eldest son, suffering from an anxi-
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for our school," Adamic said. "The first year we put in speakers, discipline issues went down dramatically, because all of the kids were on task."
100 percent proficiency. Students exceeded 90 percent proficiency in five other areas and fell below state averages in only four subjects.
JHCS’ Rewarded Success Academics at JHCS are built around the Core Curriculum of E.D. Hirsch. The school is one of 55 worldwide honored by the Virginia-based Core Curriculum Foundation as an official "visitation" school, a distinction which requires 100 percent use of the curriculum and an on-site inspection. In 2007, charter school peers at the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools voted JHCS the school of the year. In April, JHCS was also granted its first six-year accreditation by the Northwest Accredited Schools Association where JHCS is a voluntary member. Results from the 2008 mandatory state testing showed that of the 20 assessments given, JHCS students enrolled in algebra I, fourth-grade language arts, reading and math scored
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At JHCS, success is progress driven, based on growth models and pre-assessments. "Internally, the students' individual growth is important," she said, "but to the public the tests are all that matters. We take ownership and pride in our students' accomplishments. The reason charters exist is because one size does not fit all. There needs to be educational options that best serve the students. Parents need to look at programs and figure out what would best benefit each individual student. The best model meets the needs of your student population."
Unique Programs In addition to the school’s focus on music, JHCS also employs other unique learning experiences for its students. Academics flew skyward April 24 at the school's annual
About Quantum Learning Education Programs What if every single teacher in your school knew how to tap into and manage optimal learning states in their students? What level of overall academic results would be possible if every student was excited about learning and gave 100% effort in the classroom? Quantum Learning Education generates these kinds of results… and more! Quantum Learning is a research-based, integrated model of teaching and learning resulting in highly motivated students who excel in school. It is a comprehensive approach that incorporates research-based best practices, effective delivery methodology, classroom management techniques, strategies for student engagement, leadership models…and the WHY behind it all. The results of an 18 school study in four states found the following: “The Quantum Learning model has demonstrated a consistent pattern of positive impact on student learning in all 18 schools. This impact has included statistically significant and educationally significant gains in reading, mathematics, writing and more comprehensive measures of core academic achievement used in California and Texas. Students who have participated in schools implementing the Quantum Learning model have also shown a pattern of greater gains in achievement than comparison sample students not participating in the Quantum Learning Model.” William Benn and Associates, State of California outside evaluator, California Department of Education After using Quantum Learning: 100% reported being better teachers 94% reported more awareness of students learning styles and needs 86% reported making more meaningful connections with students 83% reported raising their personal teaching standards Programs include: Quantum Learning for Teachers, Quantum Learning for Students Learning and Life Skills workshops and summer camps, and Encore Programs for teachers. Quantum Learning appreciates the privilege of partnering with many charter schools across the U.S.
For additional information, contact Jenifer Gomez at (800) 285-3276 ext 112 or jgomez@qlncom Please visit our website at www.qln.com
Rocket Day, when students walk to a park to watch the launch of model rockets built by fifththrough eighth-graders. A retired high-school science teacher helps students build their rockets and assess any problems associated with performance. "We launch the rockets every year, and we have a blast," Adamic said jovially. The rocket-building, she added, is part of the science focus of the core curriculum, which is supplemented with other programs, such as Spalding Language Arts Program and Lexia Reading, to help struggling students. For the last two years, JHCS has used Lexia Reading, a component of Massachusetts-based Lexia Learning, founded 25 years ago to help students with dyslexia. Lexia Reading since has grown into an online, interactive reading program in which any student can learn skills in an orderly sequence based on an initial reading assessment. "We use the Spalding Language Arts Program, and we were looking for a support mechanism for it that students can do at home," Adamic explained. "We found that there is often a disconnect from what children do at school and what parents experience at home, since many parents don't have the same background to be able to support the phonics-based program that we use. We wanted something that would enhance reading at home, including during the summer, and at school. Lexia's being online and phonemic based matched our needs." The school is currently evaluating the program's impact. Anecdotally, Adamic said, "we believe it's working great, because what we are finding is that all our students are reaching proficiency" by the time they reach their middle school years. The school's non-core academics include exploratory courses taught by parents, who are asked, but not required, to give 60 volunteer hours each
year. In 2008-09, 68 percent of parents gave an average of 50 hours each, doing landscaping, helping at lunchtime, carpooling, teaching and making repairs.
With its many innovative and stimulating programs, the JHCS community is destined to continue its quality programs in the Utah landscape for many years to come.
The Spalding Method is a research-based, complete language arts program teaching phonemic awareness, phonics with handwriting, comprehension and composition. Spalding Education International, home of The Spalding Method, offers a full range of professional development, including on-site follow-up, coaching and continuing education. Public, private, and now charter schools have been using The Method successfully for over 50 years. We look forward to our continued association with John Hancock Charter School.
COMPANY AT A GLANCE Established : 2000 Director : Julie Adamic
www.johnhancockcs.org Charter Schools Today
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CHARTER SCHOOLS TODAY
Summer 2009
www.charterschoolstoday.com
John Hancock Charter School 125 N 100 E Pleasant Grove, UT 84062 United States