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Rise of the charter schools; Two new academies opening in Canton
Topic Started: May 28 2009, 03:03 PM (884 Views)
IlikeLIvonia
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Rise of the charter schools
Two new academies opening in Canton this fall


By TONY BRUSCATO • OBSERVER Staff Writer • May 28, 2009

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090528/NEWS03/905280622


Canton Township will soon be home to three charter schools.

National Heritage Academies will open its second charter school in Canton - Achieve Charter Academy - in time for the 2009-2010 school year, and the waiting list is a long one.

“We held our lottery in March for 561 students,” said Claudia Williamson, principal at Achieve. “We have 876 on the waiting list trying to get in.”

Williamson was the founding principal at Canton Charter Academy, located at Ford and Ridge roads, when it opened in September 2000. The waiting list has continually been so long school officials attempted to expand on the same property. The plan wasn't approved by township officials, so National Heritage Academies decided to open a second school at Denton and Geddes roads.

“We've had more than a thousand children on the waiting list at Canton Charter Academy for several years,” said Williamson. “The bulk of them are from the Plymouth-Canton school district. The next biggest grouping is from Van Buren Schools.”

The NHA model is to open with grades kindergarten through fifth, and then add a grade each year until the school becomes K-8. Williamson said because of the demand, Achieve - which is chartered by Grand Valley State University - will open as a K-6 school.

“The building is erect and the brick work on the outside has been completed,” Williamson said. “Inside they're putting up dry wall and insulation, and getting ready to lay the asphalt and concrete for driveways and the parking lot.

“We'll be in the building by late July and open for the first day of school on Sept. 8,” she said.

Cathy Henkenberns is now principal at Canton Charter Academy, which is chartered by Central Michigan University.

Universal Academy has had its roots in Detroit — near the Dearborn border — since 1998, with approximately 450 students in grades k-12. Superintendent Nawal Hamadeh said the school, chartered by Oakland University, focuses on the Michigan core curriculum standards and international cultures.

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“With emphasis on the Arabic culture; preservation of our own culture and assimilation in the American culture,” said Hamadeh, who noted the new school will add pre-kindergarten. “For the most part, our students have a middle eastern background. However, enrollment is open to the public and we would love to have students from everywhere.



“We've been looking for years and not been able to find a suitable facility to house our programs and students,” she said. “We want to have a complete program with an athletic field, a gymnasium, bigger media center and science and computer labs.”

The 66,000-square-foot, single-story school will be located on Cherry Hill Road, between Canton Center and Beck roads. The school is expected to be constructed in time for the 2010-2011 school year.

“We found Canton has more properties available that will allow for new construction,” Hamadeh said. “The Middle Eastern community is growing in the Canton area and there's a need for a program like ours.”




Edited by IlikeLIvonia, May 28 2009, 03:04 PM.
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Whatever
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Quote:
 
“We've had more than a thousand children on the waiting list at Canton Charter Academy for several years,” said Williamson. “The bulk of them are from the Plymouth-Canton school district.


Why are so many unhappy with Plymouth-Canton? :o
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Whatever
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The charter in Livonia is out of room. They are looking to expand in Livonia because they are maxed out on Middlebelt. In fact, they are splitting up the grades temporarily by leasing Our Lady of Loretto from the Archdiocese for 3 years. K-2 will stay on Middlebelt and they will house 3-6 at OLOL. Their charter is for Livonia so they have to find something here when their lease is up. Imagine if there was land available in Livonia. I'm sure more people would be pulling their kids out of LPS. Probably why LPS is reluctant to sell off their unused land.
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Momof4
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There is room - Taylor, Hull, etc. What's wrong, LPS??? are you afraid of a little competition???

If LPS school are SO great then letting a Charter school rent your buildings should not worry you at all. Why would anyone leave LPS ??


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Ms. AK
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Has anyone seen old Perrinville? What a mess over there at Farmington/Hines/Ann Arbor junction?

A charter would keep up the grounds--that would be one bene.

Also, it should be noted that Mr. Liepa's doctoral dissertation was on how charter schools impact public school. He appears to be very anti-charter, as I believe Mr. Watson was?

I was at first, as well. But, if they are doing a good job and present more options--that seems to be a good thing.
Krome on Cars

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Summertime
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[ *  *  * ]
I agree with you Momof4. Hull would be perfect for a charter school. Livonia is afraid of competition, look how long it took Livonia to allow another cable company in. I think it's a control thing too.
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New charter school opens with 560 students and a plan for more

By Brad Kadrich • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • August 30, 2009

When National Heritage Academies was building its first charter school in Canton nine years ago, officials tabbed Claudia Williamson to be the school's first teacher.

So it seemed natural that when NHA wanted to open its second school this year, they'd turn to a familiar face. That's why Williamson was the one welcoming visitors, students and parents to Achieve Academy's grand-opening ceremony Tuesday.
The K-6 school opens its doors next week, with the veteran Williamson at the helm. And she's happy to be there.

“There was a great need in this community,” for a second charter school, Williamson said. “I have a lot invested in this community.”

Achieve Academy opens with 560 students in grades kindergarten through sixth, a change Williamson asked NHA officials to make from normal company policy of stopping at the fifth grade.

The school draws from more than a dozen southeast Michigan school districts, among them Plymouth-Canton (from which it draws by far its biggest contingent at 280 students), Van Buren, South Redford, Livonia, Farmington, Wayne-Westland and Garden City.

The school not only opens Sept. 8 at capacity (plans are to eventually expand to a K-8 school serving more than 700 students), but there's a waiting list of more than 900 kids now.

“We have an educational program parents want,” Williamson said. “With the rigor of our academic program, parent involvement and moral development ... I think we have a great product.”

Achieve Academy opens in a 45,000-square-foot facility on Denton, construction of which started in April. The building features individual art and music classrooms, a comprehensive media center, gym and a designated parent area.

The school employs 30 teachers and will have a 25-1 student-teacher ratio in kindergarten classes, 27-1 in grades 1-6.

The curriculum, according to school officials, centers around challenging academics, a strong moral focus and a commitment to parental partnership along with student responsibility.


“We have a great opportunity to have a dramatic impact and create great citizens,” said NHA CEO Jeff Clark. “Parents tell me they really appreciate our high academic standards. Our teachers embrace student accountability for learning. We really focus on character traits that are going to create great people.”

Aliyah Patni of Canton had her daughter, Zahra, in an NHA school in Ypsilanti last year and is excited by the chance to have her attend Achieve this year.
“I love the moral focus part of NHA,” Patni said. “They have a lot of parent involvement, and I like the approach they use. I like the teachers ... they challenge their students.”

Canton Township Supervisor Phil LaJoy said Achieve Academy (and Canton Charter Academy) don't take away from educational opportunities in an area that has an 18,000-student public school district (Plymouth-Canton Community Schools). Instead, he said, it adds to the quality.

“It's about community, it's about education, and we do that better than anyone else,” LaJoy said. “It's about the kids.”

bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-8899

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090830/NEWS03/908300466/1020/rss17
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Mission, vision and philosophy

The mission of Achieve Academy will be to offer high quality education that emphasizes the learning of core academic knowledge and foundational character values. Parents, students, and staff work together to create a safe and caring environment where quality scholarship, punctuality, and good citizenship are developed; and to encourage in our pupils the desire and capacity to be life-long learners.
Academic Excellence

A quality K-8 education sets the critical foundation for a student’s success in high school, college and beyond. Achieve Academy is proud to offer a first-rate curriculum to provide students with a thorough understanding and mastery of the core subjects of language arts, science, math, and social studies. Recognizing the critical role proper curriculum plays in achieving academic excellence, our curriculum is constantly evaluated and improved by a dedicated curriculum team. All Achieve Academy teachers receive extensive training on how best to deliver the curriculum in their classrooms through the use of proven teaching methods. Before joining Achieve Academy, all teachers attend New Teacher Orientation, where they receive intensive instruction from an experienced team of education experts, mentor teachers, and teacher trainers. In addition to several professional development opportunities throughout the year, our teachers may also elect to participate in NHA University to advance professionally and earn graduate-level college credits. These measures ultimately serve to improve our students’ academic performance, which is our top priority.

Moral Focus

At Achieve Academy, we believe great schools develop both a student’s heart and mind. Our moral focus program is designed to support our parents' efforts to teach character at home by reinforcing and modeling universal human virtues, such as compassion, respect, and integrity. A different virtue is featured each month of the school year and is supported by curriculum in the classroom. Students more readily absorb the true meaning of character qualities when they are presented in the context of everyday life. Because of this, Achieve Academy seeks to make these universal moral principles a part of all learning that occurs in our classrooms. Teachers model behavior that exemplifies the virtue and recognize students when they do the same. Classrooms may be selected to perform a skit at a school-wide assembly that highlights the virtue of the month. The moral focus creates a school environment that is not just physically safe, but also emotionally safe. Students are taught to respect their classmates, make smart decisions, and resolve disputes in a manner that displays strong character.

Parental Partnerships

Research shows that the more parents are involved in their child's education, the more likely the child is to be successful. At Achieve Academy, parents will be an integral part of their child's education. In many ways, they are as important as the teachers themselves. Our environment encourages parents to take an active role in partnership with the school. This close interaction among teacher, parent, and student promotes the optimum learning environment for the child. Most importantly, it keeps parents engaged and helps ensure the child's success. Open communication between the school and parents is fostered and encouraged to ensure that parents know what is happening in their child’s school and classroom.

Parents are also encouraged to volunteer their time in the classroom, performing a variety of tasks such as reading to students, tutoring or simply helping the teacher with class projects.

Student Responsibility

Achieve Academy believes that a direct correlation exists between good behavior and student achievement. The staff also believes that we must provide a safe environment to learn.

The commitment to academic excellence on the part of our parents and teachers creates an environment in which classroom learning is our primary focus and inappropriate behavior is not tolerated. Students come to understand that school is for learning, not for bullying, teasing or behaving disrespectfully.

Student expectations are clearly communicated as we take a proactive stance in promoting the Student Code of Conduct as outlined below.

• Respect and obey all staff members, adults, and those connected to the school.

• Respect fellow students at all times.

• Respect property of the school, fellow students, staff members, and area neighbors.

• Use acceptable language at all times.

• Cooperate in keeping the school building and premises neat and clean.

• Demonstrate honesty, courtesy, and kindness in relationships with fellow students, staff members, and adults.

• Obey all rules and regulations with respect to the safe and orderly operation of the school.

• Observe the required school dress code policy as outlined.

• Be punctual in attendance except in cases of illness, excused absence or emergency.

Philosophy

At Achieve Academy, we believe that every child deserves a high quality education in a safe, structured learning environment where they are challenged to achieve and offered the support, resources, and guidance to succeed.
http://achieve.heritageacademies.com/missionvisionphilsophy/
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Purple Haze
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does anyone know if charter schools have school boards?

I would surely miss school board meetings - NOT!
Edited by Purple Haze, Sep 1 2009, 09:05 AM.
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Saxon Math utilized at Heritage Academy

Comparison EDM v Saxon
http://www.teach-nology.com/forum/showthread.php?p=35988

Mathematics
To prepare students for the math-based challenges they will face in everyday life, as well as for the rigors of high school and post-high school mathematics, NHA has developed a strong mathematics curriculum that emphasizes computational and procedural skills, problem solving, communicating, reasoning and proof, making connections and use of representations. As students gain fluency in computational and procedural skills, they develop a deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts and reasoning required for problem solving. Students learn to represent and communicate ideas through the use of signs, symbols, models, graphs, mathematical terms and through writing. Students investigate and analyze problems and possibilities using logical thinking, reasoning and proofs. Connections among mathematical ideas, as well as connections to other subject areas are explored. Mathematical thinking, problem solving and reasoning skills and strategies are refined in topic areas including Number Sense and Operations, Algebra and Functions, Geometry, Measurement, Data Analysis and Probability and Problem Solving.

http://heritageacademies.com/curriculum/math/
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Charter schools are basically public schools run by outside entities. Like traditional public schools, no tuition is charged to parents and every child that applies must be accepted (unless classrooms are full, in which case a lottery is held).

Charter schools are overseen by state-approved sponsors like state universities, community colleges and local school boards. Because enrollment is voluntary, charter schools are more accountable to parents. They are granted a certain level of autonomy and are free to hire their own staffs, develop curriculum and create their own educational and operations methods. In the end though, charter schools are always under the direct supervision of the school board and operating sponsor.

Charter schools also receive per-student funds and must adhere to all state and federal education, safety and health statutes. Should a charter school fail to meet specific standards, their charter might not be renewed and the school shut down.
While some charter schools operate independently, others are run by management organizations that operate the school, hire and manage staff, provide curriculum and maintain the facility.

National Heritage Academies is such a charter school management organization.
http://achieve.heritageacademies.com/charter_school_canton/
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Whatever
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one_observer
Sep 1 2009, 08:10 AM
Saxon Math utilized at Heritage Academy

Comparison EDM v Saxon
http://www.teach-nology.com/forum/showthread.php?p=35988

Mathematics
To prepare students for the math-based challenges they will face in everyday life, as well as for the rigors of high school and post-high school mathematics, NHA has developed a strong mathematics curriculum that emphasizes computational and procedural skills, problem solving, communicating, reasoning and proof, making connections and use of representations. As students gain fluency in computational and procedural skills, they develop a deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts and reasoning required for problem solving. Students learn to represent and communicate ideas through the use of signs, symbols, models, graphs, mathematical terms and through writing. Students investigate and analyze problems and possibilities using logical thinking, reasoning and proofs. Connections among mathematical ideas, as well as connections to other subject areas are explored. Mathematical thinking, problem solving and reasoning skills and strategies are refined in topic areas including Number Sense and Operations, Algebra and Functions, Geometry, Measurement, Data Analysis and Probability and Problem Solving.

http://heritageacademies.com/curriculum/math/
Thanks Observer!

I agree with this poster:

EDM: This is a horrible program. It is developmentally innapropriate. The top 10% of students do well and the other 90% of students are chronically confused. This program appears to have been created on the premise that high school math should be taught in elementary school, and elementary math should be skipped entirely. If anyone can explain why ten year olds need to be able to solve algebraic equations involving negative numbers calculated to the 10,000 power, but don't need to learn how to multiply, then I would love to hear that explanation.

Hey Sheila and Randy,

Why are you still using this crappy program? Do you remember your college algebra class? Think back....it hasn't changed that much. Maybe you guys need to audit a class @ Schoolcraft. Hello? Johnny needs to learn how to add, subtract, mulitply and divide in elementary school. The calculator is useless in algebra if you can't perform basic operations. How do you divide polynomials and factor in algebra without the basics? Hello? You need to know ALL of your multiplication facts (not just the easy ones) and traditional LONG DIVISION is crucial. Oh, I forgot, long division is a one day project in LPS. What a joke! EM is a disaster! Actually, maybe the elementary teachers of Livonia should take a college algebra course. Maybe then they could actually see what elementary students need to know to succeed in high school and college. There is a huge disconnect between what is taught at the elementary level vs. what is actually needed for higher level math. If you don't believe me, ask a retired LPS high school teacher who tutors LPS students. This former teacher does not like EM or CM. His tutoring business is booming though.
Edited by Whatever, Sep 1 2009, 09:58 AM.
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