If you are thinking about starting a charter school in Colorado, you should probably consider the comment we heard while visiting the Mesa Valley Community School — a rather unique charter school that serves mainly homeschooling families with specialty teachers and resources. I asked one of the staff members if she could summarize the most important aspect to the creation of a new charter school.
She thought for a moment.
“I guess I would say this. If you knew how much work this was going to require, you wouldn’t even start.”
But we started anyway. 18 months later, we are nearly finished with the first draft of the 200-page application we’ll be submitting to the Archuleta School District on August 1. The process has been a real education — about education. Thanks to a myriad thoughtful essays, books and studies produced by thinkers and educators from around the world, we were able to frame the questions that seems most essential to the planning of a charter school.
A few of the questions to which we sought answers:
What’s the best way to use a child’s natural curiosity to fuel a learning environment?
Does the manner, in which a child acquires knowledge and behavior patterns, influence the length of time that knowledge and patterns are retained?
How does daily nutrition influence learning?
In a world where information is universally and instantly available to anyone with a digital device, what are the essential skills and traits that will help a child navigate adulthood?
Much of the contemporary education research we came across suggested that — statistically speaking — character development is at least as important to a child’s future as academic knowledge. An individual who has developed the ability to work collaboratively, who is able to communicate effectively, who can take risks and deal with failure, who perseveres when difficulties arise… these types of personality strengths may mean at least as much — or more — in terms of eventual lifetime success, than academic abilities.
Can a school help enhance the character traits of its students, while also helping them learn about the world? If so, how does such a school operate?
Additional research has suggested that engaging children in interdisciplinary “Projects” — learning events that require growth in multiple fields of knowledge such as science, social studies, art, math, technology, writing, speaking, research — can also help with character development, while increasing knowledge retention. Retention is additionally increased, research suggests, when the learning events are directly relevant to the student’s life and surrounding community.
Would parents be interested in enrolling their children in such a school?
Here’s a section of the ‘Executive Summary’ that accompanied one of our Colorado League of Charter School grant reports:
Pagosa Peak Open School will be an experiential learning center with a focus on project-based educational instruction for grades K-8. Upon opening in September 2017, PPOS plans to serve 75 kids grades K-4, expanding each year until full capacity of grade eight is achieved in the fall of 2021. We plan to reach 135 students in 2021, with future years potential leading to full capacity of 168 students.
Multi-age classrooms will combine and 1st and 2nd grades, 3rd grades and 4th grades, 5th and 6th grades, and 7th and 8th grades, while Kindergarten will stand alone.
With a focus on place- and project-based educational instruction, PPOS believes hands-on, learner-centered instruction fosters a lifelong curiosity of learning. The open school foundation of education is a proven approach to educational instruction that responds to every child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn.
PPOS students are engaged in projects that result in high-quality products or performances for audiences beyond the classroom. Interdisciplinary projects are the primary structure for in-school learning and the teaching of core skills and content.
At PPOS the teaching staff are considered co-learners and collaborators with the children, and are referred to as “advisors.” Advisors are encouraged to facilitate the child’s learning by planning activities and lessons based on individual and group levels and interests, asking questions to further understanding, and actively engaging in activities alongside the students.
Students thrive in a respectful and friendly environment where advisors and children feel a strong fellowship and are comfortable communicating with each other. Children are taught from a multiple intelligences perspective, and each child is embraced for their differences, knowing that every person has a purpose and a place in society.
Guest speakers, apprenticeships, field trips, assemblies and volunteering for local non-profits and community projects or events will provide avenues for children to explore different interests and discover their place and personal worth.
Advisors and students work together to create product descriptors and rubrics, so that students are clear about features that represent high quality work. Group assessments and respectful critiques take place during all aspects of projects and address understanding and skills, while assessment of the final product is typically focused on craftsmanship and character learning targets. Verbal discussion, written feedback, and varying degrees of written reports will take the place of letter grades.
PPOS believes that the application of creative arts is pertinent for healthy mental development. Each person has a special way in which to create, and students will be encouraged to explore every and any avenue of interest in a safe, non-judgmental setting. Students will explore different customs and traditions from around the world, past and present, to gain understanding that artistic expression is the heart of every culture.
Our modern world is an ever-changing environment and PPOS feels it is vital that children have a deep understanding and respect of nature and their surroundings. Every Friday will be reserved for outdoor education. Environmental awareness courses, local area exploration, “green living” education and holistic health will be part of every child’s daily experience.
The collective preparation and sharing of food will be a central part of the culture at PPOS. Food projects including gardening, preservation, preparation, cooking, serving, and sharing, will be blended into academics and health lessons. Family-style meals will be shared with the advisors, staff, and visiting parents as a vital component in the school day.
Another question to which we sought a new answer:
Who is ultimately responsible for a child’s education?
In America, in the 21st century, there is a pervasive belief that The State is ultimately responsible for defining the Goals of Education, and it’s therefore The State which is ultimately responsible for achieving those same goals. Naturally, when goals are imposed on parents and children — and teachers — from the legislative halls in Washington DC and Denver, the only practical way to enforce achievement is through state-defined rewards and punishments.
Is it possible to create a school — a publicly-funded charter school — where the children and parents are ultimately responsible for defining the learning process?
What does that look like?
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.