The Des Moines School District is considering a charter school as a way to curb its rising drop-out rate. In the 2007-2008 year, just over 65% of students graduated. That's down from about 74% the previous year and 84% in the 2005-2006 school year.
"What students are saying is that 'I want that course work to really grab me. I don't want it to be boring,'" says Kittie Weston-Knauer, the former principal of Scavo Alternative High School in Des Moines. The now retired educator has been recruited by the district to take her knowledge of at-risk kids and help them create a new type of school.
"We know teens don't like being up before a certain hour, and their brain isn't working. That's proven. So we wouldn't even start our school day until nine in the morning but we'll extend it on the back side," she says. In addition to an adjusted schedule of 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the school would have an extended year of at least 220 days. It would also offer laptops for each student, smaller classes, and a mentoring program, said Weston-Knauer. The program would help guide students and their families from middle school to a college education. "Students are not just going to be ours from the day they enter until the day they graduate, but rather we are going to continue to work with our youth at least four years beyond high school," she says.
Currently, Iowa has nine charter schools across the state ranging from the Storm Lake/Iowa Central/Buena Vista Early College Charter High School to the Lincoln Academy of Integrated Arts Charter School in Davenport. The Des Moines school would start with 100 7th and 8th graders. If the plans are approved it would open in 2010, and funding would be covered by government grants as well as aid already in place for the students it would serve, officials say. "So we're not having to go to taxpayers and say this is additional funding," says Weston-Knauer.
The effectiveness of charter schools varies according to a new study from Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes. It found among 150 charter schools nationwide that 17% showed academic gains that were better than traditional public schools, 37% showed performance that was worse, and 46% showed no significant difference from traditional schools.
The Des Moines School Board is expected to make a decision on the charter school in September.
"What students are saying is that 'I want that course work to really grab me. I don't want it to be boring,'" says Kittie Weston-Knauer, the former principal of Scavo Alternative High School in Des Moines. The now retired educator has been recruited by the district to take her knowledge of at-risk kids and help them create a new type of school.
"We know teens don't like being up before a certain hour, and their brain isn't working. That's proven. So we wouldn't even start our school day until nine in the morning but we'll extend it on the back side," she says. In addition to an adjusted schedule of 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the school would have an extended year of at least 220 days. It would also offer laptops for each student, smaller classes, and a mentoring program, said Weston-Knauer. The program would help guide students and their families from middle school to a college education. "Students are not just going to be ours from the day they enter until the day they graduate, but rather we are going to continue to work with our youth at least four years beyond high school," she says.
Currently, Iowa has nine charter schools across the state ranging from the Storm Lake/Iowa Central/Buena Vista Early College Charter High School to the Lincoln Academy of Integrated Arts Charter School in Davenport. The Des Moines school would start with 100 7th and 8th graders. If the plans are approved it would open in 2010, and funding would be covered by government grants as well as aid already in place for the students it would serve, officials say. "So we're not having to go to taxpayers and say this is additional funding," says Weston-Knauer.
The effectiveness of charter schools varies according to a new study from Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes. It found among 150 charter schools nationwide that 17% showed academic gains that were better than traditional public schools, 37% showed performance that was worse, and 46% showed no significant difference from traditional schools.
The Des Moines School Board is expected to make a decision on the charter school in September.
