The American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland serves a population that is similar to Mueller’s… but they get much different results. They are widely praised for achieving an amazing API of 967, one of the highest scores in the entire state!
Last night we read an LA Times article about the school. Here are some questions to reflect on:
• Would you send your child to the American Indian Charter School?
• The article quotes a donor from the Koret Foundation in the Bay Area as saying:
“They really should be the model for public education in the state of California. What I will never understand is why the world is not beating a path to their door to benchmark them, learn from them and replicate what they are doing.”
Are they a model? Should we be “beating a path to their door” to replicate what they are doing?
• This may be an excellent article to help us align our core values with our actions and our efforts here at Mueller: Who are we as an organization? What do we stand for? What are we willing to do to get results like the American Indian Charter School… and what are we NOT willing to do?
What guiding questions would you pose to your colleagues about this article?
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:42 am
The 2nd grade team most definitely would NOT send our children to this school. It seems to take the factory model of education to new heights. We wondered how these “cookie cutter” students would compete in the real world outside of academia. We wondered what their problem-solving and critical thinking skills look like. We also wondered how connected the students are in light of yesterday’s article. Some food for thought:
How can we tighten our transitions between RIT groups and in the classroom?
How can we as a school rework our behavior plan so that it more consistently implemented and so that consequences are better defined?
We keep talking about how nice it would be to have a school-wide character development curriculum…can we get on that this year?
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:00 am
The fifth grade team questions the character of the students at this school. Are they living in fear? Will they be successful in the long run? Are they well-rounded students? This school does not seem to nurture the whole child.
This school does not promote struggling students. Is that the right choice? Many students elsewhere are promoted to the next grade that are not proficient. Do we retain these students?
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
I’d like to observe for a day at this school…their test scores are super impressive, so they must be doing something right, but on the other hand, it almost sounds like Westpoint Military Academy, a bit harsh for elementary education. They mention that they teach to the test, what exactly does this look like?
There are some important factors pointed out such as the extreme focus of the students on learning with no disruptions or behavior problems. This is just about every teacher’s dream, but what are the moral ways of getting there? Also mentioned were the quick transitions between subjects, demonstrating an emphasis on making every minute at school effective learning time. How is MCLA and the rest of our classrooms making sure to make each minute count?
Would I send my daughter to this school? Probably not. It doesn’t sound like a very well-rounded place of learning:science taught only through the text book, no technology, not to mention the detention hours! But then again, do I want my daughter at Princeton or not? It would be interesting to take a trip to observe these schools.
Carolyn Ortiz
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:02 am
Interesting article… There are a few things we feel the school does well. We like that the students are exposed to 90 minutes of math and 90 minutes of reading each day. Students are definitely focused on the standards. We also liked that the students have school pride.
With that being said, we have so many wonderings… Wouldn’t all schools do well if there were an application process and students not making the grade were weeded out? Are the needs of the “whole” child being met, if they are only being taught to the test? Are these students who are coming from a low economic background being exposed to the technology necessary for their future well-being? Are humiliation tactics the best way to ensure high performance? Where are the opportunities for social interaction? Are they breeding thinkers, or workers?
In conclusion, we are unanimous in believing that we would neither be welcomed as teachers, nor would we send our own children to this school!
~Mueller Third Grade Team
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
After reading this article, our team feels that although American Indian is achieving high results we would NOT send our children to this school. Our team values individuality through independent thinking and creativity. Classrooms at American Indian seem to mass produce cookie cutter students who may get lost in the real world. Lost because they developmentally LOST their critical learning years to answering multiple choice questions.
Multi-age Team
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:06 am
We absolutely would not send our children to this school. It not only contradicts our beliefs as educators, but what happens when these students venture out into the read world? Yes they can take a test, but can they handle the tough streets of Oakland and the real world of college(MIT)!
In addition we wonder if the scores are accurately portrayed in this article or if they are obscured by the selection process? As professionals we question the dismissal of students due to one absence for watching a profound moment in our history. Of course if we taught directly to a test and only kept students throughout the year that were academically proficient one would believe that we too would have a near perfect API.
We like the idea of setting high standards, and holding students accountable for their actions. The question that we pose is when and how do we allow students the chance to fall in love with learning so that their internal motivation is their driving force in achieving great success in life!
4th Grade and Special Ed.
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:27 am
Very interesting and thought provoking. The article on the American Indian Charter School led us to reflect more on who we are as a school. True, our objective here at Mueller Charter School is to have 90% of our students perform at grade level and be prepared to change the world in our 21st Century, but the way in which we reach those goals is pillared on enriching the spirit and mind of the whole child. We don’t use rote memorization and “teaching to the test” to reach our goals. Neither do we belittle or disrespect our students. We do however encourage our students’ intrinsic love and curiosity for learning through hands-on activities, technology, and addressing the multiple intelligences. And we do treat our students with as much love and respect as we would for our own children.
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:16 am
First Grade Team:
This brought up some moral questions for the first grade team we would not send our children to such a school, because of the intolerant environment and the over focus on test scores. However, we also questioned the things they were doing right at this school. The discipline is extreme but there is follow through, consistency, and it is outside of the classroom. The learning climate is so structured that no one steps out of line.
We wondered what is compromised if there is too much of a focus on test taking. Do the kids at American Indian have social skills? Are they able to work in small groups? We feel that a focus at Mueller is to educate the “whole” child. How connected do the students at American Indian feel?
We feel that the American Indian School should not be a model because it is hard to duplicate and “one size doesn’t fit all.”
Thanks for reading
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:49 pm
In a world that is constantly changing and evolving, we wonder how the seemingly militant and rigid structure at American Indian School may negatively impact its students in the long run. Although their test scores are among the highest, we wonder if anything is being compromised as it relates to student learning and student wellness.
While we don’t want to dismiss any of American Indian School’s hard work, we have to wonder:
Are students being taught to think critically or think globally?
Are students being taught the importance of community?
Are the students at American Indian School happy?
In the end, we, as an organization, must continually work on how to strike a balance of preparing our students for the real world…and the testing world.