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In schools we trust

In schools we trust

Community Reports@ EPA.net Posted 3/25/05             The Phoenix Academy is located on a shared campus with Edison Brentwood School, near the intersection of Clarke Avenue and Donohoe Street in East Palo Alto. In schools we trust New charter school is place for students and their parents too By Elaine Bryant Phoenix Academy parent and Board member As parents we are responsible for guiding our children to adulthood as healthy, informed, educated and well-adjusted citizens. This process takes time and the help of many people. This is so because it is the company we keep that largely determines our value system, degree of self-esteem and even our net worth. Another way of saying this is the proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.” Yet a majority of American families rely upon the school system alone to be the "village" and do not play an integral part in their children’s education. Is this a good practice? Let’s examine what we are doing. Our children are in school an average of fourteen years. With security such a concern nowadays, in many ways schools are more or less designed to keep adults away from students. After all, this is safest, right? For teenagers, this is fine; they want to stay away from adults anyway. But, what is the impact? In those fourteen years of school, about fourteen teachers more or less will have an opportunity to make lasting impressions and help shape the adult our sons and daughters will become. Carla Caracter (top),  Phoenix Academy parent, teaching assistant and board member, with students. During the 12 years from kindergarten through high school graduation, if you exclude summer, weekends and other breaks, students will actually spend only six years of total academic learning. Can 14 adults from varying backgrounds adequately represent the village that will impact our children? Can those 14 individuals spend the quantity and quality of time necessary to ensure a healthy, informed, educated and well adjusted citizen? At the Phoenix Academy, we believe the answer is NO. Common experience shows that people learn best when they have been shown how to do something. Students need to have adult mentors in order to develop good intellectual habits. We believe that parental involvement in education is the best source of adult mentorship and that it does create that larger village. At the Phoenix Academy, we challenge ourselves and our peer parents to rise to this level, to find a way to spend a minimum of two hours per week involved in their child or children’s education, either at home or at school. By soliciting the help of our extended family members, even parents that are working two jobs or those in a single parent home are able to meet the parent involvement requirement. At the Phoenix Academy, through parent involvement, the students are able to see more adults being proactive in their education and can have more opportunities to find adult role models to learn from and be inspired by. As charter school advocate Randy Gaschler says in his book Parent-Driven Schools, "I have yet to meet anyone who is as persuasive or passionate about education as an informed parent." There is parent representation on the staff, School Site Council and Board of Directors. Parents are encouraged to partner with their child(ren)’s teacher for improved communication, homework, lesson plans, behavior management and quarterly reviews. With the assistance of extended family members, students are represented at parent meetings and class audits, and in volunteer and school fundraising events. The Phoenix Academy is a tuition-free public charter school that offers enrollment to K-8 students within California. The school offers a multi-cultural environment with multi-age and multi-grade classrooms. There is a low student: teacher ratio, currently at an average of 12:1 and forecast for next school year at 18:1. Located in East Palo Alto with no geographic limitation for enrollment, students are currently representing the communities of East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Newark, Fremont and Milpitas with the majority being residents of San Mateo County. The school has a dedicated education team that works collaboratively and an administrative team that is an active leader within the charter school community. Teacher William Bronson has a multi-grade kindergarten through 2nd grade class at the Phoenix Academy. Parents, no matter which is your school of choice, I challenge you to evaluate the cost of trusting the school system to become your child’s village. The best school in America cannot spend the adequate time with your child to raise them without you. Enrollment for the upcoming school year is limited and due to an anticipated demand the application process will be conducted through an enrollment lottery. To apply, download the application form. For more information, view a current press release. To contact the Phoenix Academy, call 650-328-5600 or send email to info@thephoenixacademy.org. Note: You will need Adobe Reader to open the application form and the press release. Click for free download of Adobe Reader.

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