Is the Museum Charter School Right for You

Is the Museum Charter School Right for You?

Increased Learning Opportunities for all Pupils

The Museum School has a unique academic program that attempts to serve the learning needs of all students. Using the California Academic Standards and California Frameworks as guides, the teaching staff continues to develop a rigorous curriculum designed to meet the new basic skills of a student in the 21^st century. Providing meaningful, contextualized learning within all subject areas is the primary concern. It is not enough to know how to read and write without being able to effectively communicate. It is not enough to know how to use the algorithms of mathematics without being able to apply the concepts in real world settings. The Museum School provides students with the opportunity to apply the concepts they are learning in the classrooms. Students publish books, which they and classmates then use in their language arts classes. They work in multi-age cooperative department groups throughout the year, through six different subject areas employing the arts, sciences, and community service. Students have extensive practice in math skills and their application, and receive weekly classes from professional artists in art, movement, and music.

A major benefit of being a small school is the attention our teaching staff can focus on the needs of the individual. When we receive our school’s test scores, it is easier for us to identify which individual students are struggling rather than breaking the school into sub-groups. Through daily staff meetings, the entire staff knows each child––understanding their strengths and identifying their weaknesses, both academically and socially. The chances of a student falling through the cracks are greatly diminished in such a setting.

A student in the 21^st Century needs not only a strong academic foundation, but also the ability to work in a variety of settings. Students at the Museum School work with a number of teachers and professionals from their respective fields throughout the week, allowing them the opportunity to work in a variety of settings and in a variety of modes, thus increasing the learning opportunities for all.

Different and Innovative Teaching Methods

The Museum School encourages the use of different and innovative teaching methods by empowering the teachers and staff so that they are able to respond immediately to the needs of the students in their tutelage. Teachers and staff regularly engage in professional conversation. Being a small school helps to foster an environment which facilitates those conversations towards effecting change. Teachers make changes to their programs, monitor student progress, and design curriculum to provide a broad spectrum of experiences that are not only motivating for the students, but also interesting for teachers to teach. Empowering teachers and staff garners results which are far reaching, in that students who may have had difficulty in their old schools seem to thrive, and teachers and staff feel that they are part of a team, are more effective in making changes which make a difference, and are dedicated to the school and school’s goals.

Because the workplace of the 21^st century is now driven by problem solving teams, children must work together cooperatively in developing multiple solutions to real-world situations. Teachers and staff model collaboration in all aspects of the school's operation. Students also have many opportunities to participate in those collaborative processes.

Transformational Goals: The Museum School’s "Transformational Goals" is one example of a Museum School innovation, with students collaborating with the teachers to develop the schools core values and ideas. While learning to read, write, and do arithmetic are important, "learning to learn" is our capstone skill and is supported by our "Transformational Goals" of becoming a responsible citizen, a productive worker, a creative and healthy individual, a problem solver, and a self-directed learner. Museum School students are "Learning for Life", which is also our school motto. To make these ideas really powerful and "transformative," teachers decided to include weekly whole school meetings where students problem solve and also validate progress toward our school goals. These ideas play a key part of our Museum School learning program and were directly incorporated into the report card.
Multiage, Developmental Approach: While using the California Standards as a guide and benchmark for learning, we accept that children don’t all learn at the same rates. The Museum School takes a flexible time approach to learning by using a multi-age, developmental model. Students are not measured in pass or fail finality. Instead, at the Museum School we see learning as a continuum. Each student progresses at an appropriate pace towards final goals in academic and citizen development, which leads to greater success over the long run. The report card measures progress over four years of development towards mastery in terms of emergent, refining, or proficient. No one "fails" in this setting; rather, students are working towards proficiency and can take responsibility for their own education and development.
Apprentice-style learning and Subject Matter Experts: In this multi-age setting, students have the opportunity to step into various roles over the course of their elementary careers. Apprentice-style classes––such as world music, gamelan, or dance––provide opportunities where students may be the novice, and at other times be the mentor for other student learners. We foster professional mentorship by contracting with working artists in the community, so that students can learn from professional experts. These interactions also build life changing experiences and relationships.
Departments: Through "Departments" teachers innovate curriculum and design in-depth, thematic, inter-disciplinary units for small multi-age learning groups. Students rotate through six different "Departments" (e.g., Cooking, Gardening, Travel, Woodshop, Science, Newspaper, Technological Problem Solving, Photography, Video, etc.) based around a central shared theme––such as a World Culture and Celebration, Systems, Evolution, and Energy. Following a theme through the different "Departments", students experience many ways to explore a "big idea" in science or social studies. Students cultivate skills in collaboration and researching, using various disciplines and technology––towards project presentations.
Team Teaching: Students in this environment have lots of teachers. Teachers and subject matter experts collaborate to provide a comprehensive educational program, and also make plans together to specifically address the needs of individual students. Report cards, which follow a developmental continuum, are completed through group effort. Teachers and staff work together as a "team" to know and educate the "whole" child.
Interacting with the Surrounding Community: The small school setting and dynamic groupings allow for innovation in the programs, so that students can interact with the surrounding community and use the community resources. When we were downtown, children in the Cooking Department visited restaurants in the neighborhood to learn about different cultural foods. We also walked to the YMCA to swim for PE, students made weekly visits to the downtown public library to gather books and research, and the Community Service Department worked with pre-schoolers at St. Vincent De Paul’s. Last year, in our temporary space near Balboa Park, students in the Community Service Department worked with the seniors at the Senior Center the next block over. Students in the Evolution of Flight Department examined the history of flight through visits to the Aerospace Museum. The Photography Department frequented the Museum of Photographic Arts and used new technologies and multimedia. The Human Evolution Department studied the exhibits in the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Man. The Animal Adaptation and Ecology Department conducted authentic research at the San Diego Zoo.

By empowering the staff to effect the changes necessary to support and use different and innovative teaching methods, and by practicing democratic processes so that the staff models those skills and can incorporate them into the learning program, the Museum School effectively prepares students to meet their roles as citizens in the 21^st century.

New Professional Opportunities for Teachers, Including the Opportunity to be Responsible for the Learning Program

As part of our structure, the Museum School follows five basic principles for effecting change: (1) everyone understands and agrees on the problem (these are in all areas of our operation: curriculum, staffing, business, etc., and in working with students), (2) find the "right" incentives and opportunities, (3) have effective professional development, (4) measure progress regularly and in a variety of ways, and (5) persevere and learn from our mistakes. The Museum School creates new professional opportunities for a teacher in that it is essentially a teacher run school, with teachers taking on many other roles beyond the traditional classroom teacher. Teachers are involved in all aspects of the school’s operation––making decisions in program design, curriculum, budget, and staffing. The current Teaching-Director, while assuming the duties of the administrator, also spends 2-4 hours daily teaching in the classroom. Each teacher has an integral part in the decision making process. The staff meets every morning from 8:30 to 9:00 to discuss the school’s program, scheduling, and student progress. Team teaching happens daily, and with it, team planning. Most curricula in the school are teacher created using the California Frameworks and Standards as guides. The school’s report card was developed by the teaching staff, based on the goals set by the school: "Transformational Goals," and academic goals correlated to California State Standards. Being a small school allows our staff to adapt the program to meet the needs of our students, and make better use of new resources.

The job satisfaction rate can be seen in the very low turnover rate of the staff. Since the Museum School's inception, only two teachers have left and that was to start new families. The Museum School is a wonderful place to work collaboratively in making a difference in education.

Expanded Choices for Students and Parents/Guardians in the Types of Educational Opportunities Available within the District

The Museum School is one of 22 charter schools in the San Diego Unified School District. The range of programs within these schools is substantial. The Museum School extends the opportunities for learning by offering the benefit of a small school setting in which academic rigor and personal learning goals go hand in hand. The small setting allows for a greater focus on challenges that may be interfering with a student’s success. This appeal reaches far and wide. The Museum School has students from throughout the district’s boundaries in attendance, reflecting the diversity of San Diego. In 2002/2003 the Museum School’s enrollment was 43% White, 26% Hispanic, 23% African/American, and 8% Asian/Filipino. Further, the Museum School regularly receives more applicants than space permits. Attendance records show that our students enjoy being at school. For the past two years, the average daily attendance rate has been over 95%, and has never been below 92% in the school’s history.

The school makes efforts to recruit from all over the city of San Diego. The school is listed in the district’s Choice Catalog, advertises as part of the Children’s Museum’s quarterly newsletter "The Muse", and displays flyers at community events such as the Adam’s Avenue Street Fair, Artwalk, and local farmers markets. The Museum School has an updated website http://museumschool.sandi.net that encourages inquiries and applicants.

At the Museum School, the belief is that learning takes places in many different ways. Each student is unique. The charge as a charter school is to provide an innovative curriculum that can lead to the success of all students. With this in mind, it is understood that a learning environment that fits the needs of one child may not fit the needs of another child. The Museum School makes every effort to work with parents and students in making an educated decision to attend the Museum School. Apart from prospective parent meetings, the first week of September is used to invite incoming students and parents to an informal, individual meeting with all teachers. This allows for all parties to become familiar with one another, and allows for a comfortable setting in which the teachers can assess academic skill levels before the first day of school. A sense of community is instilled and fostered from day one. It is understood that once you are a Museum School Kid, you are always a Museum School Kid.

Improved Pupil Learning

The Museum School holds firm the belief that there are multiple measures of how well a student is developing academically and socially. We strive to educate the whole child in habits of heart and mind. We see this working in numerous ways. Our students attend school on a regular basis, they solve problems constructively, and they participate in school wide decisions. Our students perform well in the multiple presentations they give for our school families throughout the year, and they reflect on their own learning.

Our alumni and parents also report that their Museum School education is long lasting. Though many of these reports are anecdotal, we see and hear from our alumni as they continue their relationship with the school. Approximately 80% of our graduated students and families return to continue their participation in our school and various activities. These include coming back to teach our younger students Balinese dance, continuing their education in world music playing the gamelan in an after-school program, performing with Puspa Warsa (our Balinese music and dance performance troop), supporting our fund-raising events such as our "Friends and Family Night", or helping us in our community service projects such as our "Empty Bowls Dinner." Our alumni often join us to welcome our newcomers at our "Back to School Potluck," and come to see the next graduating class off at the 6^th Grade Graduation ceremony. Many alumni come back to talk to 6^th graders on "Alumni Night" about what to expect in Junior High and how to prepare for the move. Alumni tell us that they have "learned how to learn," and parents tell us that their children seem more self-directed and confident in making the "right decisions" in choosing friends and activities.

As with each public school the Museum School also takes part in California Standardized Testing. The Museum School sees this as just one indicator of how well a student or a school is doing. Museum School test scores show that with innovative teaching, and the provision of a wide variety of opportunities, students can do well. The school’s API (Academic Performance Index) score has increased every year with the exception of 2003. The school’s current API for 2004 surpasses the statewide performance target at a very impressive 825, after having increased 54 points, from 771 in 2003. This score stands 114 points above the district’s current API average and 132 above the state average. The school has met Annual Yearly Progress each year under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. By any measure, the Museum School is improving student learning.