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School Profile
Greenville Technical Charter High School (GTCHS) is located on the campus of Greenville Technical College in the northwestern corner of South Carolina. The school currently enrolls approximately 230 students in grades 9-12. GTCHS views itself as providing an effective transition for students from high school to postsecondary education in a manner that meets the needs of local employers. This is accomplished by exposing students to a rigorous curriculum and opportunities for dual enrollment at Greenville Technical College. The lead administrator at GTCHS notes that the most pressing need that the school was founded to address was "…to have a seamless transition from secondary to post-secondary education which would [address] the needs of business and industry in the upstate region of South Carolina." In response to this perceived need, the school's program is described as having "a focus on rigorous academics, technology, and career education with dual credit offerings beginning as early as the ninth grade." A GTCHS teacher added that the school's development was prompted by "…the need and desire for more academic rigor, individualization of curriculum, and better preparation for the future in accordance to student demands."
The mission of GTCHS, as described by one of its lead administrators,
is "to provide equitable opportunities for students to receive
an education based on rigorous academics, technology, and career education
to prepare them for the workforce challenges of our current century."
The methods used by the school to achieve this mission, as noted on
its Web site (http://www.gtchs.org),
are as follows:
INVOLVED GROUPS AND DECISIONMAKERS The planning and development phases of GTCHS were influenced most prominently
by the following five stakeholder groups: educators, business/industry/trade
nonprofit employers, parents, potential students, and community advocates.
The most significant participants in terms of the school's policies,
organizational mission, and direction, as well as in matters of curriculum
and instruction, include the principal/director, teachers, and parents.
The instructional program at GTCHS is based on Mastery Learning, a process that requires teachers to plan differently and students to fully understand what mastery means, unit by unit of instruction. Putting this philosophy into practice, notes the school's Web site, requires "a whole new set of expectations for teachers, students and parents, where mediocrity is not an option." Students do not receive credit for final grades less than 80%, but teachers need to plan based on units of instruction that anticipate more allocated instructional time for those students than learn at a slower pace. In implementing Mastery Learning, the Web site notes, parents also need to know that this form of teaching and learning does not guarantee success for all students.
The five principles upon which the school's curriculum is based, according
to the GTCHS Web site, include:
Real-world learning opportunities that offer students opportunities
outside the classroom are described as a "moderate emphasis"
on the curriculum and organization at GTCHS, with administrators noting
that between 50-74% of students experience such opportunities. Specific
forms that these real-world practices take include the following:
GTCHS has encountered a number of challenges to date. The most important, as noted by one of the school's lead administrators, was "to define the purpose and mission of our school, rather than be defined as an 'alternative education program' which was often the case with the Greenville School District personnel. Far too many students enrolled in GTCHS in the first year that did not fit the profile and chose the wrong school. We needed to initiate a strong public relations campaign to create a 'brand identity' and to engage parents and the board of governors to create the image and reality of the school as a strong academic program based on choice, challenge, commitment, and change. The founding principal did most of this work and recruited essential board members to improve our financial condition and get the right message across to the general public. Board governance was also cited as an issue, in terms of finding appropriate role for the board in advancing the school and supporting its operation under the leadership of the principal. Staffing needs have been a challenge as well; the school recently hired a full time development officer to assist with marketing and public relations. Finally, expanded program offerings in technology and business education were identified as a challenge, which has been addressed primarily through linkages with specific businesses and industry.
Other issues that GTCHS has faced include the following:
Greenville Technical Charter High School
Tel: (864) 250-8844
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