|
 |
 |
|
|
School Profile
Prosser Creek Charter School is located in Truckee, California, near Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nevada. The school opened in 1998, and is chartered by the Tahoe-Truckee Joint Unified School District. It has a total enrollment of approximately 850 students in grades K-12, with some 450 enrolled in the high school grades 9-12. The school's Web site (http://www.prosser.net) describes Prosser Creek as "a very exciting, innovative school that allows parents, students and educators to develop personal educational programs." The Center for Education Reform's National Charter School Directory 2000 adds that the school offers a "developmentally appropriate education for students through a combination of elective site-based and multi-aged classes, distance learning, mentorships and apprenticeships, community service, educational travel, performances, presentations, and independent study. Emphasis [is placed] on vocational training, technology, and the visual and performing arts." The school's lead administrator notes that Prosser Creek was originally founded "to provide support for home schooling families" in the Tahoe-Truckee area. Additional information pertaining to reasons for the school's founding can be found under the "School's Core Philosophy and Valued Outcomes" section below.
Prosser Creek's Web site describes the school's core philosophy as
reflecting the following belief: "Any child can be academically
successful when he or she receives information compatible with his or
her learning style and developmental ability. More importantly, we believe
that if a student is confident and comfortable in a learning environment,
he or she can thrive not only as a student, but also as a happy and
competent human being." The school's charter, available online
at (http://www.prosser.net/charter.pdf),
notes that it "emphasizes the development of academic thinking,
life skills, environmental, and social awareness, with the goal of creating
lifelong learners and thinkers." The school is committed to providing
a program that encourages the following:
INVOLVED GROUPS AND DECISIONMAKERS The planning and development stages of Prosser Creek are described by the school's lead administrator as being influenced most prominently by three groups of stakeholders: educators, parents, and potential students. The most significant stakeholders in terms of the school's policies, organizational mission, and direction are the principal/director, teachers, parents, and the Advisory Council (comprised of a student, a parent, a teacher, a local community representative, and a school district representative). In matters of curriculum and instruction, the most influential participants are the principal/director, teachers, parents, and students. Prosser Creek's charter notes that the school is to be "governed
jointly by the Executive Director and the School Advisory Council"
(described above). The Advisory Council is responsible for selecting
the Executive Director, reviewing and approving the budget, amendments
to the charter, and the school calendar. The Executive Director is responsible
for day-to-day operations of the school, including staff hiring and
supervision and preparing the budget. Employers perform a number of
functions, including both in-kind and direct resources as well as provision
of sites for student learning opportunities outside the school.
Prosser Creek's curriculum, according to the school's charter, involves
a choice of educational options which include the following:
Real-world learning opportunities that offer students opportunities
outside the classroom are described as being of "weak emphasis"
in the curriculum and organization at Minnesota Transitions, with less
than 25% of students actually experiencing such opportunities. Specific
forms that these real-world practices take include the following:
Among the challenges encountered by Prosser Creek during the early years of its existence was the balancing of site-based programs (at the school) with the home-schooling opportunities desired by parents. The lead administrator recalled, "…During the first year parents in the local community came forward asking for full-day, site-based programs. Our original configuration allowed students to take two or three classes on campus, home schooling the rest (with strong support from an educational coordinator). The parents recruited both teachers and students and were (and still are) actively involved in supporting a full-day, site-based program." An additional challenge is described as "state and local politics...We spend a great deal of time keeping abreast of and responding to politically motivated criticism and legislation," as well as "constant changes in legislation governing charter schools."
Finally, the school's lead administrator listed several specific challenges
related to operations and management:
Prosser Creek Charter School
Tel: (530) 550-2305
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||