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Whole School Paper

Cornerstones for Success
Lawrence Family Development Charter School

By Peter Kamberelis, Director of Development
With the assistance of a dedicated team of professional educators

Massachusetts Charter School Association
Exemplary Whole School Model Dissemination Grant

2002

HISTORY

The Lawrence Family Development Charter School (LFDCS) was founded in 1995 by a coalition of Hispanic parents and community leaders who were dissatisfied with the local public school system’s inability to be responsive to the academic, language, cultural, and developmental needs of their children. The founders wanted to provide an alternative that supported language and cultural values important to families in the community. They dedicated themselves and the school to educating the children of immigrants and other new arrivals to the City of Lawrence and preparing them and their families to move forward with skills needed for success in the 21^st Century.

Since its founding LFDCS has been a School Linked Services Site, making a wide variety of community resources (health services, ESL classes, computer training, etc.) available, either on site or through referral, to students, parents, and other adults in the City of Lawrence. After successfully completing our first five years of operation and the charter renewal application process, we received a five-year charter renewal from the Massachusetts Department of Education in May of 2000. The school opened in 1995 with 178 students enrolled in Kindergarten through third grade. It has grown since then to a Kindergarten through eighth grade institution with an enrollment of 500 students. We anticipate reaching our full enrollment goal of 540 students during the 2003-2004 school year.

Lawrence Family Development and Education Fund, Inc.

The Lawrence Family Development and Education Fund, Inc. (LFDEF), the sponsoring organization of our charter school, was established in 1992 to address issues important to families in the City of Lawrence. The organization’s goals are focused on educating families as a means of strengthening the community. LFDEF was begun as a nonprofit entity to develop new projects that would carry out the mission and vision of the founders. LFDEF was also started to access and manage resources that would support the work of the Lawrence Youth Commission, which addresses issues such as education reform, minority leadership, awareness of and access to college and careers and which, through its community service programs, gives youths an opportunity to discover their skills and potential, and to see themselves as builders of their community. Moreover, LFDEF operates programs such as City C.O.R.E., one of the original AmeriCorps programs in Massachusetts, and YouthBuild, a national education and job-training program.

In addition to its role as the sponsor of LFDCS, the Lawrence Family Development and Education Fund, Inc. functions as the 501 (c) (3) nonprofit funding conduit for private giving and foundation grants awarded to our charter school. It is also the owner of the property that houses the school. See Appendix A for a summary of the steps taken to secure land and develop facilities for LFDCS.

With the opening of LFDCS, we embarked on a mission to provide every child with the values, knowledge, and skills needed to achieve full potential, personally and at work. It was also our goal to help our students develop the ability and desire to contribute actively to the civic and economic life of our diverse and changing democratic society. LFDCS established the following academic goals to achieve this mission, here paraphrased from the original (1995) charter:

• Students will demonstrate competency in challenging subject matter and will work in mixed ability groups where they will study English, Spanish, mathematics, history, geography, science, civics, social studies, economics, and the arts.

• Students will achieve fluency in English and Spanish by their fifth year in school through a two-way language program.

• The teaching and administrative staff will generate and evaluate curriculum and assessment tools.

• Teachers will receive ongoing professional development throughout the year to enhance their skills in instruction, curriculum development, and assessment.

• The education program will address competencies in communication, including technology.

From the beginning, a high percentage of minority students have enrolled in the school. The majority comes from economically disadvantaged families whose first language is Spanish. They arrive at school under prepared for learning and with many of the developmental needs of children raised in poverty. In the 2001-2002 school year our student population was comprised of 97.4% Hispanics, 1.6% Asians, .4% African Americans, and .6% Caucasians. Additionally, 9.8% of the students had special needs, 81.2% were from economically disadvantaged families, and 98.0% were linguistic minorities.

The extent and depth of these factors, the impact they have on effective delivery of the academic program, and the subsequent need to realign our curriculum and services based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, have been the primary challenges of our work, challenges that have led us to evaluate and change many of our practices as we create and implement a successful academic program.

To prepare our students for the rigorous standards of state and national assessments, we aligned our curriculum with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. In 1998 we undertook a reevaluation of our standards and our assessment system and made changes in order to improve student performance (see "Assessment"). A teacher task force committed to strengthening standards and teaching strategies and a nationally recognized standards researcher created benchmarks to assist us in this effort. Additionally, our teachers regularly plan together and implement grade-level integrated thematic units designed to link current learning to past experiences and other subjects.

The curriculum has been continuously updated and aligned with the Massachusetts Frameworks, as new grades have been added (each year since 1995). Additionally, the curriculum continues to be updated at all grade levels on a regular basis, as we respond to the needs of our students and the changes in our programs relative to the changes made by the Massachusetts Department of Education. Moreover, we have in place and continue to develop a curriculum map, which enables us to gain information about what is being taught and when, and to identify gaps and repetitions in curriculum, so necessary changes can be made. Mapping will also allow for interdisciplinary connections as well as technology, extra-curricular, and enrichment opportunities.

One area of the English Language Arts curriculum where we have made considerable change is writing. In the fall of 2001, a new writing program, LINKS (by Educational Performance Systems, Inc., www.epsi-usa.com), was adopted for use in Kindergarten through fifth grade to provide students with the systematic instruction needed, especially for second language learners for whom written language is often very challenging. The new program emphasizes pre-writing, teaching children how to organize ideas before they start putting them in paragraphs. Written activities begin with brainstorming ideas, developing vocabulary banks, writing topic sentences, adding detail, and then summarizing the written piece with a "clincher." The students have benefited from the explicit instruction, modeling, and practice, which support all areas of written language. In addition, teachers and individual learning assistants work one-on-one with students to review their work and provide needed instruction in sentence structure and grammar.

During the 2001-2002 school year we also made significant changes in the way we teach mathematics in Kindergarten through fifth grade. In the past, a traditional pedagogy and text were used and did not produce positive results on the MCAS. Administrators and teachers analyzed newer, more successful models and selected Investigations Curriculum, a hands-on, standards-based curriculum emphasizing problem solving, developed by TERC in Cambridge, MA (www.terc.edu), with a grant from the National Science Foundation.

The curriculum requires the classroom teacher to introduce math concepts and work more as a facilitator, placing the responsibility for problem solving on the student. Students spend time exploring, finding more than one solution to many problems, and developing their own strategies based on their understanding of mathematical relationships. Students sometimes work alone or in small groups; they use manipulatives and discuss and write about their thinking. Concrete materials and appropriate technology, including the use of calculators, have become a part of their math work. Teachers actively engage students, helping them reflect back on what they have learned and how they learned it.

Teachers report that with the new math curriculum they see students more engaged in the mathematical process, better able to articulate how and why they arrive at their answers, and better able to move from the concrete to the abstract. Over the next few years, the Investigations Curriculum will be phased into the curriculum for the upper grades.

At LFDCS we are committed to continuous assessment and improvement. The changes we’ve made in math and writing instruction are just two examples of how we’ve evaluated our work, applied what we’ve learned, and have made improvements to our program. Our academic and philosophical goals have been the guideposts to establishing programs, priorities, and policies throughout our seven-year history.

"Strong families, working in partnership with the school as advocates for academic achievement, will create an environment where every child has the opportunity to acquire the foundation skills and habits of mind that foster life-long learning, citizenship participation, and personal fulfillment."

This mission or vision statement was written in 1995 by LFDEF, the sponsoring organization of our charter school, and included in the original charter school proposal. It has been the driving force behind our efforts to provide a curriculum relevant to our community, a curriculum that will prepare students to excel in the 21^st century. Our goals, objectives, standards, and expectations are rooted in our mission. Based on our vision, the work of our school focuses on five cornerstones for success, established by our founders:

1. The Academic Program. Our program includes a dual language model with student learning in both Spanish and English. The goal is to enable students to attain advanced levels of functional proficiency in two languages and to promote understanding of and appreciation for the cultures represented by the languages studied. The primary objective is to teach students language and literacy skills that will allow them to function effectively in both their personal and professional lives. We feel the development of literacy will foster a love of learning to read, and then the competency of reading to learn.

2. Family Resources. Our goal is to make assistance available to all families, particularly immigrants and newcomers facing the poverty of economics, education, and experience, which can accompany the transition into the community. We feel these services (such as providing after school programs, breakfast and lunch to all eligible children, complete health and dental care for those students who do not have health insurance, workshops and classes for parents) help provide parents and families the skills and resources to become advocates for their children and partners with the school.

3. Leadership. We believe there is a strong link between school success and effective and consistent leadership. As a result, our school has a Board of Trustees, composed of parents and community leaders; the board provides valuable oversight and focuses on creating and upholding policies that support our students and their families. We also have initiated a new administrative structure with a principal, curriculum director, and heads of upper and lower schools, who manage daily operations and discipline. Leadership from the ranks of the teaching staff is also highly evident, as teachers improve curriculum, serve as mentors to novice educators, and work to attain National Board Certification.

4. Community Partnerships. Our goal is to work with many individuals and organizations in order to provide the resources necessary to enhance and enrich the lives of our students, both during the day and in our extended day and extended year programs. The quality and breadth of our community partnership program is unique. We work with an extensive array of community centers, local private schools, parent and community volunteers, and organizations providing on-site programs. Students benefit, for example, from weekly art instruction provided by artists at the Essex Arts Center, physical education classes provided by the swim and gym professionals at a local community center, and youth development programs offered through the local YWCA.

5. Our final cornerstone for success is Parent Partners. We believe that when parents are actively involved in their children’s education, students have a better chance of succeeding academically. At LFDCS parents are required to be active participants in the education of their children. Parents serve on our Board of Trustees, participate in the School Linked Services Program, and they volunteer in the classroom and on field trips, or with a fund raising initiative. All parents sign a contract (see Appendix B) that places high expectations on their participation both at school and at home.

The cornerstones for success, established when our school was founded, have provided the vision that continues to drive the work of our charter school. As guiding principles and practices, they have been important rallying points for administrative and instructional staff, parents, and community leaders, attracting quality and like-minded professionals to our school who form a hard working team focused on providing a high quality education for our students. The information presented in this section provides details on areas that are at the heart of our success.

To help ensure that students receive the best education possible, the Lawrence Family Development Charter School is committed to maintaining a small student-teacher ratio. During the 2001-2002 school year each of our kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms had 20 children taught by one teacher and an individual learning assistant. Seventh and eighth grade classrooms had 15 students with the same staffing arrangement. As our school facilities expand our goal is to add another kindergarten classroom (without increasing our kindergarten enrollment) and thereby reduce the kindergarten class size to 15.

With the addition of special education, Spanish language, and computer technology teachers, and a librarian, the overall ratio of professional staff to students is 1:12. This creates a climate in which students are known and where all the staff takes personal responsibility for the progress and development of our students.

An April 2002 fact sheet published by the University of Massachusetts Boston-Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy addressed the issue of bilingual education through a detailed review of the literature on the topic. The report summarizes some of the major research findings regarding the purposes and effectiveness of bilingual education. One of the key questions addressed in this paper is: Which bilingual education model works best? Several studies suggest enrichment model programs are most effective for attaining academic success. Students in these types of programs often outperform their mainstream peers. One study of over 160 schools found that these programs not only develop second language skills, but they also improve relationships among students and enhance "cross-cultural understanding and appreciation" (Rivera 2002, 1-5).

The Dual Language Enrichment Model at LFDCS helps create a learning environment with high academic standards and a respect for cultural differences; these in turn help foster an enthusiasm for learning and an appreciation for the value of literacy in more than one language. To comply with the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks, our students are required to be fully proficient in English. At the same time, our school requires students to develop their Spanish language proficiency, as well as an understanding and appreciation of various cultures. The primary focus of our program is literacy with an emphasis placed on language skills, given the impact they will have as students further their education and eventually seek employment. At LFDCS students must demonstrate their ability to use language accurately and appropriately in its oral and written forms and in a variety of settings.

Our kindergarten and first grade students are instructed in a phonemic awareness program with an equal amount of time devoted to each of the two languages each day. At the second grade level and beyond students study Spanish for one hour each day. Second graders learn Spanish grammar and begin to build vocabulary, and at the same time they learn the rules of English grammar and the mechanics of writing in both languages. Spanish literature is introduced in the third grade and continues through eighth grade.

All kindergarten teachers are bilingual. Every grade, first through eighth, has its own bilingual Spanish teacher dedicated to providing the appropriate instruction at each level. All first through eighth grade classrooms have a teacher and an instructional learning assistant assigned to them. We require at least one of these individuals to be bilingual.

A number of activities take place throughout each school year to promote cross-cultural understanding. For example, students research cultures other than their own and present their findings orally to their classmates. Discussions take place after each presentation, and all students are encouraged to ask questions. This activity focuses on geographic locations, economic status, population demographics, and the religions, history, and life styles of the cultures being studied. Heritage Nights are another means of promoting cross-cultural understanding. Groups of parents prepare foods enjoyed in their cultures and serve other parents and students. At these gatherings discussions also take place to help the audience learn about cultural differences.

Our curriculum is aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, but we tailor it to meet the needs of the specific population we serve. We focus on providing explicit instruction to develop skills, hands-on activities that engage students, and enrichment opportunities in the local community.

English Language Arts instruction has a high priority at our school; we reserve approximately 90 minutes each day for direct instruction in it. At the lower school (1^st to 4^th grades), emphasis is placed on phonemic awareness activities; explicit, systematic phonics instruction; reading aloud; fluency; comprehension and especially vocabulary. For older students the focus shifts to reading for meaning. Phonic analysis, structural analysis, decoding strategies and word recognition continue to be a significant need for many students as well as vocabulary and concept development that support comprehension. Writing too is taught through explicit instruction and modeling (see "Curriculum Development").

Math, especially at the lower grade levels, involves hands-on investigation. Kindergarteners conduct surveys (asking, for example, "Do you like apples?"), tally responses, and use information gathered. Second graders are challenged to find the many different ways there are to count the number of feet in the classroom and still find the right answer. Fifth graders develop their own strategies for subtracting, exploring the question, "What does place value really mean?" (See also "Curriculum Development.")

In science and social studies there is a special emphasis on creating a balance between the more traditional style of teaching and exposing students to hands-on experiential learning opportunities, which help students better understand subject matter and better retain and access information when needed. To enrich the science and social studies curriculum, the school takes advantage of learning opportunities available within the local community as well as the Greater Boston area.

Seventh and eighth graders take turns working in the Northern Essex Community College science laboratory, with their teacher and a college professor, on biology, cellular biology, earth science, and meteorology projects. Students in kindergarten learn about their local community and then take a walking tour of the city while talking with community leaders about available resources and units of government. Fourth grade students study the relationship between the past and the present, especially the causes of war and the roles various parts of the government play in the defense of democracy. The unit culminates with an overnight trip aboard the U.S.S. Salem, docked in Quincy Harbor, providing students with an experiential learning opportunity that helps integrate and solidify their new knowledge.

The LFDCS recognizes the importance of Extended Day Programs, and we offer a broad range of activities during these times. Remedial academic assistance and enrichment experiences are central elements of these programs; also offered are language clubs, MCAS preparation classes, community service opportunities, and sports. The After-School Program operates five days a week from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at a cost of $15 per week.

The Homework Club was established in response to parents’ concerns and students’ needs. Classroom teachers and staff members are available after school to help students complete their work; they encourage students to follow directions, employ problem solving techniques, and use information from a variety of resources. Teachers also provide Spanish homework assistance; they check for accuracy and sign off on students’ assignment books when their work is complete. The Homework Club begins at 3:00 p.m. and continues until the students’ homework is done. At this time, the school’s computer lab is available to all students who need access to the computers for writing purposes or for specific review of a given subject area. For example, software is available to build subject skills and to prepare for the SSAT.

Our After-School Language Programs help students develop functional proficiency in both Spanish and English. Through tutoring and practice, students develop skills in vocabulary, grammar, and conversation. New students from first through fourth grade, those who have been at the school for less than a year and need to enhance their English vocabulary and conversation skills, take English as a Second Language (ESL). Fifth and sixth graders, whose first language is English and who need to improve their Spanish language vocabulary and conversation skills, participate in Spanish Club, where they take Spanish as a Second Language.

This year our teachers and volunteers started Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) preparation classes to teach students new problem solving and test taking skills, and to review academic content material. Letters were sent home explaining these after school classes and inviting parents to make the necessary arrangements to allow their children to attend. MCAS Prep classes were offered for nine weeks in the following areas:

• 3^rd grade English Language Arts (four weeks only),
• 4^th grade Mathematics,
• 5^th grade Social Studies and Science,
• 6^th grade Mathematics,
• 7^th grade English Language Arts, and
• 8^th grade Mathematics, Social Studies and Science.

We have school specialists who provide classes in art, choir, introduction to piano, computer, and outdoor games and sports. After School Program enrichment classes offer students experiences in subjects that they otherwise would not have the opportunity to enjoy.

Several community partners from the cities of Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, and North Andover provide our school with programs and experienced teachers. A student from the Merimaction Program at Merrimack College offers weekly acting workshops and drama classes to fifth through seventh grade students. Project Adventure staff from Lawrence offer cooperative team building activities and initiatives for developing self-esteem to seventh and eighth grade students. An instructor from the Methuen Karate Association offers karate instruction to fifth through eighth graders.

In addition, each year up to twenty-five third through eighth graders (selected based on their interest in the program and a test of their musical/tonal abilities) are bussed weekly to Phillips Andover Academy where instructors from the music department and volunteer high school students teach violin and piano. Students who volunteer through the Community Service Program at Phillips Academy come to the LFDCS to teach Word Games to first through fourth graders. Another group participates in Project Voice, a social issues and student initiated discussion group, while others come to help with the Spanish literature group for eighth graders. A fourth group from the Academy volunteers in the adult ESL/Citizenship classes offered through our Family Center.

Through our Youth CORE Program, a volunteer after school staff person from the City CORE Program collaborates with us to provide fifth through eighth graders the opportunity to plan and participate in rewarding community service projects. This same energetic individual teams up with a teacher to coach boys basketball, run student-staff basketball games at the YMCA several Saturdays a year, and he helps run a spring Basketball Tournament with parent volunteers. In addition, a parent volunteer coordinates a cheerleading squad for sixth through eighth graders and led the squad as they raised school spirit at the 2002 Charter School Basketball Tournament.

Three representatives from the Spar and Spindle Girl Scouts group meet weekly with thirty-five fifth and sixth grade girls to promote the many positive themes of girl scouting; they focus on subjects such as nutrition, health, friendship, care of the environment, and ways to deal with peer pressure. A field trip and investiture ceremony, in 2002 at the Maude Eaton Camp in North Andover, caps the season for this enthusiastic group.

LFDCS operates a Summer Institute for those students who are experiencing difficulty in the areas of literacy and math. The Institute was established to provide those students most in jeopardy of failing with the skills, confidence, and commitment they need in order to meet with academic and personal success. The program was developed in 1997 in response to the needs of our students as determined by teacher assessments and the results of standardized tests (MCAS and Stanford 9). The program is open to students in kindergarten through the seventh grade who are:

• Recommended to attend by their classroom teacher in order that they might better maintain the progress they achieved during the school year;

• Required to attend based on the student’s classroom performance and test results, and an evaluation from the classroom teacher.

The remedial help in math, English language arts, and reading is provided in an intensive six-week program with academic classes from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Class sizes are small, with a 1:5 to 1:7 teacher student ratio, which allows for individualized instruction and incorporation of strategies that reach learners. In order to provide consistency, the curriculum of the Summer Institute is directly linked to that of the school year. Teachers review student portfolios from the regular school year to understand student strengths and weaknesses, and they adopt strategies that will help improve progress. In these small classes two practices are key: daily assessment of student work and the formation of a portfolio, assessment tools that are also utilized during the school year.

To help meet the educational needs of specific LFDCS students, three new programs have been added to Summer Institute:

• English as a Second Language class, an extension of our dual language program, to assist students who need remedial help in second language acquisition.

• A four-week, half-day Pre-Kindergarten Program, for students whose "Dial 3" (the test given in the spring to all students entering kindergarten in the fall) kindergarten-screening results indicate a need for remediation in basic skills. The program serves as an important orientation to school and helps young children build trust and form relationships with their teachers and peers. Children in the program are exposed to pre-reading and math activities in a dual language setting. They also benefit from a variety of art, role-playing, and skill building activities that help prepare them for a full day kindergarten program.

• The High School Prep Program for seventh graders, which is organized by our guidance and placement counselor. This is a five-week, full-day program offering classes and enrichment activities. In the morning students study math, English language arts, and reading in preparation for the SSAT tests, required by many high schools for admission. Afternoon enrichment activities include weekly swim classes at the YWCA, and fun team building activities such as bowling and games. Students take at least three field trips, visiting parochial and private schools to explore potential educational opportunities and learn about application requirements. This intensive orientation and skill building program is most helpful to students who are planning for their futures and facing the arduous school application process in the eighth grade.

The director of the program provides teachers in the Summer Institute with support, beginning with a two- to four-day professional development program, which provides an orientation to the curriculum, and continuing throughout the program through meetings and ongoing communication with the director. The director also helps teachers evaluate students, identify appropriate teaching strategies, and plan activities, and she works with parents when necessary. Finally, the director collects data from classroom teachers, ensuring that appropriate record keeping and assessment is completed in a timely fashion.

The Summer Institute places high expectations on the students and their families with respect to attendance and completion of homework, and students will not be promoted if they do not attend regularly, complete their homework consistently, and show academic growth. To clarify expectations and offer support, a parent orientation and kick-off activity are scheduled for the first day of the Institute.

From 1 to 3 p.m. each afternoon, students participate in enrichment classes facilitated by area specialists and summer staff. They choose from a variety of activities and are immersed for a total of three, two-week periods. Activities include drama and play production, community service, gardening and composting, computer, nutrition and cooking, art, dance and costume making, science, rocketry and recycling, cooperative games (through Project Adventure), Girl Scouts, sports, and swimming.

Summer Institute Programs are scheduled as follows:

• Academic Program (K-7), 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, for 6 weeks,
• Enrichment Program (1-7), 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., for 6 weeks,
• ESL Classes (1-4), 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, for 6 weeks,
• High School Prep (7), 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, for 5 weeks,
• High School Prep Enrichment (7), 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., for 5 weeks,
• Kindergarten Prep (pre-K), 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, for 4 weeks.

The Lawrence Family Development Charter School’s Board of Trustees is a valuable asset to the school and is comprised of thirteen members--parents, founders, and community members. The LFDEF Board representatives include two former public school committee members and educators knowledgeable of and experienced in both school law and the policies and procedures necessary to ensure compliance with the many varied requirements of public education. Six of the current board members are founders of the school and ten have served for four or more years. There is a consistency in leadership, which helps ensure continuity between the sponsoring organization and the school, helps board members maintain a shared vision, and enables board members to compare past and present issues as they make decisions.

Parent participation on the board is a fundamental goal of our charter. Leadership from within the community we serve brings cultural and family concerns to the table and helps ensure that the basis for all decisions is educational benefit to the children at our school.

Teachers are leaders at LFDCS, and their professional development is an important and on going process. At the beginning of each school year staff return to school a week before students do; they participate in a series of professional development workshops and meetings focused on specific topics. This year the focus of professional development week was on the introduction of new curriculum for the school year. Staff received training on Investigations Math Curriculum (K-5) and LINKS Writing Curriculum. Training was also provided in crisis prevention and nonviolent crisis intervention.

Professional development also takes place on a regular basis during grade level meetings; here a team of teachers, instructional learning assistants, and administrators share ideas and teaching strategies, discuss issues, and develop curriculum for their particular grade level. These meetings occur on a weekly basis when students are in gym class.

Two days each year, one in October and one in February, are set aside for staff development. This year the topic for the October staff development day was aligning the science and social studies curriculum with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks across all grade levels. In February the staff studied "Experiential Learning" and participated in hands-on activities such as "Mall Math" and "Interactions With The Environment," each highlighting the four phases of the learning cycle.

Additionally, by offering reimbursement for two courses annually at a rate equal to 75% of the University of Massachusetts tuition fee, LFDCS encourages staff to further their education. We also pay for other appropriate workshops, seminars, etc., so our staff can stay abreast of the most current information regarding how and what students are taught. Some of the interesting workshops staff attended during the 2001-2002 school year include How to Best Use Technology to Strengthen Your Classroom Instruction, Vernal Pools for Educators, The K-12 Mathematics Curriculum Center: Considering New Curricula, and Effective Literacy Instruction for Students with Special Needs.

One of the Lawrence Family Development Charter School’s founding principles, outlined in its charter, is parental involvement in education, which we feel lays the foundation for the academic achievement of children. We invite families to be part of our school governance, to work as staff and volunteers in our school, and to learn English, citizenship, and leadership skills at our Family Center.

Research shows that children work successfully toward goals and values when they recognize that the attitudes and expectations of home and school overlap. Children’s academic achievement improves when families encourage their children’s intellectual development, study with them, show approval of school activities, and respect their children’s efforts, thereby demonstrating their connection to and support of the school’s goals. When families are involved in their children’s education in positive ways, children achieve higher grades and test scores, have better attendance at school, complete more homework, demonstrate more positive attitudes and behavior, graduate at higher rates, and show higher rates of enrollment in higher education (Galletta, Fruchter, and White 1992).

A key element of our effort to enhance participation of parents is our Maria Del Pilar Quintana Family Development Center. The center is linked to and supports the school’s academic program for children. It offers training in family literacy, parent advocacy, leadership development, citizenship, basic computer skills, and preparation to become a substitute teacher. This model emphasizes parent/family literacy and parent empowerment and recognizes the parent as the first teacher of the child. Parents who participate in the programs offered by the center learn important skills that will help them influence and relate to their children. In turn, their children learn and benefit from the behaviors modeled by their parents.

Staff have researched and designed curricula that have been used to conduct Parent Leadership Education Programs. Additionally, training sessions for teachers and administrators are conducted to help them learn how to engage and work with parents. Training has also been provided to parents on their role supporting their children and how that support relates to achievement and test results. All of the skills learned by parents have helped LFDCS and the families of its students achieve their mutual goal of producing well-rounded young citizens.

For example, the Citizenship Education Program helps immigrants learn English and become United States citizens. It is built on a strong foundation of dedicated volunteers working as ESL Teachers and Citizenship Facilitators. These volunteers work for a small stipend, which is paid at the end of each twelve-week cycle of classes. Many of the volunteers are graduates of the program who want to give back to their community and help the school achieve its mission. All services are offered free of charge to participants. The program provides a wide variety of other services to immigrants as well, including:

• Assistance in the completion of citizenship applications for adults and children;
• Referral and review of applications for disability waiver;
• Completion of fee waiver application forms for low-income applicants for citizenship;
• Assistance with the resolution of criminal record issues;
• Military Selective Service System registration;
• Voter registration;
• Assistance in the completion of United States passport applications;
• Referral social service and other organizations offering needed assistance;
• Liaison to Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance for TAFDC services;
• Coordination of transportation and interpreters for appointments;
• Assistance with general correspondence needs;
• Free daycare services to participants during the evening training components.

During fiscal year 2001, the program served a total of 453 clients, 330 of which enrolled in classes. The remaining 123 did not enroll in classes (mainly due to the fact that classes were full) but did receive at least one of the other services offered by the program. At any given time there is a waiting list of up to 50 people for the programs we offer. We have learned that parents and other adults will participate if appropriate opportunities and services are offered to them. They will work hard to be role models for their children and partners in the mission of the school.

Special Education Program

The goal of our special education program is to properly evaluate and provide support to all students eligible for special education services. Special education students are fully integrated into the regular education classrooms and all non-academic and extra curricular activities of our school. When necessary, services are also rendered to students one-on-one or in small groups.

To address the needs of our children, our special education teachers work in collaboration with classroom teachers, instructional learning assistants, and other support staff (such as math and reading specialists, counselors, and student support staff). We believe this team approach is what distinguishes us from other schools and what makes a difference in the lives of our special education students.

Because we offer a wide variety of support to students throughout the school, students view special education as one more service in the mix. As a result, at LFDCS special education students are not stigmatized as they often are in other public school settings. Moreover, as students avail themselves of our many services, they come to recognize how the extra support helps them; they see the skills they have learned translate into things they can do in the classroom that they couldn’t do before. The students are transformed into eager recipients, constantly seeking out one-on-one or small group attention, whether in or outside of the classroom.

Family involvement is a critical factor in the success of our special education program. LFDCS requires parents to actively participate in the planning of their children’s individualized programs, and we have had a great deal of success engaging them in this process. Parents regularly attend meetings to discuss their child’s progress. They participate in school-sponsored sessions on the topics of parents’ rights in Special Education and how parents can be even more active in the process on an ongoing basis. Fulfilling our commitment to parents of special education students takes a great deal of time and effort, and we take this work seriously. Our special education staff, supported by our parent liaison, go the extra mile to get parents involved; they make frequent phone calls to parents, mail out numerous notices, and they schedule meetings at times that are convenient for working parents.

Utilizing a team process, we also help families secure services they may need outside of the school. We help both students and families make connections with mental health organizations, after school programs, summer camps, and other agencies. When necessary, our staff also accompany parents to outside agencies or appointments to help facilitate communication and/or to provide translation services that help ensure that parents get the services they need.

Our special education students have also benefited from participation in the many community partnership programs operated at the LFDCS. While we witness some students struggling academically, we’ve seen these same students show great talent playing the violin, participating on the basketball team, or performing in the arts. We know that if our school doesn’t offer such activities, most of our students will not have the opportunity to engage in them. We recognize that as students participate in extra-curricular activities they build self-confidence and self-esteem, which can often help them to make gains in academic areas.

Appropriate staffing is critical to the success of the program. To direct our special education program, LFDCS employs a seasoned professional with 23 years of experience in the field. Special education teachers, and as described in the previous section, counselors, a social worker, and two Support Center teachers who help students with extreme behavioral issues, round out the staffing plan. Everyone works together, and with parents, to solve issues related to student needs.

Professional development and retention of special education staff is also essential. We have provided many training opportunities for staff in the past and continue to support and encourage staff to participate. However, we have experienced an unsatisfactory level of turnover, especially in special education, a field in which there is a smaller pool of qualified teachers, and teachers can earn higher salaries elsewhere. To address this problem, we have begun a three-year plan to equalize salary levels of all staff with those of area schools.

We have also learned that there is a great deal of misunderstanding about special education, especially within the Latino community. Our program director, principal, and heads of school recognize that we must work together to educate parents about special education and our special education programs.

The goals and objectives established for our counseling staff comply with the National Standards for School Counseling Programs set by the American School Counseling Association. The main goal is to promote and enhance student learning through areas of student development, which include academic development, career awareness at the elementary level, and personal and social development.

The staff provides individual counseling to students with adjustment issues, and when needed they refer students for outside services. They conduct small group counseling sessions, which focus on issues such as social skills, anger management, and self esteem. Consultations with parents, teachers, and staff are an integral part of the process, ensuring that all parties have input and that students are receiving all needed services. The counseling staff serves as liaison between the parties involved, as well as to school psychologists, social workers, nurses, support personnel, and community resources. They also conduct sessions in the classroom on the topics of social skills and character development.

To complement the counseling services already in place and to address the concerns of teachers and administrators regarding the amount of energy required to deal with disruptive and aggressive behaviors in the classroom, the Student Support Center was created in 1999. A group of students in need of special services and personalized attention were identified, and a behavior specialist was consulted to help develop and establish this program. The center’s mission is to provide a structured, supervised, and systematic resource center where students are sent when their behaviors challenge a classroom’s capacity to manage them and/or when they violate school community standards on a regular basis. The center provides planned interventions for previously identified students in behavioral crisis.

During the 2001-2002 school year the Student Support Center implemented a new program, a token economy system, which appears to be working well. Its first year served as a trial period for the program, which served a group of 15 students and worked to promote and reinforce positive behaviors. Each participating student has his or her own behavior plan and meets with staff from the Student Support Center at the start of each day to write a daily behavior goal. At the end of the day teachers sign the student’s goal sheet to document that the student was able to meet the identified goal. Those in compliance with their plan and daily behavior goals are rewarded with tangible and social rewards. Students in compliance earn $1.00 per day, which they can spend on school supplies, small toys, or stickers. Monthly parties are also used to recognize students’ positive behaviors, and Support Center staff either sends notes home or contacts parents by telephone to tell parents of their child’s progress. The program has greatly reduced the behavior problems of the children involved, and as a result, these students have been referred to the Support Center less frequently.

Our Counseling and Support Center staff includes two counselors, two support center teachers, a social worker, and two nurses. All special education staff also work under this umbrella.

On June 23, 2001, the LFDCS celebrated its first graduation, with twenty-nine promising eighth grade students. One of the major contributing factors to theses students’ very successful transition to high school was the high level of support the students received through our Guidance and Placement Program.

The program was initiated in September of 2000, to assist sixth through eighth grade students with their educational and career development needs. A guidance and placement counselor was hired to work closely with the students and their families to:

• Maximize efficiency in the completion of school applications and supporting paperwork;

• Ensure that students are presented with all the information they need to make informed decisions;

• Assist students in making a smooth transition to a variety of high school level institutions.

The counselor’s work includes educating students and their families about the importance of a strong high school and college education. She helps guide eighth graders through the high school admissions process and exposes them to all private, parochial, public, and vocational education opportunities in this area. The counselor coordinates student field trips to schools and brings guest speakers to LFDCS from a variety of schools, so they can discuss application requirements. During the fall of 2000, for example, eight admissions officers came to the school’s campus to speak with students, and seven field trips were made to other campuses. The counselor also works to secure waivers for all private high school application fees and test registration fees.

Throughout the school year the guidance and placement counselor holds informational meetings with parents, who learn how to support their children’s efforts and how parents can help their children reach their goals. Parental involvement, in goal setting and school choice, is key to the success of our students.

As indicated earlier, twenty-nine students graduated in the class of 2001. The guidance and placement counselor collected data on where graduates attended school after leaving LFDCS and how much financial aid they received. In addition, she will work to collect copies of their freshman year report cards, seeking data on how our graduates did in their first year of high school. With the help of our program, LFDCS graduates went on to the following high schools:

Parochial Schools	7 (24%)
Private Non-Parochial Schools	5 (17%)
Public Performing Arts School	1 (3%)
Vocational Schools	6 (21%)
Lawrence High School	9 (31%)
Rhode Island Public School	1 (3%)

Students were awarded $12,300 in financial aid and $11,000 in scholarships, a total of $23,300 in support for the 2001-2002 school year.

During the spring of 2001, the guidance and placement counselor introduced a series of orientation meetings to sixth and seventh grade students and their parents. Individual student assessments were completed. Seventh graders participated in a field trip to a private high school where they had the opportunity to see a regular day of classes, learn about life at the school, and use the school’s sports facilities. The activities, which will continue in years to come, helped lay the groundwork for the application process that these students will face when they are eighth graders.

The counselor also facilitates a five-week High School Prep Program for seventh graders each year during our Summer Institute. As described earlier (see "Extended Year Program"), this program helps prepare students for their high school admissions exams and provides them with a wide variety of enrichment opportunities.

LFDCS has a strong commitment to creating a comprehensive assessment system and continually improving both our teachers’ instructional approaches and our students’ academic achievement. With the help and guidance of leading national experts such as Susan Pimentel (education writer, analyst, consultant, and co-founder of a nonprofit education consultancy that specializes in standards-driven school reform, see www.worldclassedcenter.org), our school’s assessment system was designed around the following three tenets:

1. The creation of realistic, grade sequenced, measurable student standards for all grades;

2. The designation of appropriate external and internal tools to measure and benchmark each standard;

3. The development of an internal data management system that provides administrators with information to help them make decisions regarding curriculum and instruction.

Through consistent use of Benchmark Folders in reading and language arts, LFDCS utilizes performance-based evaluations school wide. Benchmark Folders, a copyrighted design of LFDCS, are grade-level specific and provide a tracking/assessment system for all standards. Each folder is an individualized learning record showing how a student has demonstrated progress in specific skills. It also doubles as a portfolio for student work.

LFDCS also uses performance-based evaluations on our report cards. All core subjects, non-curricular studies, and work habits are evaluated along a continuum of progress toward meeting or exceeding the standards of each subject.

Portfolio presentations have been implemented as a significant English Language Arts requirement toward graduation. Following a training institute, eighth grade ELA staff developed rubrics for selecting and evaluating each component of a portfolio. They ask students to select works that represent their best efforts at creative expression and write a reflection essay for each entry. Student presentations are made to a review panel comprised of upper school faculty, community members, and a classmate. At the portfolio presentation, students must publicly demonstrate their academic, linguistic, and creative strengths.

To document student achievement, LFDCS also uses a number of standardized tests. The Stanford 9 is administered annually to all students in grades 1-8. The Aprenda (Spanish test) is also administered as a companion to the Stanford 9. The results from this battery of tests provide a means to evaluate student progress toward fluency under the dual language model. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests, which are based on the academic learning standards contained in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, are also administered.

Other measurable items, which we record and track, include student leadership and service activities, as well as parental involvement in the school. Improvements in areas such as self-confidence, personal growth, and the ability to speak in public are difficult to measure and document. We believe our students have made great strides in these areas but know that our analysis on the subject is subjective.

The work of LFDCS is made easier through the use of a site-based team management system that has autonomy from the traditional public school system. This provides the opportunity for us to plan and react quickly to implement needed changes without the bureaucracy inherent in the traditional system. The flexibility allows us to try an alternative vision of schooling and to quickly eliminate unsuccessful practices; we did just that when we evaluated our work in the teaching of math and writing (as discussed earlier) and implemented new programs in these areas. In addition, we made the decision to have a dress code. Since the school opened, uniforms have been required attire, and the staff believes this policy has made a positive difference in student behavior and decorum.

Our Board of Trustees (a governance structure that sets charter schools apart from traditional public schools) has also been able to focus on and solve problems quickly. We’ve had very little turnover on our board, and this longevity provides consistency and historical knowledge that is crucial to the board’s on-going work. The experience, dedication, and activity of the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Trustee structure itself, play an important role in our success story.

An additional benefit of being a charter school is the fact that charter schools have the authority to establish their own staffing plans and administrative structures in order to meet the needs of their individual schools. At LFDCS, for example, a full time director of development has a number of responsibilities, including grant writing and fund raising. This work is critical and serves to (1) provide adequate and appropriate facilities not funded by the state; (2) provide enrichment activities essential for broadening the horizons and experiences of children living in poverty; and (3) access entitlement and competitive grants necessary for implementing the school’s program. Because many charter schools work with or under 501 (C) (3) non-profit corporations, they can seek funds from private foundations that limit their giving to organizations with this designation.

Finally, LFDCS was founded on the belief that sustained parental involvement is a positive factor in the academic achievement of children, and an intense level of parental involvement at LFDCS positively impacts our work. A high level of parent involvement can occur in charter schools as well as traditional public schools, but it must be supported and encouraged by administration, and it requires considerable commitment and hard work from staff. We believe that an enticement, such as the services we offer through our family center, increases parent participation in the school. Because we believe many charter schools in Massachusetts have a high level of participation from parents, we are currently conducting a statewide survey to identify and document the practices that these schools employ to enhance parental involvement.

The major challenge facing LFDCS is limited resources, especially the lack of funding for facilities. At the present time, our fifth through eighth grade students are off site in leased space. We are in the early stages of developing a plan to raise funds to build a new facility on our campus for these students. The challenge is enormous considering the projected $6.5 million price tag.

At Lawrence Family Development Charter School we have faced many challenges since 1995. We have overcome some and are working hard to address others. The progress we have made thus far provides the impetus for us to move forward.

During our 2001-2002 school year we moved beyond the borders of our neighborhood and community. A team of teachers enrolled in the National Standards Board Certification Program, the first charter school team to accomplish this. Our second grade students entered an international cyber fair and their HEROES project, learning and writing about local Hispanic leaders, was awarded eighth place worldwide. Only three U.S. schools were among the fifteen finalists.

Our students participated in cultural events that enriched and enthralled: a workshop for our instrumental students at Phillips Andover Academy with Yo-Yo Ma, world renowned cellist; and a ten week artist in residence program funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council culminating in an extraordinary student exhibit. We also launched a three-year partnership with Project Adventure in Beverly, MA that brought our upper school students and staff to new heights in team building and leadership.

Students from our first graduating class (2001) were high school freshman this past school year, and many returned to share stories of leadership positions earned on school councils and freshman basketball teams, as well as honor roll placements. Our 2002 graduating class set an accelerated pace for acceptances at private and parochial schools. Twenty-four acceptances were received by fifteen of our twenty-nine graduates and $293,360 in scholarships and aid was awarded.

Our teachers have continued to grow as individuals and as members of grade level teams. During the 2001-2002 school year formal mentoring program connected experienced teachers with new staff and established guidelines upon which to build for the future. Teachers attended conferences and workshops as part of their individual professional development plans, and a pair of new educators was awarded a dissemination grant to record the theory and practice of the "token economy" in their classrooms.

Our parents continue to support the mission of the school, and they participate in Family Development Training Programs and projects designed to help increase their children’s level of academic achievement. In our partnership with parents, we work together to set a path for the education and care of our students. We believe our work is a precious and serious responsibility, and the accomplishments of the past year drive us forward into the future with high expectations.

Lawrence Family Development Charter School
34 West St.
Lawrence, MA 01841
978-689-9863

Appendix A: LFDCS Facilities Development

When Lawrence Family Development Charter School (LFDCS) received its charter, Blue Seal Feeds, Inc, donated its Lawrence commercial and industrial property to the LFDEF as a site for the school. Five industrial buildings, of varied quality, and 2 _ acres of land became the site of an evolving urban campus. Renovation of the office building prior to the 1995 opening provided space for the original nine classrooms, a cafeteria, library, computer lab, and offices. The renovation was financed by grants and local business contributions totaling $180,000. During the same school year the adjacent former commercial store was renovated by volunteer labor. This space came to house our administrative offices and the family center, which is so integral to attaining the goals of our charter.

During the second year of operation, architects, LFDEF administrators, and members of the board of directors drew up long range plans for use of the space, and a nine bay garage was rebuilt as a kindergarten center. During the third year, two warehouses were demolished and funds were raised to build a new six-classroom wing to house our third and fourth graders. This $1.4 million project raised $415,000 in private donations and brought together three local banks that jointly underwrote a construction loan.

While paying off this mortgage, the school leased space off campus to house our fifth through eighth grade classrooms. In 1997, the LFDEF purchased a vacant lot adjacent to the school to add approximately one and one half acres of land for off-street staff parking and future expansion. The school is now about to begin a capital campaign to raise $6.5 million to build additional classroom space on campus. The project will include a gymnasium, auditorium, music and art classrooms, and a new cafeteria.

Lawrence Family Development Charter School

"Strong Families, working in partnership with the school as advocates for academic achievement, will create an environment where every child has the opportunity to acquire the foundation skills and habits of mind that foster life-long learning, citizenship, participation, and personal fulfillment."

• Attend "Recognition Night" celebrations (once every ten weeks)
• Attend Parent/Teacher conferences
• Attend school site council (once a month)
• Participate in workshops and other gatherings we may hold during the school year
• Check the student’s backpack everyday to find notes or communications from the school
• Communicate with classroom teacher as often as possible
• Send written excuse when student has been absent
• Come into the school with student to excuse tardiness
• Send written note to the teacher when student has a dentist/doctor’s appointment and he/she will be picked up before dismissal time
• Send student to school with proper uniform everyday

• Organize and provide "Recognition Nights" for our parents, students and volunteers
• Assist parents and provide information during Parent Teacher Conference nights
• Provide workshops, classes, and other programs to benefit parents and the rest of the family
• Send home invitations, fliers, and other bilingual notes in order to inform parents about up coming activities
• Contact parents as many times as needed to discuss special action plans to be implemented in school and/or at home
• Work closely with families implementing disciplinary programs for students
• Provide space within the classroom and the rest of the school for parent volunteers
• Provide space for parents to express their needs and concerns and to be part of the decision-making process
• Provide an interpreter in the building to help parents and teacher when needed

Works Cited

Galletta, Ann, Norm Fruchter, and J. Lynne White. 1992. New Directions in Parent Involvement. Washington, D.C.: Academy for Educational Development, Inc.

Rivera, Lorna. 2002. A Review of the Literature on Bilingual Education. Boston: The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy. April.

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