INDIANAPOLIS STAR:
What we've learned in charter school's 8 years

May 3, 2010
By Rollin Dick

The "improve education" debate is in full bloom right now with Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett leading the charge in policy circles, and Matt Tully and Andy Gammill providing reporting to Star readers that is unparalleled in America. The GEO Foundation takes this debate seriously and has sought to provide real solutions over the past eight years by starting public charter schools and serving the public at the same time we seek solutions. We want to share our lessons learned with others so that the entire state can benefit. Here are a few things we have discovered.

Fall Creek Academy is our oldest school and most mature. This year, the school is a microcosm of IPS with 85 percent of the students qualified for the federal free and reduced lunch program and many students having experienced society's many dysfunctions as documented frequently in The Star's "Our Children, Our City" series. However, these are simply demographics, not an excuse for failure.

The school combats societal ills and targets goals head on. The school is a K-14 school. That's right. K-14. And, it provides transportation. We begin with the end in mind and don't accept just the "college prep" idea, but rather strive to provide our students college "experience" while they are in our high school. Fall Creek's test scores for grades 3-8 put the school seventh best when measuring for growth in Marion County, and among the top 25 percent in the nation in regard to fall-to-spring "value added" growth as measured by NWEA. Its college-bound rate has to be among the best in the state with 94 percent of the May 2009 graduates attending a college of their choice and having earned an average of 20 college credits prior to their high school graduation. All of this year's graduates have already earned as many as 30 college credits and all have been accepted to numerous colleges.

Fall Creek Academy achieves this college success by assisting students with their college studies while they are still in high school. We back up our college promise with money for tuition and textbooks.

We've learned public schools serving low-income families need to provide more time to students. Fall Creek Academy has a six-week summer program. The "education gap" in urban settings is due in large part to the lost education time during summer. Urban children are often not exposed to the same summer enrichments as suburban students. In addition, Fall Creek Academy provides an eight-hour school day and a four-hour Saturday school, even though the state cut education's budget this year. Fall Creek Academy provides 26 percent more time for educational opportunities than a traditional urban public school.

We've also learned we need the best and brightest teachers. Fall Creek Academy employs many Teach for America corps members, as well as New Teacher Project teachers. We also partner with College Summit. Individuals in these Mind Trust-supported programs are among the best caliber around.

GEO Foundation recently received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to further develop Fall Creek Academy's after-school programs over four years. For now, leaders might learn from how the school spends more time on task, seeks to hire the best and brightest, and stretches its money to provide a K-14 experience to benefit the students. The results speak for themselves.

Dick is chairman of the board for the GEO Foundation and a founding board member of Fall Creek Academy.


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