Press Release – Ranken Announces Partnership with Shearwater High School

Ranken Announces Partnership with Shearwater High School

Seventy-five Students to attend Shearwater High School on Ranken’s Campus

(St. Louis, MO) Today, Ranken Technical College announced an exciting new partnership with Shearwater Education Foundation and the opening of Shearwater High School on its campus. The new charter high school, which is sponsored by Saint Louis University, will serve at-risk youth, striving to prepare them for college, work and life. The school will open with 75 students in August of 2010.

“This will be a great fit for Ranken, and a chance for us to provide needed support to students from our local high schools who may be struggling. We want to take any opportunity to help prepare students for work in high-growth industries, and for careers in the vital technical fields that are the backbone of our economy,” Ranken President Stan Shoun said.

Addressing the dropout crisis is a high priority for leaders at all levels of government. According to America’s Promise, a national alliance founded by General Colin Powell, “more than one in three students fails to graduate from high school and young people who drop out are twice as likely to be unemployed.”  Finding solutions to reengage students and increase the number prepared to succeed in today’s global economy is at the top of the agenda for President Barack Obama and Missouri’s political leaders.

“As President Obama has stressed, students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out need schools that make sure they don’t just graduate, but truly get them ready for college, careers, and success in life,” Greg Darnieder, Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Education, said. “Shearwater is taking a smart approach in building on successful alternative education programs around the country that work, and as a former St. Louisan, I know St. Louis has a real need for the kind of hands-on training Shearwater seeks to provide.”

“Today is a new, exciting chapter in the history of Shearwater High School, Ranken Technical College and the City of St. Louis,” Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder said. “Shearwater and Ranken both have stellar reputations as innovative leaders in education. This new partnership will help better prepare Missouri students for the high-tech jobs of tomorrow.”

Missouri State Senator Joseph Keaveny recognizes St. Louis’s needs as well, and sees Shearwater as a model that will successfully redress aspects of the city’s educational issues. “Shearwater’s dropout recovery program will improve the current graduation rate of only 45 percent in the St. Louis Public School District, so that more young adults will be prepared to work,” he said. “This program targets young adults who have been misplaced and may have otherwise dropped out of school.  I am excited to be a part of this unique charter school model.”

The partnership between Ranken Technical College and Shearwater High School provides an innovative program that will both reengage at-risk students and give them the support they need to successfully enter the workforce. Shearwater has received funding from both federal and private sources interested in bringing programs focused on helping students to the city of St. Louis.

“At Shearwater, we believe that every youth should receive a high quality education and achieve success in life,” Stephanie Krauss, President and CEO of Shearwater Education Foundation, said. “Our model will not only reengage and graduate those youth who were unable to succeed in a traditional high school, but we will get them ready for college, work, and life. Ranken has been doing this at the college level for over 100 years.  By co-locating our high school campus on Ranken, our students will be exposed to a rigorous general and technical education environment, and our staff will be privy to the best practices in the field. This type of relationship will increase our chances for success, and our opportunity to truly meet the needs of the students that we will serve.”

The boards of both Shearwater Education Foundation and Ranken Technical College approved the partnership at the beginning of March. The agreement is for the term of the charter. Both schools have a focus on preparing youth to succeed in today’s workforce. The new high school will be housed in Ranken’s Alumni Hall, and will employ 8-10 staff and faculty. Students interested in attending the school should contact Shearwater Education Foundation at (314) 539-4180 or online at www.shearwatereducation.org.

About Shearwater

Shearwater High School is a Missouri-approved, sponsored public charter school. The school will provide a high quality education option to St. Louis youth, ages 17-21, who have dropped out or whose level of disconnection from high school makes an on-time graduation improbable.

Shearwater’s RISE Model for Success provides students with an accelerated high school education that combines paid internships with instruction on a college campus. Students will also receive needed social and economic support services from local non-profits to ensure continuous engagement and success in both school and life.

School will be held year-round from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., to reflect the hours of regular employment. The first half of the day will be spent in the classroom with personalized instruction. The second half of the day will be at a paid internship, where the students will be able to generate an income and receive academic credit.

The Shearwater High School proposal was developed in consultation with several nonprofit groups that are serving as collaborative agencies, including: Youth In Need, Covenant House, Employment Connection, Epworth, Project ARK, Provident Counseling, Teach for America (St. Louis chapter), St. Patrick Center, and the United Way of Greater St. Louis.  While Shearwater was in its planning stages, Youth In Need served as the organization’s fiscal agent.

About Ranken Technical College

Since 1907, Ranken Technical College has served the St. Louis region by providing skilled labor through hands-on, state-of-the-art training in a variety of technical disciplines.  Ranken prepares students for successful careers in their chosen technical fields by placing emphasis on technical training, general education and professionalism.  The College offers Associate of Technology and Science degrees in five core divisions—Automotive, Construction, Electrical, Information Technology and Manufacturing, as well as Bachelor of Science degrees in Architectural Technology and Applied Management. Ranken is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  For more information about Ranken Technical College, visit www.ranken.edu or call 1-866.4RANKEN.

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Press Advisory – Ranken Addresses Local High School Dropout Rate via New Charter School Partnership

Shearwater High School to be Housed on Ranken’s Campus

WHAT: On Friday, March 26th, Ranken Technical College will announce a strategic partnership with Shearwater Education Foundation, and the opening of a new charter high school on its campus.

WHERE: Ranken Technical College, Mary Ann Lee Technical Center (corner of Page and Newstead.)

WHEN: Press conference at 10:00 a.m.

WHO: Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, Missouri State Senator Joseph Keaveny, Missouri State Representative Jamilah Nasheed, President and CEO of Shearwater Education Foundation Stephanie Krauss, President of Ranken Technical College Stan Shoun, as well as representatives of the United Way and Emerson.

NOTE: Reporters, photographers and camera operators are welcome to cover the event.

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Thank you for believing in a better day for our youth!

Shearwater Gets a Shout-Out

Check out the St. Louis Post-Dispatch front page article on the future of charter schools in St. Louis.

Let’s keep believing in a better day for our youth!

Asking Our Way to Success

Over the past few weeks, we have outlined some of the critical elements to Shearwater High School’s future success. Today, we would like to wrap up the series by walking you through one of the challenges we faced as an organization. Through this example, you will see how asking for help and utilizing promising practices allowed us to create a model we have confidence in.

Shearwater High School is geared towards disconnected youth in the City of St. Louis. This means students who are out-of-school, homeless, getting too old for foster care, and those who need to make money. Our promise is to graduate our students poised for success – that is, ready for work and college, and prepared to take on daily living.

While we are confident that disconnected youth can attend and succeed in college, we struggled with how to help our students develop that same confidence. At this point, we predict that few of our students will believe in college as a next step for them. Some will have never met a college graduate. The majority will have never been involved in the college access programs that may or may not be offered by their former high schools.

But, given today’s job market, we could not drop the “college-able” part of our school’s focus. Today, two out of three jobs in our country require some formal education past high school[1].

We needed help. Unsure of the solution ourselves, we looked to the community for advice. “How do we help our students believe college is an option for them?” we asked. They told us to bring our students on field trips to local college campuses and introduce them to college students. Find people in our students’ neighborhoods who had graduated from college to serve as role models. Others even told us to enroll our students in a few classes at a local college or university.

They were right. Our students need exposure to college to make them believe that it is a possibility for them. What if we set up shop right on a college campus?

Thinking this was a good idea, we took it to St. Louis Community College.  They’ve shared our vision ever since. Today, Shearwater and St. Louis Community college are working hard to make sure that our students will have a place on their city campus.

This past fall, one of the college’s Vice Presidents mentioned the similarities between our program and a high school program at LaGuardia Community College in New York. Running over to our computers, we soon discovered that a high school was opened in the 1970s on the LaGuardia Community College campus, which was geared toward a population similar to Shearwater’s; it’s still running and thriving today. Dubbed a “middle-college” experience, the collaboration between LaGuardia and the high school gives students more choices, exposes them to college, and allows them to earn transferable college credits while still in high school.

We were thrilled. Not only had someone else already labored through much of the decision-making and thinking that loomed ahead, but we could use their information and this model to guide our own program development.

Through experiences like this, we at Shearwater have learned the power and value of asking for help. We know it is a simple concept, yet we know of some organizations that struggle with it. To use the old teacher adage: don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to.

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[1] (Dec 2008) President Elect Obama Announces Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education. <http://change.gov /newsroom/entry/president_elect_obama_announces_arne_duncan_as_secretary_of_education/>

An Exercise in Persuasion: Data-Driven Decision Making

Think back to your days in school. Your teacher has assigned a research paper. The topic: should your school require uniforms?

Just writing “yes, our school should have uniforms” will get you a failing grade. You have to hit the books. In the paper, you cite multiple studies you found on how wearing a uniform evoked a sense of pride in the students and made them better-behaved. You include a final paragraph advising your principal to poll students and teachers before enforcing uniforms at your school. Every school is different you tell her.

The paper was an exercise in persuasion.

When you open your own charter school, you are undergoing a similar process.

Say you decide that school on Saturdays is the key to success. In order to implement this policy, you need to present examples of successful Saturday programs. Perhaps you quote the research done by the highly credible Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), a charter school network that has implemented Saturday school and increased student achievement. If your board of directors is skeptical of Saturday school success in your own city, you can compare student performance at two local schools, one which has class on the weekends and the other that teaches just Monday-Friday.

While this may be a rudimentary example, it demonstrates the first phase of data-driven decision making at the school-wide level. More specifically known as evidence-based practice, this type of extensive research is fundamental to your school’s success.

It has many perks. For one, you can create a better model by implementing programs that have been proven to work already and disregarding those that went sour. Also, by implementing strategies that have proven successful, donors will be less dubious of your project and more like to support you financially. Parents and students are equally more likely to enroll in your school.

Data-driven decision making does not stop after the initial model and curriculum are created. Once a school opens it’s doors, we see phase two of data-driven decision making: using the school’s performance results to make daily decisions and modifications.  All schools have unanticipated problems. But, a school committed to data-driven decision making will monitor student performance in every class and use the results to tweak teaching methods and class structures to best meet student needs and promote student learning.

If small changes are not enough and there seems to be some larger problem, you go back to phase one. This means another exercise in evidence-best practice.  You go back to Google and the books – ask your question, search through journal articles and program practices in search for a viable alternative.

By using data-driven decision making, we see a model oriented towards students — always adjusting based on their needs.

This is an exercise in accountability.

By studying what is going on in the classroom, you can assign teachers where they are most effective, train them in skills where they are lacking, and recognize when they should be let go. With this system in place, we hope the days of poor teaching and poor leadership gone unnoticed are no more.

A final perk: if your school can prove a positive change in student achievement, another city may want to replicate your model. Just imagine, other school developers may start using your model as the crutch of their own research.

Different Directions for Boards of Directors

If you want to start a charter school in Missouri, you have to have a board of directors. Why? Because only nonprofits can open charter schools and all nonprofits must have a board.

While you’re legally bound to have a board, how the board organizes, governs, and interacts with the school’s staff is up to you.

In this post, we will discuss three of the most common models of governance seen in today’s charter schools. To wrap up, we will tell you which model we at Shearwater subscribe to and why.

Governance Models of Charter Schools

Model One: The School Board

The first model of governance is similar to what we see in our traditional public schools. Board members are voted in by school staff, local officials, and community members. A community-oriented model, this board is accountable to the general public. Meetings are open to anyone and provide time for public comments.

Model Two: The Nonprofit Board

The second model is structured like any other nonprofit entity. We see board members drawn from the local school system as well as a wide-range of professions. The founder or head of the charter school collaborates with the existing board to recruit and nominate new voting members. The board focuses on strategic planning and organizational viability.

Board members are also key players in fundraising and financial oversight. Members help to create the charter contract with the sponsoring agent and provide input and expertise in the school design. While the board hires and manages the head of the school, that individual is left to manage the school’s day-to-day affairs.

Model Three: The Corporate Advisory Group

The final model is akin to a corporate board model. The head of the school makes most decisions. The board serves as an advisory committee, giving guidance when needed. They make few decisions as a collective, but instead delegate responsibilities to various staff members and departments within the school. We often see this model in large charter school networks; the network has one central national office and assigns local advisory committees to each network school.

You can refer to Creating an Effective Charter School Governing Board to learn more.

Shearwater’s Model

Here at Shearwater, we have created a hybrid model, merging the community and accountability aspects of the traditional school board model with the diverse and shared-responsibility nature of a healthy nonprofit board.

Like any other school board, the public is welcome to attend our board meetings. On occasion, we will have community members or school staff present on specific topics of interest to Shearwater’s board members.

Like other nonprofit boards, our members bring an array of professional experience. The breadth of skill-sets on our board equips us to effectively navigate the charter school process, build strong internal controls, and develop ourselves as a strong nonprofit entity. Board members include lawyers, business leaders, accountants, nonprofit consultants, public relations experts, educators, and philanthropists. Many of them hail from St. Louis, our hometown. This means our board has a strong understanding of the community, its needs, and the local politics. Together, this group of individuals makes wise, deeply-considered choices.

When it came to modeling our board after the corporate model, we were wary of one person having most of the decision-making power. Here at Shearwater, we feel our model is strong and our decisions sound because many different minds have contributed and agreed. A corporate model can compromise this strong sense of accountability.

Keep in mind: how your board organizes, governs, and interacts with the school staff is not to be taken lightly.  Really give it some thought. A healthy board of directors is not only fundamental to a charter school’s success, but a great board can make finding success easier and open all sorts of doors you never thought possible.

Following the Example of Philadelphia’s Project U-Turn

Like many of our Nation’s cities, Philadelphia has a dropout problem. In 2006, researchers reported that less than half of the city’s public school students graduate[1]. A call to action rang out across the Philadelphia community.

By October of that year, Project U-Turn was born.

Project U-Turn describes itself as “a citywide campaign to focus public attention on Philadelphia’s dropout crisis and to design strategies and leverage investments to resolve it[2].”

Thus far Project U-Turn has received over 42 million dollars in grant funding, opened two high schools designed for out-of-school youth, and has been instrumental in increasing the city’s graduation rate by 10 percent. Read more about their successes here

Perhaps what is most astounding about their work is their resolute adherence to engage everyone in addressing high school dropout. Phrases such as citywide campaign, schools can’t do it alone, and the well-being of our city are found repeatedly on their website.

What is not found is the name of the person who runs Project U-Turn. We can’t seem to find the person to send our “congratulations” or “thank you” card to. Instead, this collaborative sits in the hands of a local non-profit, Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN). And PYN is just the beginning of a vast network of supporters.

Let’s name a few: the Mayor, the public school district and their CEO, the federal government, select non-profits, faith-based organizations, and local colleges.

Here at Shearwater, we are big fans of Project U-Turn. We share their belief that community collaboration is crucial to confronting high school dropout.

In fact, our growth is a result of community involvement. Similar to Project U-Turn, we have solicited support from the Mayor’s Office, the public school district, the state government, and the local leadership community. We look to local nonprofits such as Youth in Need, United Way, and the Urban League, to make our program possible by aiding our students. Local universities have also jumped on board, offering space, researchers, and sponsorship.

We are proud to say that Shearwater is the community’s school. Let’s tip our hats to Project U-Turn for setting a good example.

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[1] (2006) R.Neild & R.Balfanz. Unfulfilled Promise: The Dimensions and Characteristics of Philadelphia’s Dropout Crisis, 2000-2005. <http://www.projectuturn.net/downloads/pdf/unfulfilled_summary_single_page.pdf>.

[2] Project U-Turn: Paving Pathways to Educational Success. <http://www.projectuturn.net/about.html>.

In the News

Jobs for the Future and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University just released a new report on turning around high schools with low graduation rates.  At a time when the federal government is offering billions of dollars toward school reform, this report give recommendations for how to best allocate the funds.  Researchers highlight the importance of federal-state-local and community partnernships, noting that “schools can’t do it alone.”

Broke? Spend More and Hire a Business Manager

There are charter schools that seem to have lost sight of a simple truth: “money makes the world goes round.”

In a recent Center for Education Reform report, researchers found that 4 out of 10 charters have closed due to financial problems. An additional 3 out of 10 were poorly managed and eventually shut down. The schools were spending money they didn’t have, misspending what they did have, and overestimating the funds they would receive[1].

Keep in mind: a well-run organization better educates kids. Academic gains are improbable when there is no money to support school operations. We must learn and apply pertinent business principles; a business focused on education is still a business. How many companies do you know that don’t have someone running the books and acting as a financial advisor? A charter school should be no exception.

Hiring a business manger whose only focus is school finance and operations is key.

We already know that funding for charter schools can be tough. State funding is never enough. School administrators often have to solicit federal moneys, apply for grants, and look to the good will of the wealthy. This can be a time-consuming and tiresome process.

A slashed budget is the beginning of a slippery slope. Teacher layoffs begin, the school’s building is compromised, and innovation is stifled. Suddenly a school that was well-designed and good-intentioned can become a failing school.

Case in point: a few years ago, a charter school in the Bronx was forced to close its doors after only two years of operation. It faced a myriad of issues, including financial and management problems. Its closing left a “messy wake of heartbreak, anger, and dislocation[2]” for everyone involved – school staff, community supporters, parents, and students. In Shearwater’s local community we have lost two Youth Build programs. Youth Build, a construction training and GED program for low-income out-of-school youth, ran out of money — “hope was building. Then the money dried up[3].”

Charter schools are a source of hope for our country’s youth. Let’s keep that hope alive but not allow the accounting to fall to the wayside. Our recommendation: hire a business manager now. An initial financial sacrifice will mean financial stability later.  

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[1] February 2009. The 2009 Accountability Report: Charter Schools. The Center for Education Reform. <http://www.edreform.com/download/CER_2009_AR_Charter_Schools.pdf>.

[2] (April 3, 2006) In Death of Bronx Charter School, a Wider Problem. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/ nyregion/03charters.html>.

[3] (June 12, 2008) Building Solid Futures Gets Tougher Without Funds. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.