A proposal to the Louisiana Department of Education for six charter schools that will form



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A proposal to the Louisiana Department of Education

for six charter schools that will form

two GEO Academy campuses

featuring a K-5 and 6-12 daytime academy

and an “early college” night high school


Presented by:

Kevin Teasley

President/Founder of GEO Foundation

1630 N. Meridian St., #350

Indianapolis, IN 46202

317-713-4238 work

317-694-9985 cell

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

GEO Foundation, a 15-year-old nonprofit with ten years of charter school management experience based in Indianapolis, proposes to open a unique series of Type 1, 2 and 5 charter elementary, middle/high school, and an “early college” night high school in Louisiana beginning in Jefferson Parish in 2014-15.

In considering the opportunity to open campuses in Louisiana, GEO reviewed your state’s charter laws and support structures and we are very impressed with Louisiana’s mission to ensure that ALL students are served and applaud the state for legislating that all charter schools resemble the demographics of the district in which they reside. Indeed, GEO Academy schools go to great lengths and pride themselves in achieving high academic growth while serving student populations that resemble the demographics of the districts in which they operate. A recent Stanford University CREDO study demonstrated that GEO Academy schools are in the top 25% in the nation for growth in math and top 40% for reading.

Outcomes we will achieve: Continuing our expectation for operating high growth schools, we expect to meet and/or exceed the expected target growth School Performance Scores as provided by the state in each of the Parishes we serve. For example, in 2012, we found 39 elementary/middle schools in Jefferson Parish had growth targets of 10 and 28 schools failed to meet those goals. We intend to meet those goals. We found the high schools did better at meeting the expected growth targets as seven made their targets but two did not. In addition to meeting and exceeding the SPS goals, we expect to provide high graduation rates, ACT scores, and to graduate students ready for a high wage job and/or to go to college. Indeed, many of our students will graduate from our high school with numerous college credits in hand and perhaps even an Associate’s Degree. We will achieve these goals this with a balanced budget.

GEO Foundation’s network of academies currently consists of three schools, two in Gary, Indiana and one in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two are K-12 schools and one is an “early college night high school.” However, we established and managed two other charter schools (one K-12 and one 5-12) for ten and seven years respectively in Indianapolis, but transitioned out of them in 2011-12 so that we can focus on developing new schools. All of the charter schools we support have demonstrated high growth and continual improvement and have received numerous accolades/awards from Department of Education officials and our authorizers, including being named the top growth school in the state of Indiana, the top non-waiver graduation rate improvement school in Indiana, and the “2011 Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award” in Colorado.



Key components of our scale strategy: After ten years of experience starting and managing charter schools, we propose a scale strategy that starts with opening an elementary school the first year, then opening a daytime middle/high school and an “early college night high school” the second year in shared facilities. The third year we will not open a new school, but will resume with this pattern in year four and five. We envision duplicating this process for ten years. This replicates our campuses in Indiana and Colorado. There is one key difference between what we are proposing in Louisiana and what we have in Indiana and Colorado. We have single K-12 charter contracts and would prefer to have separate charter contracts for our proposed K-5, our daytime middle/high school, and our proposed “early college” night high school.

Mitigating threats: The key components to our scale strategy align with our efforts to mitigate threats most likely to hinder our success. Our strategy is to eliminate ambiguity and to use a structured education plan that includes Core Knowledge for grades K-8, Edgenuity blended learning beginning in 6th grade through 12th grade, Project Lead the Way STEM program beginning in middle school through high school, and an “early college” model beginning in 9th grade. Our “early college” night high school will replicate what we are doing during our daytime high school but focus mostly on the basics of high school requirements and college preparation classes as well as offer access to college courses to qualified students. All of these programs are research-based and have assisted us in addressing academic rigor, curriculum pacing, meeting high standards and transitioning to the Common Core standards, as well as helping us retain students and their interest in continuing and completing high school and going to college. In addition to these programs, we embrace TAP—The System for Teacher and Student Advancement—a program that provides job-embedded professional development, is data driven, and provides us the opportunity to retain and reward great teachers. Louisiana is a rich TAP state too with hundreds of teachers already experienced in TAP. We embrace all of these programs for multiple reasons including that they come with high quality professional development support systems and networks, they are research-based and proven to work, and they help mitigate turnover in students and staff and help position our schools for success.

In addition to these programs, our scale strategy includes mitigating the threats caused by the costs of facilities and infrastructure needs. All six of our proposed schools (K-5, middle/high school and early college night high school) will form two campuses and use the same facilities. This reduces duplication of infrastructure costs—buildings, desks, chairs, computers, software, books, etc.—and allows us to spend more on teachers, including the sustainable funding of TAP and benefits for students.

Lastly, GEO Foundation’s scale strategy includes making best use of our existing professional staff of 16 who have many years of experience supporting and managing the development of charter schools. We have the capacity to start and support new schools and to do so with expertise and the benefit of lessons learned over the past 10 years. Our experience and our ability will save new schools considerable dollars over time as our back office support service costs are at low nonprofit rates and these savings will allow for new schools to spend more to benefit students in the classroom. Finally, GEO Foundation has cash reserves of nearly $5 million that we can use to support the successful startup of these campuses in Louisiana.

GROWTH PLANS

Number of Schools: While it appears that we are requesting six charters over the next five years, and we are (two K-5s maxed out at 450 students at each campus, two middle/high schools maxed out at 425 students at each campus, and two “early college night high schools maxed out at 400 students at each campus), they are essentially two campuses (a K-5, middle/high school and “early college” night high school at each location) and we will open them in a rolling fashion. We plan to start with a K-5 in 2014-15, followed by the middle/high school and “early college night high school” in 2015-16. We will take 2016-17 to refine the three schools at one campus and to begin the plans for the second campus to open in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

We expect the demographics of these schools to resemble the demographics of the Parish in which we serve. Each of our current charter schools, and the ones we have managed over the past 10 years, resemble the demographics of the districts in which we operate.



Opening schools elsewhere: GEO Foundation is not currently looking to open new schools in any other states nor do we have applications pending to open new schools in Indiana or Colorado. We have purposely chosen not to open new schools in recent years so that we can focus on improving and refining our model and prepare for replication. This focus has resulted in 100% graduation rates in Gary (two of the last three years) with a population that is 90% free and reduced lunch qualified, and improved graduation rates in Colorado Springs (80% last year). We believe we have refined our model to a point now that we are ready for replication but will do replication in a conservative manner. We are choosing to focus our attention on opening these Louisiana schools with quality and to do so with the necessary discipline.

Vision: Opening these schools with success will contribute to GEO’s vision that successful schools can be opened in any community in the country when we use rigorous educational programs, managed by great leaders who are trained and supported, and when we monitor progress with discipline and fidelity. We hope others will learn from our high expectations and our commitment to a focused educational program that seeks to serve ALL children and that they replicate our model. Public education has a real challenge in that ALL children must be served. Charters should strive to serve ALL children and our proposed GEO Academy campuses seek to provide an appropriate opportunity for all children to be served under one umbrella.

GEO’s vision is to provide high quality education opportunities to all children and to prepare them to be successful in college and/or prepared to obtain a high wage job right out of high school. We seek to provide a campus of schools that serve all the needs of children whether they need remediation/acceleration services, AP courses or want to take actual college classes while attending our high schools. Our approach is financially conservative but it supports efficient use of investments to provide maximum benefit to each student.

Your leadership has been generous in meeting with us and responsive to our questions. Indeed, you reached out to GEO and invited us to submit applications for charter schools in your state. This, combined with your state’s focus on making sure that at-risk students are served and that charter schools resemble the demographics of the Parish in which we reside, are very exciting characteristics to us. Presuming we are successful in opening the first six charters as planned, GEO will seek to open a second set of six the following five years beginning in 2020. We seek to have a partnership with the Department of Education and to grow with your needs.

PAST SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

Performance/Compliance deficiencies: GEO Foundation Academies are not involved in any deficiencies or compliance violations with our authorizers nor are we involved in litigation, nor have we had any material audit findings. We have started and supported five schools over the past ten years. Today, we manage and support three schools in two states and two different cities with two different authorizers.

21st Century Charter School @ Gary:

Now completing its 8th year of operation and serving nearly 500 students, 21st Century Charter School @ Gary is the highest performing charter school in Gary, Indiana. It has been an “A” school for two of the last three years, achieved 100% (or near) graduation rates each of the past three years, was recognized by the State of Indiana as the highest academic growth school in the state, and recognized by Ball State University to be the only charter in their portfolio of more than 40 charter schools statewide to “meet standard” in both K-8 and high school criteria. Our board has been stable for the life of the school, our principal has been with us for six straight years, and our student retention rate is in the 90% range year after year. The school has more than 200 students on the waiting list. The school received a full unconditional 5-year charter renewal contract from Ball State University in January 2013. The school has a population that is 90% free and reduced lunch qualified and its special education population has hovered around 7-9% over the years. In May, the school will celebrate the accomplishment of its first high school student who has earned 60 college credits while attending our school and will graduate with an Associate’s Degree from Ivy Tech, too. Most of our high school students graduate with at least 16 college credits and many actually earn more than 30 college credits while attending our high school. Nearly every graduate is accepted to college and earns numerous scholarship awards. This year, our graduates have been accepted to the main campuses of Purdue University, Indiana University, Ball State University, and Indiana State University, and many others. While many do get accepted and go to a four-year university, some choose to attend Ivy Tech Community College and earn their Associate’s Degree and/or a license/certificate to go into the workforce.



Pikes Peak Prep:

Now completing its 8th year of operation, Pikes Peak Prep has achieved the highest “School Performance Framework” rating from the Colorado Department of Education each of the past two years. The Colorado Department of Education rates academic achievement, academic growth, academic growth gaps, and postsecondary and workforce readiness and PPP “meets” or “exceeds” standards in these categories. Pikes Peak Prep has also made AYP every year, was recognized by the Colorado Department of Education with the “2011 Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award,” and achieved a graduation rate of 80% last year. The school is recognized as a high academic growth school and received a full five year renewal from its authorizer, the Colorado Charter School Institute, in 2010. The school has a population that is roughly 60% qualified for free and reduced lunch participation and 10% special ed. Our high school students regularly graduate with more than 30 college credits and indeed we have graduated a student who earned his Associate’s Degree and 60 college credits from Pikes Peak Community College while attending PPP.



Gary Middle College:

Currently in its first year of operation and serving 184 students, this unique school grew out of the experience we have had with our day schools. It serves students who are 15 and older and can’t attend a traditional day time high school but still want to earn a high school diploma AND go to college. We operate from 5-9 each night Monday-Friday and provide Saturday school. The school was scheduled to open with 100 students but due to high demand (more than 300) we accommodated 184 this year. We have 600 on the wait list. This is a challenging population to serve (nearly 100% free and reduced lunch qualified) as they re-enter school and try to improve their lives. We use a blended learning model and partner with Ivy Tech Community College.



Fall Creek Academy:

GEO Foundation started this school as one of Indiana’s first charter schools in 2002. Initially known as 21st Century Charter School @ Union Station and eventually renamed Fall Creek Academy, the school started with 125 students in grades K-6 and grew a grade a year to complete the K-12 spectrum. It currently serves more than 500 students. The school experienced tremendous growth in academics during its first three years and had a waiting list of more than 300 students. To meet demand, the school decided to build a new facility and doubled in size in year four which was essentially a restart for the school (character, expectations, culture, staffing and students, test results, etc.). The school is one of the few charter schools in Indianapolis that actually provides transportation and welcomes all students including special education students. Over the life of the school, the free and reduced lunch population has increased from about 60% to 85% and its special education population has ranged from 14% to 17% of the total student body ranking it among the top charters in terms of percentages of free and reduced lunch and special education students. Fall Creek Academy is located within the district of Indianapolis Public Schools which is 83% free and reduced lunch qualified and 18% of its population is qualified for special education services. The jump from 60% to 85% in free and reduced lunch qualified students is primarily due to the change in location from a historic downtown train station to a location inside one of Indianapolis’s toughest neighborhoods featuring households with little to no education, extreme high school dropout rates and little to no college educated households. The school prides itself in taking all students especially those who need remediation. In 2007-2008, Fall Creek Academy was recognized by the State of Indiana and the Mayor’s office as the “highest growth” school (students showing the most academic growth) in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. In 2009, FCA was recognized for achieving the 10th best improvement in standardized test results in Marion County and 39th best in the state. In 2011, Fall Creek Academy earned a $20,000 award from the State of Indiana for having the most improved “non-waiver” graduation rate in the state. The school’s first graduation rate was a paltry 44% (due mostly to unreliable data when the school started), but it has steadily improved from 80% and 88% to 89% in the past three years. While we are proud of these achievements, the school did have challenges along the way primarily due to dramatic increases in enrollment (impacted academic achievement) between years 3 and 4 and board stability and governance. In 2011-2012, the school transitioned from a GEO-managed school to school board/principal-directed and GEO-supported school and the board hired an outside academic advisor. While GEO managed the school for the first nine years, the school earned “academic progress” (essentially a “C” grade from the state). Last year, 2011-12, under the new school board/principal/outside academic advisor-directed management system, the school earned an “F”. Nonetheless, GEO assisted in establishing a new and stronger board of directors and shepherded the school through a renewal process and the school was awarded a new charter by Ball State University in January of 2012. After writing the charter application and helping to establish a strong board of directors, GEO resigned from serving the school in June 2012 so that we can focus on starting new schools.

Fountain Square Academy:

GEO Foundation was invited to start a new charter school on the Southside of Indianapolis by a neighborhood community development center (CDC) in 2005. We accepted the invitation and launched the school in a building provided by the CDC. Again, this school is located in one of Indianapolis’ poorest neighborhoods featuring high crime, low education attainment, and one of the city’s highest percentages of high school dropouts. Nonetheless, Fountain Square Academy was recognized by the Indianapolis Mayor’s office as one of only three high schools in Indianapolis to make AYP in 2009 and was also recognized by the State of Indiana and the Mayor’s office as having the third highest academic growth by its students in Marion County and 8th most in the state in 2009. Again, this school has one of the highest percentages of at risk students in Marion County. It currently serves more than 250 students. The school started with approximately 60% of its students qualifying for the free and reduced lunch program and currently serves a population that is 90% free and reduced lunch qualified. The school started with a population that was 11% special education-qualified and last year served a population that was nearly 20% special education-qualified. The school started out with a 27% graduate rate (mostly due to unreliable data and students reenrolling in school and being out of cohort) and has achieved a graduation rate as high as 73%. Again, this school shifted from a GEO-managed school to a school board/principal-managed and GEO-supported school in 2011-12. The board, which is the same board for Fall Creek Academy, hired an outside academic advisor in 2011-2012. In 2010-11, while managed by GEO, the school received an “academic progress” grade from the state (equal to a ‘C”). When it shifted to a school board/principal/outside academic advisor-managed system in 2011-12, it earned a “D.” Nonetheless, GEO Foundation shepherded this school through its renewal process in 2012 and after securing a strong school board and charter with Ball State University, GEO resigned in June 2012 to focus on developing new schools.



THEORY OF CHANGE

To understand GEO Foundation’s mentality and approach to achieving goals, one needs to go back to 1999 when GEO Foundation hosted one of the first “no excuses” conferences in the country in Indiana. This conference featured speakers such as Michael Feinberg, co-founder of KIPP. We firmly believe in the “whatever it takes” mentality and the “no excuses” approach. In recent years, we’ve provided copies of “Teach Like a Champion” by Doug Lemov, to each of our teachers and principals and we review each chapter and technique regularly. Indeed, the CEO of GEO has provided chapters of the book to “all staff” on a weekly basis via email and encouraged a discussion among all staff about the use of these successful techniques. We believe we must go beyond “belief” and support staff with a strong foundation of programs and professional development.



Fundamental features of a school that ensure successful student outcomes.

A sign that hangs above the entrance to all of our schools reads, “Through these doors walk college graduates.” The Greater Educational Opportunities (GEO) Foundation believes that all children should have access to a quality education that includes college. To actualize this belief, GEO has systematically built a student-centered educational model that provides the personalized approach to learning necessary to close achievement gaps and prepare low-income students to begin college coursework as early as 9th grade. By providing an accelerated pathway to college, beginning in kindergarten, GEO schools hope to break the cycle of poverty that is prevalent in the families and communities of the students we serve.

Our approach to establishing a pathway to college is guided by three core beliefs about student learning.


  1. Students learn best when provided with an individualized and rigorous curriculum.

The success of the GEO model hinges on our ability to accelerate pathways to proficiency, with the goal of helping all students achieve at or above grade level within three years of entering a GEO school. To accelerate growth, GEO schools use a combination of adaptive online learning technologies, direct teacher-led instruction, and targeted small group and individual interventions to ensure our students operate within their zone of proximal development. Our systematic approach has proven successful in increasing our capacity to produce, on average, greater than one year of growth in one year’s time1 – allowing our low-income students to catch up with their more affluent academic peers.

  1. Students learn best when teachers are motivated and professionally supported.

GEO recognizes that the quality of the classroom teacher is the single most important in-school factor affecting student achievement results. Our operational model is designed to attract and retain highly effective educators through the establishment of career ladders that offer increased responsibility, compensation and opportunities to impact more students. Under our model, teachers progressing through the career ladder receive additional coaching and leadership support as they learn to assume a greater role within our organizational structure.

  1. Students learn best when school leaders and teachers engage in a process of continuous learning and improvement.

In a culture that is driven by data and a strong desire to help all students move beyond proficiency faster, investing time in innovation and improvement has become a habit, not an isolated project. Within this environment, teachers and school leaders are continually refining their ability to drive higher levels of student achievement. To sustain this culture, the GEO Foundation regularly invests significant resources in exposing our school leaders and teachers to new ways of approaching common problems. The result has been a stream of disruptive innovations that have helped us improve our academic, operational and financial model; enhancing our ability to serve more students, better.

A deep commitment to our core beliefs combined with a systemic “whatever it takes” approach to education has consistently yielded higher than average levels of student growth2 and college readiness3, as measured by key state indicators.




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