With the summer coming to an end, area charter schools are gearing up for the season with new programs and curriculums designed to challenge minds and create a high-level learning experience.
Center for Educational Excellence Director Stacy Cochran said her school is making a number of changes, including expanding its classrooms and enhancing its foreign language program. There are also plans for modifications to other programs within the school, she says.
Keeping the curriculum fresh, Cochran said, is an important part of building a quality school. Making changes each year, keeps students challenged. “I think it’s really important to tweak the curriculum,” she said. “When you’re learning, you’re never bored.”
Founded in 1997, and with an enrollment of 340, Center for Educational Excellence is a charter school for preschool through eighth-grade.
This year, the center is planning to add the YELP Program, an acronym for Youth Exemplifying Leadership Programs. The center’s approach to YELP was developed by former Kyrene District teacher Mike Sissel. Focusing on communication and decision-making, its goal is to help youth have a better sense of accountability.
Cochran said she likes the program because it also helps develop students academically and socially. Students learn to express themselves and think individually. That’s important, she said, because the school wants to encourage intellectual and social growth among its students.
Growth in both areas, Cochran said, can help the students develop character as they become older.
“They need to be healthy students in order to be healthy adults,” Cochran said.
Cochran said challenging students also benefits others. “It challenges our teachers. We do a lot of staff development,” she said. “I think that’s probably one of our strengths.”
Cochran said smaller class sizes and a unique study environment has been something the parents really appreciate.
“They like a family atmosphere, the small community, the nurturing, the positive atmosphere,” she said. “(With smaller classes of typically 23 to a room) we are able to reach the children on an individual basis.
“I think that’s one of our strengths.”
The school also has a gifted program that it offers to all students, compared to many other schools that provide advanced programming to a group of handpicked students. The Center for Educational Excellence, she said, includes all students—and it pays off.
“We’ve done a lot of research and we’ve got a special enrichment program,” Cochran said.
Students have an opportunity to choose an area of interest and become matched with a teacher who can help cultivate that interest.
“Last year, a group of students chose architecture. They designed a model for a pirate ship, collected materials and began construction.
“They ended up building it for our playground,” Cochran said.
Students at the school have also built an organic garden and put together a salsa dancing challenge. The program was held three Fridays a month, the other for a school assembly.
“We’re able to build on their interest,” Cochran said.
Creating interest and developing new challenges are just a few things that Cochran believes will help the school and its students stand out this year.
