By Jamar Younger
As we approach the 25th anniversary of public charter schools in Arizona, charter school enrollment continues to surge with almost 200,000 students now attending the state’s charter schools.
This growth, along with the increasing prevalence of open enrollment, signals that parents are demanding more and varied choices for their students.
The State Board for Charter Schools on Monday added even more choices for families by approving charters for 10 new schools that plan to open for the 2019-20 school year.
These new public charter schools will add 3,187 new seats for Arizona students and families who are seeking more diverse educational options. As part of our strategic efforts to increase access to quality charter schools, the Arizona Charter Schools Association contributed to the creation of more than 2,600 of these seats by providing support to these new schools through consulting, charter application reviews, mock interviews and other workshops.
These new charters will be spread throughout the Phoenix Valley, situated in areas such as Maricopa, Apache Junction, Phoenix’s Maryvale neighborhood and Goodyear.
The schools include:
- A+ Charter Schools will look to serve students in a small learning community, which offers personalized learning plans for every student and requires participation in “Academic Success Groups.” The charter school plans to serve grades 7-12 in Maricopa.
- Abraham Lincoln Preparatory School: A Challenge Foundation Academy will focus on closing “the achievement gap for students in Maryvale by providing educational excellence and equity for all children,” according to the school’s mission statement. The charter school plans to serve Maryvale area students in grades K-4.
- Alexander Hamilton Community School: A Challenge Foundation Academy will also serve students grades K-4 in a separate area of Maryvale by providing rigorous instruction and promoting student leadership.
- ARCHES Academy will blend academics and life skills with values such as honor, courage, strength and discipline. The charter school will also feature classes and schedules that are designed “to meet students where they are,” according to its application. The school plans to serve grades K-8 in Apache Junction.
- Educational Models for Learning, Inc. will aim to educate high school students in South Scottsdale by implementing personalized, educational programs with one-on-one guidance to facilitate student achievement.
- New Learning Ventures, Inc. will open Phoenix Modern, a K-8 school in Central Phoenix that utilizes multi-age learning studios, emphasizes critical thinking, writing and speaking, and provides supportive, positive relationships.
- Phoenix International Academy will open in South Phoenix and eventually serve K-8 students. The charter school will provide hands-on, project-based learning, with many projects featuring a social justice component.
- Integrated Education Foundation, Inc. will open Kaleidoscope, a school that emphasizes five core values: cooperation, structured and unstructured play, strong character, meaningful parental involvement, and community involvement. The charter will school serve K-5 students in North Phoenix.
- Somerset Academy Arizona, Inc. will serve as a college preparatory school with an emphasis on “cultivating effective leaders, developing good character, and instilling in each child a desire to render service,” according to the school’s application. The charter school will be managed by Academica, which services over 100 charter schools in Florida, Utah, California, Nevada, Texas and Washington D.C. Somerset will eventually serve grades K-6 in Goodyear.
- Valor Preparatory Academy will use a blended learning approach that will include a digital curriculum with online and classroom instruction designed for students who have flexible scheduling needs. The school will serve Goodyear students in grades 6-11.
