Charter school opens with a lot of fanfare

Mosaica Education Inc. operates two academies in Youngstown.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A new charter elementary school is open here, promoting its college preparation curriculum, extended school day, expanded academic year and all-day kindergarten.
"We think we have a program that youngsters can grow and thrive on," said John Reno, principal of the Academy of Arts and Humanities, which opened Tuesday.
The kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school boasts computers in every classroom and Spanish instruction beginning in kindergarten. It occupies leased space in Riverside Square, the former St. Joseph Riverside Hospital building, 1400 Tod Ave. N.W.
Reno said the school's location is advantageous because the building also houses a day-care center, where pupils can go after school; a caterer, who could eventually serve school lunches; and several social-service agencies that can assist parents and children.
"There's a common thread of helping families and children here," he said.
Ad campaign
The academy's opening was heralded by a heavy advertising campaign. Enrollment at the school grew from 46 pupils on opening day to 57 on its second day, and Reno said the ad campaign may have had something to do with that.
Most of the pupils live in Warren, and the heaviest enrollment is in kindergarten through second grade, Reno said.
The enrollment growth occurred despite the lack of busing or school lunch service, which the school is still working to arrange. For now, students are taken to and from the school by their parents, and they bring lunches.
The academy has small classes conducive to individual attention. Besides Reno, the academy has seven full-time and two part-time teachers, two full-time aides for kindergarten and first grade and a secretary.
The academy features a 71/2 hour school day, about an hour longer than a typical public school day; and a 200-day instructional year, 20 days more than the state minimum standard. The academy year will end June 23, 2006.
The extended school day and year can be "beneficial to youngsters and their families in terms of time on task," said Reno, who retired last year as Newbury schools superintendent after 35 years in public education.
Academics and family
"We try to focus on high academic standards and family involvement," Reno said, noting that the school asks parents to spend two hours a month tutoring or offering other assistance at the school. There's an early emphasis on college preparation.
The academy's daily program includes 90 minutes of language arts, an hour each of math and science and an hour of a program known as Paragon, Reno said, "a unique blending of social studies, the humanities, art and music, all in a very hands-on way."
Paragon was developed by Dr. Dawn Eidelman, co-founder and curriculum design director of the New York City-based Mosaica Education Inc. For Paragon, Mosaica received an innovator award from the U.S. Department of Education.
Founded in 1997, Mosaica manages 52 charter schools in eight states and Washington, D.C., with a combined enrollment of about 13,000 students. In Youngstown, Mosaica operates the Youngstown Arts and Sciences Academy and the Youngstown Academy of Excellence.
What's a charter school?
A charter school is a tuition-free, tax-supported public school, which is independent of the regular local public school system. For each child transferring from the Warren City Schools to a charter school, $5,366 in state tax money transfers annually from the city schools to the charter school, city school officials said.
According to the Ohio Charter Schools Association, other charter schools in Warren are Life Skills Center of Trumbull County, and Summit Academy.
Having derived revenues of about $85 million from charter schools in urban areas, Mosaica ranks first on the Inner City 100, a yearly ranking compiled by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. "The company traditionally serves students and families in urban environments, giving them a choice with respect to their education," Reno said.
All-day kindergarten is beneficial because it provides pupils with more instructional time than a half-day program, Reno said. Mosaica says "virtually all kindergarten students will read by the time they enter first grade," based on the history of its program.
Because Spanish is the most prevalent second language in America, the academy in Warren offers Spanish language instruction beginning in kindergarten. "The feeling of this organization is that there is readiness for youngsters to take on another language in the earliest years of their school life," Reno explained.
milliken@vindy.com