City Academy High School
Encyclopedia
City Academy High School is a charter school
located in Saint Paul, Minnesota
. The school was created a year after charter school legislation in Minnesota
was passed. As a charter school, it operates independently, but is sponsored by the College of St. Catherine
. On September 7, 1992, City Academy became the first charter school in the United States
to open.
City Academy operates in a variety of buildings in Saint Paul. The majority of classes are held at a local recreation center in Saint Paul. City Academy enrolls students 15–21 years of age who have previously dropped out of school or are not currently attending school. The school was created to aid students in at-risk demographics.
, several neighborhood parents, and Northern States Power Company
. However, the charter school received opposition from the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers.
Milo Cutter (teacher), and Barron Chapman (recreation leader),Terry Kraabel,(teacher) were the three people who started the school. The initial proposal for the school was designed for students who have dropped out of school. The school was also designed for students whose homes were wracked by poverty or substance abuse. The proposal included having the students do things such as building homes for Habitat for Humanity, learning art at local pottery studios, and studying biology at local nature centers. The proposal allowed students to work toward their high school diploma or try to get back into a more traditional high school.
The proposal was to serve 30 Saint Paul students ages 13 to 19 who have dropped out of school or are at risk for dropping out. Since then, the school has expanded, but is kept small to keep small class sizes.
Northern States Power eventually donated computers to the school and provided $30,000 in startup money. The predicted annual budget was $200,000. The school received about $120,000 in state education funding, the remainder coming from fundraising efforts. City Academy was modeled after a program called Power League a year before. Plans are for the year-round school to open in August, said Milo Cutter, Power League director. In addition to offering classes in academic subjects, the program offers support groups, counseling, individualized case management, job skills training, community service, and recreational activities. On September 7, 1992, City Academy became the first charter school in the United States to open.
Students often remodel East Side houses on weekends and after school.
City Academy was originally sponsored by Saint Paul Public Schools
but has been sponsored by St. Catherine since 1999. City Academy has been sponsored by the College of St. Catherine
in Saint Paul since the 1999–2000 school year. The school is accredited by the North Central Accreditation Association
. The main site of the school is at the Wilder Recreation Center, but classes are held in other areas such as recreation centers. Of the seven members of the charter board, two of them are from the community.
Students are given the home phone numbers of teachers and encouraged to call them for help after regular school hours. Students who are enrolled full time spend three hours a day in classroom learning and three hours on a job site. The school features four days of interdisciplinary courses and electives a week; students spend the fifth day in the community doing other educational activities.
A study by the University of Minnesota
found that in the 1996–1997 school year "...students (on average) have made at least three years' academic gain in both reading and math."
The school has a 100% Adequate Yearly Progress
graduation rate. Other graduation indicators, such as the National Governors Association
rate, have lower percentages, such as 52.7% by AYP measure the rate of students who originally enroll eventually graduate. NGA measures the rate of students who graduate in four years. City Academy does not have traditional grade distinctions that are used in the NGA method. During City Academy's first three years of operation, the school graduated 78 students; only 11 students dropped out. Again, most students who enroll have previously dropped out of school.
, U.S. Department of Education
secretary Richard Riley
, and current U.S. senator and then-presidential candidate John Kerry
.
In 1999, Milo Cutter, one of the founders of City Academy, was named by Teacher Magazine as one of the ten people who shaped education in the 1990s. Teacher Magazine credited Cutter's work with City Academy with helping launch the charter school movement nationwide. Due to City Academy's success, it has been said that City Academy "...serves as a talisman for the entire charter school movement."
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
located in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. The school was created a year after charter school legislation in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
was passed. As a charter school, it operates independently, but is sponsored by the College of St. Catherine
College of St. Catherine
St. Catherine University is a private Catholic university for women located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. There is also a campus in Minneapolis. Enrollment is 5,246 students. With approximately 2,900 bachelor's students, it is the largest university for women in the United States. Its...
. On September 7, 1992, City Academy became the first charter school in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to open.
City Academy operates in a variety of buildings in Saint Paul. The majority of classes are held at a local recreation center in Saint Paul. City Academy enrolls students 15–21 years of age who have previously dropped out of school or are not currently attending school. The school was created to aid students in at-risk demographics.
History
In 1991, Minnesota became the first state in the United States to pass legislation that allowed charter schools. Several proposals for schools were quickly proposed, including City Academy. The school was the third charter school approved by the Minnesota Department of Education, but the first to open. The proposal won support from current mayor James ScheibelJames Scheibel
James Scheibel is an American politician who was endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. From 1990 to 1994, he served as the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, succeeding George Latimer....
, several neighborhood parents, and Northern States Power Company
Northern States Power Company
Northern States Power Company was a publicly-traded S&P 500 electric and natural gas utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that is now a subsidiary of Xcel Energy .-History:...
. However, the charter school received opposition from the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers.
Milo Cutter (teacher), and Barron Chapman (recreation leader),Terry Kraabel,(teacher) were the three people who started the school. The initial proposal for the school was designed for students who have dropped out of school. The school was also designed for students whose homes were wracked by poverty or substance abuse. The proposal included having the students do things such as building homes for Habitat for Humanity, learning art at local pottery studios, and studying biology at local nature centers. The proposal allowed students to work toward their high school diploma or try to get back into a more traditional high school.
The proposal was to serve 30 Saint Paul students ages 13 to 19 who have dropped out of school or are at risk for dropping out. Since then, the school has expanded, but is kept small to keep small class sizes.
Northern States Power eventually donated computers to the school and provided $30,000 in startup money. The predicted annual budget was $200,000. The school received about $120,000 in state education funding, the remainder coming from fundraising efforts. City Academy was modeled after a program called Power League a year before. Plans are for the year-round school to open in August, said Milo Cutter, Power League director. In addition to offering classes in academic subjects, the program offers support groups, counseling, individualized case management, job skills training, community service, and recreational activities. On September 7, 1992, City Academy became the first charter school in the United States to open.
Operation
For $302 a month, City Academy rents space from the city of Saint Paul in the Wilder Recreation Center, a bunkerlike East Side building constructed in 1941. Classes run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and are offered year-round. In 1996, the school's annual operating budget was $320,000.Students often remodel East Side houses on weekends and after school.
City Academy was originally sponsored by Saint Paul Public Schools
Saint Paul Public Schools
Saint Paul Public Schools is a school district that covers all of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota.Saint Paul supports a robust network of publicly-funded primary and secondary schools....
but has been sponsored by St. Catherine since 1999. City Academy has been sponsored by the College of St. Catherine
College of St. Catherine
St. Catherine University is a private Catholic university for women located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. There is also a campus in Minneapolis. Enrollment is 5,246 students. With approximately 2,900 bachelor's students, it is the largest university for women in the United States. Its...
in Saint Paul since the 1999–2000 school year. The school is accredited by the North Central Accreditation Association
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
. The main site of the school is at the Wilder Recreation Center, but classes are held in other areas such as recreation centers. Of the seven members of the charter board, two of them are from the community.
Programs
City Academy has participated in a program called Youthbuild since 1993. This national nonprofit organization supports 200 local programs that help young people work toward their high school diplomas while learning construction skills by building affordable housing for low-income and homeless people.Students are given the home phone numbers of teachers and encouraged to call them for help after regular school hours. Students who are enrolled full time spend three hours a day in classroom learning and three hours on a job site. The school features four days of interdisciplinary courses and electives a week; students spend the fifth day in the community doing other educational activities.
Student body
In the sponsorship charter with the College of St. Catherine, City Academy's "...target population [is] primarily 15–21 year old students who are currently unenrolled, underprepared, and at risk for dropping out." 90.4% of students are minorities, and 86% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch. Before attending City Academy, over 90% of students did not currently attend a school. Some students even enroll after being released from juvenile correctional facilities. There are no grade distinctions based on the number of school years completed. Once students complete the graduation requirements of the school, they graduate.Success
86% of students of the students had not passed the Minnesota Basic Skills Tests (BST) prior to enrollment. Passing BSTs in Writing, Math, and Reading are required to graduate from high school in Minnesota.A study by the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
found that in the 1996–1997 school year "...students (on average) have made at least three years' academic gain in both reading and math."
The school has a 100% Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized...
graduation rate. Other graduation indicators, such as the National Governors Association
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...
rate, have lower percentages, such as 52.7% by AYP measure the rate of students who originally enroll eventually graduate. NGA measures the rate of students who graduate in four years. City Academy does not have traditional grade distinctions that are used in the NGA method. During City Academy's first three years of operation, the school graduated 78 students; only 11 students dropped out. Again, most students who enroll have previously dropped out of school.
Impact
Due to being the first charter school in the United States, the school has received a lot of attention in the media. City Academy has been visited by U.S. President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, U.S. Department of Education
United States Secretary of Education
The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession...
secretary Richard Riley
Richard Riley
Richard Wilson Riley , American politician, was United States Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton and the 111th Governor of South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, and current U.S. senator and then-presidential candidate John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
.
In 1999, Milo Cutter, one of the founders of City Academy, was named by Teacher Magazine as one of the ten people who shaped education in the 1990s. Teacher Magazine credited Cutter's work with City Academy with helping launch the charter school movement nationwide. Due to City Academy's success, it has been said that City Academy "...serves as a talisman for the entire charter school movement."
See also
- Charter schoolCharter schoolCharter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
- Education in Saint Paul, MinnesotaEducation in Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, Minnesota contains many educational institutions. A number of educational "firsts" have happened in Saint Paul. Hamline University, the first and oldest college in Minnesota, was founded in Saint Paul in 1854. The oldest high school in Minnesota, Central High School, was founded in...