Schools
by Tassajara Prep on March 10, 2010 | 
36 Comments | Topics: Schools
The following speech was delivered by John M. Zukoski, one of the Founders of Tassajara Prep, at the March 9, 2010, meeting of the Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees. The Board unanimously voted to deny Tassajara Prep’s charter petition. The petition will now be submitted to the Alameda County Board of Education.
“The Founders of Tassajara Prep would like to reiterate our commitment to bringing a world-class, college preparatory high school to Dublin, CA. We know our endeavor will have a tremendous positive impact on thousands of students whose lives will be enriched by the smaller learning community at Tassajara Prep. This positive impact will be felt not only by our student population but also by students throughout the Tri-Valley. We expect everyone to benefit from the innovative, best-practice educational environment proposed in our petition. To that end, the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation is pleased to announce the addition of both Dr. Jeffrey Watkins and Dr. Douglas Treadway to our team, as we work toward our vision of academic excellence and elevated expectations.
The Founders have reviewed the findings of fact and the proposed resolution requesting the denial of Tassajara Prep. We are disappointed with the process and the quality of due diligence the District has afforded the citizens of Dublin, and, more specifically, the prospective students of both Dublin High School and Tassajara Prep. No substantive discussion regarding the merit of our petition has taken place between the District and Tassajara Prep since the petition’s submission on January 11, 2010. We are struck by the litany of inaccuracies and misrepresentations throughout the findings of fact. All of the concerns regarding our petition could have been easily addressed had the District been open to a meaningful dialogue with us. The Founders of Tassajara Prep and the Dublin Unified School District Board share similar missions. The District’s stated mission is “to support all students in becoming lifelong learners by providing them with a rigorous and relevant education that prepares them for college / university or service to our country and to succeed in today’s global economy.” We should strive to work in concert towards those goals.
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by Around Dublin Team on February 20, 2010 | 3 Comments | Topics: Schools
Springfield Montessori School will be opening its new campus in Dublin, CA, May 2010. The Dublin campus is located at 5100 Brannigan Street, in Dublin Ranch, with easy access to and from I-580 and I-680. In close proximity to both Fallon Middle School and John Green Elementary School, this new campus has been designed to replicate Springfield Montessori’s award-winning architectural design in Walnut Creek, CA. The programs, curriculum, and operating model will be patterned after the highly successful and well respected Walnut Creek campus.
Springfield Montessori School subscribes to the Montessori Teaching Philosophy. Developed by Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952), this philosophy emphasizes and promotes excellence in Early Childhood Education by creating a culture that is conducive to learning, helping students develop physical and mental order as well as “Inner Discipline,” providing an environment and materials that will meet the multifaceted developmental needs of the students, and teaching students to help themselves through the processes of independence, responsibility, socialization, and grace, and courtesy.
Springfield Montessori owes much of its reputation to the dedication of its highly motivated teaching staff. Springfield Montessori teachers are well trained in the Montessori Philosophy and possess thorough knowledge of the various stages in a young child’s social, cognitive, physical, and physiological development.
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by John M. Zukoski on February 3, 2010 | 47 Comments | Topics: Schools
In response to huge deficits, the State of California will be slashing education funding for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. Every school throughout the Tri-Valley will be hit by the reduced funding; however, some districts will be impacted more than others. Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) is facing required cuts of about $1.5M (roughly 4% of last year’s budget) whereas the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD), which oversees schools in San Ramon, Alamo, and Danville, is expected to cut about $30M from their budget over the next two years (about 7%). Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) needs to find $8M of savings, and Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) needs to implement nearly $9M in reductions.
While every school district is looking at red ink for the next few years, their approaches to handling the budget woes vary significantly. Pleasanton is looking to reduce the school year by 10 days. This strategy would provide $6.1M of the total $8M in required cuts. Livermore will be consolidating Portola Elementary and Junction Avenue Middle Schools to eliminate facilities and operating costs. This move has been heavily criticized by Portola Elementary School parents who are worried about exposing their children to the notorious gang-related challenges at Junction Avenue Middle School. DUSD and SRVUSD have yet to identify their cost reduction strategies. All school districts are likely to raise class sizes and cut extracurricular programs.
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by Around Dublin Team on January 24, 2010 | 1 Comment | Topics: Schools
Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
The California Department of Education has awarded the Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory, a newly approved charter high school in Livermore, CA, a Public Charter School Grant for the maximum eligible amount of $450,000. The total project period for the grant is January 1, 2010, through August 15, 2012. “I am very happy to have achieved this meaningful milestone in the development of our new, cutting edge program to benefit the high school students of Livermore and the Tri-Valley. While we had anticipated the receipt of the grant, it is always exciting to find points of affirmation in the building of our program,” said Bill Batchelor, Chief Operating Officer of the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation.
The federal Public Charter School Grant Program supports the planning, development, and initial implementation of charter schools. According to the U.S. Department of Education, “Charter schools provide enhanced parental choice and are exempt from many statutory and regulatory requirements. In exchange for increased flexibility, charter schools are held accountable for improving student academic achievement. The objective is to replace rules-based governance with performance-based accountability, thereby stimulating the creativity and commitment of teachers, parents, and citizens.”
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by Tassajara Prep on January 11, 2010 | 58 Comments | Topics: Schools
Scheduled to open in Dublin, CA, Fall 2012, Tassajara Prep will provide a comprehensive college-prep environment that represents the highest academic and civic standards for all students, establishing a solid foundation for success in premier universities and beyond through rigorous curricula, innovative teaching practices, an expanded choice of Advanced Placement (AP) courses and extracurricular enrichment programs, and integration of the latest technology in the classroom.
Tassajara Prep’s Charter Committee submitted the petition to the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) on Monday, January 11, 2010. Superintendent Stephen Hanke personally signed for the charter petition at exactly 11:25AM. The main body of the charter petition explains the founders’ vision for Tassajara Prep, what we promise our students, and objective measures for our success. The appendices of the charter petition include, among other important items, a draft course catalog of Tassajara Prep and a detailed fiscal plan with a five-year budget projection and a three-year cash flow projection. The complete petition is available for download in three separate documents:
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by Tassajara Prep on December 25, 2009 | 15 Comments | Topics: Schools
The founders of Tassajara Prep would like to thank everyone who took the time to attend the recent town hall meetings. We received tremendous feedback from supporters who are excited about the promise of Tassajara Prep and stakeholders who expressed concerns. The concerns raised fall into four distinct categories:
- Harm
- Adequacy
- Need
- Affordability
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by John M. Zukoski on December 23, 2009 | 6 Comments | Topics: Schools
In its seventh year, the Pathways Program at Murray Elementary is a free K-3 school program run by visionary founder Sharon Kovalevsky. Based on the Reggio Emelia Approach to education, Pathways’ philosophy is encapsulated by these four principles:
- Multi-age Learning Environment: Mixed age classes provide the opportunity for all children to nurture, mentor, and respect others for their unique strengths and talents.
- Parent Participation: Parents work in the classroom 1.5 hours/week per child, participate on a committee, participate in evening parent meetings, and drive or chaperone on field trips.
- Mutual Respect: “There aren’t any barriers between students or teachers based on gender, age, or anything else,” explains Kovalevsky. Everyone has something to contribute, and everyone has something to learn.
- Student Interest: Pathways students and teachers view the world as their classroom. Projects and events are student-driven. For example, when the news had stories about water on Mars, some students suggested that the class research and report on Mars. In another instance, when one student found some interesting rocks, the students were inspired to report on geological phenomena.
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by John M. Zukoski on December 15, 2009 | 23 Comments | Topics: Schools
US News & World Report just released their list of America’s Best High Schools for 2010. The schools awarded with Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals and Honorable Mention were chosen based on their excellence in three primary areas:
- Performance on State High School Exams
- Performance of Disadvantaged Students
- College Readiness Performance
The last criterion is an effective approach to winnowing out schools that purely “teach to the test”.
Five Tri-Valley schools were awarded Silver medals. These schools are in the top 3% of all high schools in the United States:
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by John M. Zukoski on November 9, 2009 | 4 Comments | Topics: Schools
Most folks take note when Bill and Melinda Gates contribute to a cause. One of the movements that Bill and Melinda Gates are supporting is the establishment of “small schools” in America.
Parents in Dublin have commonly heard that students are better served by a high school of more than 2,000 students than by a smaller high school of 1,000-1,200 students. However, recent studies have shown that a host of benefits that can be enjoyed by schools comprised of smaller learning environments:
- Higher student academic achievement
- Students have greater visibility with teachers
- Reduced violence and disruptive behavior
- Improved attendance and graduation rates – this translates into more state funding that can be used to support school programs
- Increased teacher satisfaction
- Greater cost-effectiveness in terms of amount spent to educate each graduating student
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