BRISTOL - A year ago, they didn't know each other. Today, they're on a quest to change education in the East Bay, and they think they have a winning formula. Patricia Lowe Houlik and Jane Carlson-Pickering are two of four co-founders of Sound Mind Sound Body, a proposed charter school they hope to have up and running in the East Bay by the start of the 2008 school year.
The innovative school calls for a radical shift in the way students are taught, and that's no accident: The founders and their colleagues, including the proposed board of directors, envisioned the school after coming to the conclusion that students need to have a more global, integrated education than traditional classrooms can offer.
"Teachers are told they need to teach this particular way, that particular way, using this kit or that," said Ms. Carlson-Pickering, a South Kingstown resident who taught for 30 years in public schools and at Rhode Island College before retiring last year.
"I just feel as though the more we go down this path of teaching to standards, the less we're addressing the needs of kids. That's where Patty and I came in."
Instead of teaching in formulaic ways, Sound Mind Sound Body would recognize the individual strengths of students and teach to those strengths. If one student is a visual learner, lessons would be shaped to that strength. If another thinks spatially, lessons would be tailored accordingly; it's an education technique called MI, or "Multiple Intelligence." At the same time, class sizes would be kept low, and lessons would be taught in the context of the greater world outside the school's walls to better prepare students for life beyond. Ms. Lowe Houlik calls it teaching "21st century skills."
"We're trying to get students ready for this new world that they're entering," said Ms. Lowe Houlik, a Bristol native, now Portsmouth resident, who was an engineer for years but is now pursuing a master's degree in education.
"The term '21st century skills' is a lot more than math and science," she said. "There are so many things to know ... how to work in groups, how to work effectively and know other countries ... how to prepare for the working world, which is really much different for them" than it has been in the past.
Another innovative part of the school's approach is the stressing of health and wellness education for students.
"Many companies have increased their focus on work/life strategies linked to bottom-line results, with growing evidence that reducing stress and improving work-life effectiveness can lead to improved productivity, reduced absenteeism and turnover," according to an application for the school filed with the Rhode Island Department of Education.
The philosophy
Sound Mind Sound Body officials break down the school's most important attributes into components, according to the school's application to the state.
The first, the student, recognizes that "when students really push themselves because they're so interested in a topic, that's when you see the real love of learning. It's critical to sustain that passion ... it's about giving more choice to students in how and what they study, within some structure that's organized by the teacher."
Another component is the teacher.
"The role of the teacher is to provide a safe and nurturing environment that facilitates self-learning."
Another is the classroom. It should be "a very calm, serene, but challenging setting for students."
The school, another component, refers to the environment created by teachers working together, independent of the traditional educational system. It is dependent on another component, the community.
"We believe that the teachers and parents need to work together to get the community involved in the classroom learning experience. Sound Mind Sound Body will work with local business to seek ways to establish strong school to work relationships. Making clear connections between what students are learning today and what skills they will need to enter tomorrow's workforce is critical to their future."
What of the future?
One of several charter school proposals recently submitted across the state, Sound Mind Sound Body is drawing rave reviews from charter school advocates.
"I am so impressed with the application," said Robert Pilkington, president of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools. "When you look through their board and community membership, they have put together a very respectable application."
The fact that the school would include elementary and middle school-age children, too, is a plus, he said. "That gets to the heart of the need. They've got, if not a winning formula, a very compelling one. They're hitting the right age group, they're in a good niche, and they've got really good people in the project."
However, the school has not yet found a home.
Founders applied to the Town of Bristol for permission to open in the Quinta Gamelin Army Reserve Center on Asylum Road. The town has been given the charge by the federal government to find a use for the building once it's decommissioned in several years, but Sound Mind Sound Body's application was not viewed favorably by the federal government, as the school does not yet have a state charter nor official non-profit status. However, the plan, one of five submitted to town for the building, is still technically in the running.
Asylum Road is not the only place proponents are looking. Ms. Carlson-Pickering said the group has always kept its options open, and members don't have their heart set on one place.
"We actually don't have anything set in stone," she said. "We're really looking somewhere in the East Bay. If things worked out in Bristol, great, but if things didn't work out we'd still want to open the school. There's nothing (like the proposed school) anywhere in the East Bay area, so we would be receptive to opening elsewhere providing we could find a location."
She said members are currently considering the use of a vacant building in downtown Bristol as another location, but declined to be more specific.
At the same time, they hope a plan to end a three-year moratorium on new charter schools takes shape. Under his $712 million state education aid plan spelled out several weeks ago, Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri called for ending the moratorium and proposed increasing state aid to charter schools from $2.6 million to $28.2 million.
Common questions about charter schools
What are they?
According to the Rhode Island Department of Education, charter schools are public schools authorized by the State of Rhode Island to operate independently from many state and local district rules and regulations. The state first passed legislation allowing charter schools in 1995.
Who can go there?
Enrollment is open to any eligible student in the state of Rhode Island, regardless of residence. Admission is based on available space, not on subjective criteria. If necessary, a lottery determines admittance.
How many are there?
There are 11 active charter schools in the state.
How much does it cost?
To the student and family, nothing. These are public schools, funded by tax dollars.
Who pays the bills?
The main funding sources of charter schools are the public school districts whose students attend the schools, and the State of Rhode Island. The funding formula is based on the sending district's per-pupil cost and the ratio of state aid to the sending district, as follows:
n The state pays 5 percent of the per-pupil cost to the sending district and a share of the rest of the per-pupil cost to the charter school.
n The state share of the per-pupil amount is based on the sending district share ratio; therefore, the state picks up a larger piece for poorer districts.
n The local district pays whatever part of the per-pupil cost is not paid by the state.
Example (numbers are not exact, but approximate)
Bristol Warren Regional
n Per-pupil cost: $13,000
n State's share: 35%
Therefore, the dollars would move like this:
n State share to Bristol Warren District = $650 (5% of $13,000)
n State share to charter school = $4,323 (35% of $12,350, or $13,000 minus $650)
n Bristol Warren share to charter school = $8,028 (65% of $12,350)
This formula follows for every student enrolled in a charter school based on the student's place of residence. Portsmouth, Tiverton, Barrington or any other district with a student in the charter school would be required to pay, per student, based on its own formula. Charter schools can also receive private funding or grants.
Who approves them?
Under Rhode Island law, only the Board of Regents of Elementary and Secondary Education can grant a charter. This decision is based upon a recommendation by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education and/or a local school committee.
The plan by the numbers
The proposed Sound Mind Sound Body charter school would be designed as follows.
Total grades (K-8)*: Nine
Teacher/student ratio: 1/16
Projected enrollment year one : 64
Projected enrollment year five: 128
*Organizers plan to open to only Grades K-3 in year one (hopefully 2008-2009), then add another grade level every year until they reach full capacity of K-8. The 1/16 teacher to student ratio would remain constant.
Want more information?
Visit the Rhode Island Department of Education's charter school web page, www.ridoe.net/commissioner/charterschools, or the website for the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools at www.richarterschools.com.
By Ted Hayes
thayes@eastbaynewspapers.com