Ball State University approved the opening of two charter schools and closed another, while two university-sponsored virtual charter schools seek alternative options after being denied funding by the Indiana General Assembly.
The Anderson Preparatory Academy and the Dr. Robert Faulkner Academy in Marion will open in the fall, Larry Gabbert, director of Ball State Charter Schools, said. Because of its affiliation with the Civil Air Patrol, the APA's curriculum will focus on discipline and college preparation, but the school is not completely military based, Gabbert said.
The school will open to 200 students in grades 6-8 in the fall and will add one grade each successive year until reaching grade 12 and a maximum of 500 students.
The Dr. Robert Faulkner Academy was named after "a champion for poor and minority students," but the school is open to all students, Yvette Breckenridge, coordinator of Concerned Citizens for Education, said. The Academy will focus on balanced literacy, humanities and the Feuerstein cognitive knowledge approach, which uses teacher reminders to keep students aware of recurring errors, she said.
This approach integrates culture into basic subjects such as writing, math and science, giving students an appreciation for literature and art they don't always get from regular public schools, she said.
Breckenridge said technology will also play a role, as the Academy will "teach the ability to learn, think and analyze so children can go into any environment and think and learn well," she said.
But before either academy can begin to implement their goals, they must first find a location to build their schools, which is still pending.
After the opening of each charter school, Ball State will continue to serve as a licensing agency to monitor the progression and success of the instruction to determine the future of each school, Gabbert said.
Because of low test scores and enrollment numbers, Ball State closed grades 6-8 of the Timothy L. Johnson Academy in Fort Wayne earlier this month. The school was granted a two-year extension for grades K-5.
"We still feel we're making academic progress even though test scores don't show that," Rev. Mike Nickleson, founder of the academy, said, saying economic barriers contributed to the low test scores. Ninety-two percent of the school's students have free and reduced lunch, he said.
Two other charter schools approved by Ball State are also looking to open after the Indiana General Assembly in April placed a two-year moratorium on state funding for their development.
The Indiana Virtual Charter School is exploring other funding options while working with Ball State to meet charter school guidelines said Kim Smith, media contact for Bitwise Solutions, a company that works with the academy. The school will meet with Ball State next week, she said.
Indiana Connections Academy, another virtual charter school, will keep the original concept of online schooling but on a smaller scale, Susan Famcher, vice president of marketing for the academy, said.
The academy will pay tuition for 10 students while private money will be used for an additional 20 students.
Ball State charters 22 of Indiana's 40 charter schools. The university's roots as a teacher's college make its involvement with charter schools a natural step, Gabbert said. The university aspires to sponsor 50 by 2012, but the number is not as important as the quality of each school, he said.
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