Renaissance Public Academy

1
Renaissance Public Academy

• At RPA our goal is to maximize your childs
  potential.

2
CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE

• From No Child Left Behind Act
• Publicly funded schools of choice
• No cost to host district
• Free to all students

3
CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE

• Accountable to public school standards
• Open to children in host district first
• Open to children outside host district
• Governed by inclusive boards
• On site administration
• Control of school budget
• Flexibility with staffing

4
CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE

• Schools with unique curriculums
• Classical, Core Knowledge,
• Liberal Arts
• Autonomous
• Innovative

5
The Origins of Renaissance

• RPA began as group of interested parents from
  all walks of life with a common desire for an
  alternative curriculum.
• Medical professional
• Educators
• Private business owner
• Public safety professionals
• Our planning grant was received in fall of 2008.

6
Why Molalla River School District?

• Alternative curriculums limited to private or
  home school
• Distance to and cost of private schools
• Socio-economic data shows need for more options
  and new ideas
• Students stay in Molalla River School District

7
Next Steps

• RPA will submit charter to the school district in
  fall 2009
• MRSD will review charter
• Upon approval, RPA will locate facilities and
  begin creating the instructional team

8
What might the school look like?

• Open fall 2010 pending district approval
• Grades 6-9, then add one grade per year
• Small class size with individual instruction
• Music, arts, sports
• Classical curriculum

9
Classical Education

• Provides basic tools of learning
• Emphasizes mastery of core subjects
• Introduces Latin to provide a powerful grasp of
  the English language
• Emphasizes excellent written and verbal skills

10
Why Latin?

• Latin was the major language for the western
  world for 2000 years
• Majority of English language is based on Latin
• Provides strong grammatical foundation
• Trains mind in memory, order, and attention to
  detail
• Learning Latin makes learning everything easier

11

• Even a rudimentary knowledge of Latin cuts down
  the labor and pains of learning almost any other
  subject by at least fifty percent. It is the key
  to the vocabulary and structure of all the
  Teutonic Western European languages as well as
  to the technical vocabulary of all the sciences
  and to the literature of the entire Mediterranean
  civilization together with all its historical
  documents.
• -Dorothy Sayers, The Lost Tools of Learning

12
Latin for the Future

• Excellent preparation for foreign language study
• Students tend to have higher SAT scores
• Prepares students for advanced education or
  career
• Examples legal, medical, and scientific fields

13
Unique Features of RPA

• School uniforms
• Strong parental involvement
• Community volunteer projects
• Senior thesis projects
• Internships with leading professionals

14
Possible Community Partners

• Clackamas Community College
• Willamette University
• Business persons
• Farmers/ranchers
• Extension service
• Civic leaders and groups

15
At Renaissance Public Academy, our goal is to
maximize your childs potential.

• Challenging ALL students
• High expectations of performance and
  accountability for students and staff
• Supporting students who may or may not choose to
  attend college

16
Environment and curriculum designed to promote
and build strength of character in students

• Citizenship
• Responsibility
• Cooperation
• Respect

• Perseverance
• Honesty
• Courage
• Integrity

17
RPA is using Ridgeview Classical
Schools in Fort Collins, Colorado as
its model.

• US News and World Report recently ranked
• 4th open-enrollment high school in the nation
• 4th US charter school
• 15th in the country out of 21,069 public high
• schools in 48 states
• (2006-2007 school year)

18

RPA is using Ridgeview Classical Schools in
Fort Collins, Colorado as its model.

• Recognized as one of the 53 National Charter
  Schools of the Year by Center for Education
  Reform, 2007
• 1 in state tests 2 years in a row and has been
  in the top three since inception

19
OUR VISION IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF
EXEMPLARY CITIZENS WHO VALUE KNOWLEDGE AND WHO
EMBODY THE VIRTUES OF INTEGRITY, RESPONSIBILITY,
AND PERSERVERANCE.