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Freire Charter SchoolWilmington, DelawareDelaware Department of EducationCharter School Application
Freire Charter SchoolTable of ContentsExecutive Summary3Founding Group and School Leadership8Education Plan17Performance Management53Staffing57Governance and Management62Parent and Community Involvement68Start-up and Operations71Facilities74Budget and Finance76Attachments
Freire Charter School, Section 1: Executive Summary1.1 Executive Summary14 Del. C. §§ 512 (1), (2), (3), (5) and (6)1.Mission and Vision StatementsMission: Freire Charter School (pronounced “free-AIR-ee”) provides a collegepreparatory learning experience with a focus on individual freedom, critical thinking, andproblem solving in an environment that emphasizes the values of community,teamwork, and nonviolence.Vision: Freire Charter School is “the power to build your future” so that all of us insideFreire, as students, teachers, administrators, parents, Board, community members andalumni, join together to build our lives with power and integrity while at the same timeimproving our communities. Education is our most powerful tool.This is the Mission and Vision upon which Freire Charter School has been buildingsince 1998 in Philadelphia, and intends to create now in Wilmington.2.Educational Need and Target Populationa.Freire Charter School Wilmington will serve students in grades 8-12 fromWilmington and the surrounding school districts (including Christina School District, RedClay School District, Brandywine School District, and Colonial School District). Theschool will reach its maximum enrollment of 560 students in the 2017-2018 school year.As a school and as a community, we are committed to reversing the dismalacademic performance statistics for low-income and minority students in Wilmington.The City of Wilmington deserves a high-quality, college preparatory high school optionopen to all students. While the economic and social challenges facing Wilmington areserious, we believe that Freire Charter School Wilmington will offer hope to parents andfamilies seeking a free, high-quality, public education within their community.b.The best way to explain how Freire Charter School Wilmington will meet theneeds of the targeted student population is through the results of our high schoolstudents at Freire Charter High School in Philadelphia. Our students’ academic successin college is one of our key performance indicators from year to year. On average, 82percent of our alumni enroll in college during the first year after high school, andapproximately 85 percent of those students return for their sophomore year, accordingto the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). The latest graphs from the NSCillustrating these statistics are included as Attachment A.By way of comparison, the Strategic Data Project at Harvard University recentlycompleted an analysis of statistics for college-going students in Delaware. Theiranalysis found that only three public high schools in the state of Delaware met orexceeded the 2011 national average for college enrollment, which is 68.2 percent.Furthermore, just 67 percent of African American students in Delaware graduate fromhigh school in four years, and just 30 percent of those high school graduates enroll inPage 1-13
Freire Charter School, Section 1: Executive Summarycollege immediately after graduating from high school. (See Attachment B for additionalsource information.)Freire Charter School Wilmington will use the school model proven successful atour Philadelphia campus, with adaptations as needed in order to address the uniqueneeds and desires of the Wilmington community. This strategy will ensure that weaccomplish our mission as a college-preparatory program and serve the needs of thecommunity and our student population.c.Pursuant to 14 Del. C. § 506 (b), Freire Charter School Wilmington will giveadmissions preferences to the following groups, as stated in the school’s proposedadmissions policy (Attachment 7):a) Students who have a specific interest in Freire’s methods, philosophy, andeducational focusb) Students who have siblings currently attending Freire Wilmingtonc) Students whose parents are employed on a permanent basis by FreireWilmington for at least thirty hours per week.In order to qualify for preference (a) above, students and families may choose tosign a pledge, supplemental to the general charter application, indicating their specificinterest in Freire Charter School Wilmington’s mission. In order to qualify for preference(b) above, prospective students must satisfy at least one of the definitions included inthe Freire Charter School Wilmington admissions policy (included as Attachment 7).Implementation of preference (c) above is self-explanatory and will occur as needed.Students who qualify for two or more admissions preferences will be considered first foropen seats. Students who qualify for one will be considered in the priority order listedabove. Students who qualify for no preferences will be considered for all remainingopen seats once preferences have been exhausted in the lottery pool.3.Community Engagementa.While there may be a number of school choices for students in New CastleCounty, the quality of those schools is not as strong as we believe it should be. FreireCharter School’s model will be a beacon of hope, and an example of excellence.Examining 2010 Census data also provides strong evidence that a market existsfor our school. In Philadelphia, a city of 1.5 million, Freire competes with 88 other publichigh schools, or one high school for every 17,340 people in Philadelphia. Northern NewCastle County, with 437,462 people, has 17 public high schools, or one high school forevery 25,733 people. Thus, Wilmington and its surrounding communities offer fewerpublic high schools per capita than Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, Freire Charter Schoolconsistently has an annual waiting list in the hundreds.Freire Charter School has been connecting with the Wilmington community,assessing demand for the school and soliciting support from individuals and groups.These connections include the West End Neighborhood House, Delaware Futures,World Café Live, Teach for America – Delaware, the Longwood Foundation, the YMCAPage 1-24
Freire Charter School, Section 1: Executive Summaryof Delaware, and others. We look forward to continuing to build grassroots communitysupport upon approval of our charter.4.Education Plana.Freire provides a safe, friendly, rich, rigorous, college-prep education for itsstudents. Our model is built around high academic expectations, clearly delineatedinstructional and cultural principles, a strict nonviolence policy, a data-driven cycle ofinstruction, an emphasis on student voice, and a focus on social justice. We embody thephilosophy of Paulo Freire, meaning that we (1) meet our students where they are,providing intensive skill remediation and intervention as needed, (2) make instructionactive and engaging, and (3) help students persevere through and “own” challengingcoursework. Our curriculum is designed to reflect depth, programmatic coherence, andcontinuity, while fostering critical thinking and integration of reading, writing, numeracy,and research skills.At the most basic level, Freire’s nonviolence policy is what enables our highacademic expectations. Because students feel safe, they can focus on learning anddeveloping the intellectual and emotional habits of mind they need to succeed in collegeand the world of work. Because every course is about more than just skills— studentsstudy themes of social justice explicitly in some courses, while in others they developtheir own thoughts and voices—Freire students find relevance and meaning in theircoursework.b.Freire’s learning environment is peaceful and orderly, but free fromregimentation. Our classrooms and halls are enlivened by our trust in students, who feelknown, loved, and held to account. Our school feels like a family; teachers’ collegialitysupports ongoing formal and informal professional development, and students oftenwork together in small groups in the classroom, tutoring one another in after schoolcenters and as peer mediators.c.Freire Charter School is committed to maximizing learning opportunities for allstudents, regardless of their learning challenges, economic or cultural backgrounds orany other factors. We assess all students carefully, in order to identify their strengthsand weaknesses relative to our rigorous college preparatory curriculum, and plan a pathof mastery for each individual student. Our emphasis on projects engages students andprovides flexibility to challenge different students on multiple levels – from those whoare behind the grade level standard to those who are above the grade level standard –and allows for accommodations for students with special education challenges.We incorporate all students into the regular classroom learning environments tothe greatest extent possible. For our English Language Learners (ELL), we employcertified English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers to work directly with thosestudents to accelerate their English language learning. The ESL teachers also work withour general education teachers to bridge the learning of ELL students to their regularclassrooms so that they can participate in learning with their peers. ELL students havean ELL plan that identifies their English proficiency level and provides a path towardproficiency. Assessments are conducted regularly to identify progress and assist withtransition into full participation in the regular learning environment.Page 1-35
Freire Charter School, Section 1: Executive SummaryStudents with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are provided an educationfully compliant with their IEP in accordance with the federal Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act (IDEA). Implementation of IEPs is overseen by a Director of StudentServices. The Student Services Teachers work with regular classroom teachers toensure each student is provided a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).Migrant and homeless children are identified and provided support to ensure theyprogress in a manner similar to their non-migrant/non-homeless peers. An administratortrained to work with homeless and migrant students oversees their education andensures the support needed to reach the school’s high academic standards.d.Freire Charter School uses assessments to drive instructional decisions acrossall subjects both formatively and summatively. All teachers and administrators receiveextensive, ongoing training regarding the use of assessments to develop teaching andlearning plans for individuals and groups. Because higher education is a primary goal ofall Freire students, we use the ACT preparation system beginning in 8th grade to trackand guide college preparation.The ACT, Inc., diagnostic and achievement testing program (EXPLORE in 8thand 9th, PLAN in 10th, ACT in 11th) is used to track reading, math, language arts andscience performance and growth relative to our students’ peers nationally. We also useselect ACT QualityCore exams as end-of-course assessments. Our seniors sometimesopt to take the SAT tests as well. Lastly, all state tests (Smarter Balanced, DCAS, etc.)will be administered.Results of these tests are used to plan and adjust student academic coursework(e.g., placement in higher mathematics courses or participating in double math periods)and for planning the curriculum to help all students meet the Delaware standards in allareas. Data from assessments allows us to transform “meeting students where theyare” (see above) from an expression of compassion about educating underservedstudents to a literal plan of reinforcement, reteaching, and remediation, so our studentscan move from where they are to where they need to be, graduating from Freire CharterSchool ready for the academic demands of college.5.Leadership and Governancea.School governance will be driven by each of these stakeholder groups: parents,board and community members, staff, and students. Their voices are sought and heardby school leadership and the governing board. Each stakeholder group will operate itsown individualized governing body and together, these bodies will govern more intricateissues where multiple stakeholder groups are affected.The Board of Directors will maintain controlling legal power and responsibility forthe school. The Board will discharge its power and responsibility by functioning primarilyas a policy-making body and delegating day-to-day administration to the Head ofSchool, and through the Head of School to the Leadership Team. The Head ofAcademics and Head of Academic Supports will serve as the two main participants inthe Leadership Team, which will be lead and directed by the Head of School. The FreireBoard of Directors will be linked to the daily actions, decisions, data, and results of theschool through the connection between the Head of School, the CEO for Freire’sPage 1-46
Freire Charter School, Section 1: Executive SummaryCharter Management Organization (Build the Future) and the President of the FreireBoard.b.Kelly Davenport and William (Bill) Porter are two examples of Freire educatorsseeking to keep learning and growing so that their students may do the same. Bothhave roots in Delaware and have enjoyed working together for the students of FreireCharter School Philadelphia. In 2010, under their leadership, Freire received a nationalEPIC award, acknowledging students’ dramatic achievement gains. In 2013, thePhiladelphia Schools Partnership designated Freire “one of the best in the city” forclosing the achievement gap, rating the High School a “9” out of a possible “10” pointsfor its overall ratings (see Attachment C).The strengths of the proposed governing board are similarly impressive andresults-oriented. Gerald Escovitz, who will serve as President of the Freire WilmingtonBoard, also has served as Freire Philadelphia’s Vice Chair for the past 12 years. JoiningGerald will be Henry Smith, Hal Real, Felicia Wenell and John Pierson, all four of whomlive and work in Delaware and all of whom have experienced exceptional success intheir careers. Together with the Leadership Team of the school and CMO Build theFuture, this team will produce the kind of high school where any and all students willlearn and grow, one day attending and graduating from college.c.It will take a steady, experienced set of leaders at both the educational andcommunity level to leverage resources and inspire multiple stakeholder groups in orderto establish Freire’s model quickly, effectively, and with integrity. Bill, Kelly and Geraldhave been providing this kind of leadership together in Philadelphia for over a decade,and plan to do the same in Wilmington. They will work to set a similar precedent inDelaware while also learning the specific nuances of Wilmington’s students andfamilies. Kelly will serve as the CEO of Build the Future, guiding Bill in his role as Headof Freire Charter School Wilmington. Gerald will lead the Board to support both Kellyand Bill and ensure positive outcomes for students.6.Business Plana.Challenges abound in Wilmington. City and State government officials point tothe need to prepare Delaware students for its workforce. Crime is prevalent, and highschool graduation and college persistence rates are low. Freire Charter Schoolpositions itself in Wilmington as part of the solution to these problems.Freire has received community support from many in Wilmington including Teachfor America Delaware, the Delaware YMCA, World Café Live at the Queen, the ArshtCannon Fund, West End Neighborhood House, and the Mural Arts Program, to namesome. Michelle Lambert will provide financial guidance to Freire Wilmington. Freire willseek facility financing from local partners and has already received 100,000 in seedmoney from The Longwood Foundation, with a pledge for 300,000 more in a matchinggrant.While school choice already exists in Wilmington, quality choices still need to bebuilt. Freire Charter School will be an example of a quality choice.Page 1-57
Freire Charter School, Section 2: Founding Group and School Leadership1.2 Founding Group and School LeadershipFounding Group Membership [14 Del. C. § 512 (1)]1.NameStakeholderGroupCertifiedTeacher andPrincipalBuild TheFuture (CMO)CEOGerryEscovitzCommunityMemberPresident ofthe BoardJohnPiersonParentGoverningBoard MemberKellyDavenportPage 2-1Intended RoleQualifications in Establishing HighQuality Charter SchoolWith her co-founders, Kelly openedboth Freire Philadelphia campuses.She led all fundraising and financingefforts for both projects as well as thedesign and building of the two physicalschools. She knows how to inspirethe board and the school leadershipteam around a common vision, and isa certified high school Spanish teacherby trade.Dr. Escovitz served many years as aProfessor of Medicine and Vice DeanoftheMedicalCollegeofPennsylvania, where he combinedclinical care, teaching and academicadministration. He also assumed aleadership role in medical educationnationally and internationally. Gerrybrings those experiences to the FreireBoard, on which he has served sincehis retirement 12 years ago. He is veryknowledgeable in how , has been instrumental inbuilding the successful model of FreirePhiladelphia. He understands how itneeds to operate in order to produceexcellent results for and with kids.John serves as Director of AnnualGiving for the Delaware YMCA andtherefore knows the philanthropiccommunity of Wilmington. He is theparent of 2 daughters who attend alocal public school, and he grew up inWilmington.He understands theurgency of working to find positive,successful educational alternatives forstudents in Wilmington. John alsoserves as a link between Freire and8
Freire Charter School, Section 2: Founding Group and School LeadershipWilliamPorterCertifiedPrincipalHead erStaffHal RealCommunityMemberGoverningBoard MemberHenrySmithCommunityMemberGoverningBoard MemberPage 2-2the Delaware YMCA.Bill has experience at Freire CharterSchool Philadelphia in design andoperation of the school, iversityissues,admissions, college placement, andmore.Paul has been teaching English forfour years at Howard High, where hemanages issues of diversity andteaches at-risk students. Paul hasserved as head of several committeesfor his current school and has ledsome of those committees. He is Chairof the English Department and hasauthored change that is now beingimplemented across DE.Hal is the Founder and CEO of bothWorld Café Live in Philadelphia andWorld Café Live at the Queen inWilmington. He serves on multiplenon-profit boards and is a real estatelawyer by trade. Hal lives in theWilmington community.Henry currently serves as DeputyCabinetSecretaryfor Delaware’sDepartment of Health and SocialServices. Prior to coming to theDepartment of Health and SocialServices, he spent fifteen years withDelaware’s Department of Services forChildren, Youth and Families. Henryspent the first 18 years of hisprofessional career working in highereducation, and has been involved inpublic management for the pasttwenty-three. As an adjunct facultymember at Springfield College'sSchoolofHumanServicesWilmington, Delaware campus, Henryroutinely teaches courses in fiscalmanagement and strategic planning.He has also taught courses inorganizational behavior, leadership,and the economics of change.9
Freire Charter School, Section 2: Founding Group and School MemberRachelWiggansPolicy andResearchDirectorHenry’s undergraduate studies werecompleted at Union College inSchenectady, New York, and hisgraduate studies were completed atthe University of Delaware. Whilestudying in Sweden in the 1970’s,Henry met our school’s namesake,Paulo Freire, and has been inspired byhis theory of education ever since.Staff and alsoFelicia has been teaching Math andGoverningScience for four years at StantonBoard Member Middle School. Inside her classroom,she manages issues of diversity on adaily basis as well as teaches studentsfrom at-risk groups including studentswith disabilities, ELL’s, and studentsqualifying for free and reduced lunch.Felicia has served as head of severalcommittees for her current school, andworked at Prestige Academy onschool operations.Build TheRachel has built a performanceFuture (CMO) framework upon which teachers will beRepresentative monitored for how much their studentsexcel beyond their predicted scores.She brings policy experience andknowledgeofgeneralschooloperations.2.The collective qualifications of the Freire Founding Group are significant. Five ofthe founding members are experienced educators, each having individually workedinside a school for no less than four years. Of those five, one of the founding membershas served Freire Charter School Philadelphia as one of its primary leaders sinceinception. Several others have been part of developing Freire Philadelphia for over adecade, designing and leading all aspects of the school. This team has experiencefrom daily charter school operations to community engagement, fundraising, fiscal andpersonnel management, curriculum and pedagogy, high stakes accountability throughstandardized tests, use of data to drive decision making, special education, admissions,college placement, English Language Learners, leadership and much more. Two of thesix have been working inside Delaware public schools for the past four years, whereboth have been able to contribute as instructional leaders. One has focused on howpolicy needs to be structured to maximize student learning and therefore achievement.The other four members of the founding committee come from outside the K-12 realm,bringing a wealth of collective knowledge about the surrounding community, whatparents want from their school, how the Delaware business and real estate communityfunction, and how best to lead a board.Page 2-310
Freire Charter School, Section 2: Founding Group and School Leadership3.Kelly Davenport, Ed.D –Kelly has led Freire Charter School Philadelphia sinceinception 15 years ago. She started her career in education as a certified Spanishteacher, got a Masters for Teachers from Indiana University, and then later a doctoratein Leadership in Urban Education from University of Pennsylvania. Kelly is fluent inSpanish and Portuguese. She is also a facilitator of the Pennsylvania InspiredLeadership program run by the PA Department of Education. Inside this role, Kellytravels the state training PA principals for Act 45 and 48 credits in instructionalleadership. Kelly was chosen to participate in the Founding Group because of her abilityto build and lead a team around Freire’s mission; her expertise in board governance,fundraising, and pedagogy; and her years of experience building schools.Gerald Escovitz, MD - Dr. Escovitz, who was born and educated in Boston, came toPhiladelphia to pursue a career in medicine after completing his training in internalmedicine and gastroenterology. Dr. Escovitz served many years as a Professor ofMedicine and Vice Dean of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, where he combinedclinical care, teaching, and academic administration. He also assumed a leadership rolein medical education nationally as well as serving as a consultant in medical educationinternationally. Gerry brings those experiences to the Freire Board, on which he hasserved since his retirement 12 years ago. He is very knowledgeable in how educationalinstitutions function and more specifically, has been instrumental in building thesuccessful model of Freire Philadelphia, serving as Vice Chair of the Board. Heunderstands what the Board needs to be and how it needs to function in order toproduce results for kids.John Pierson – A native of Delaware, John serves as the Director of Annual Giving forthe Delaware YMCA and provides leadership to each of the local branch boards. Heleads a 1M annual fund in this capacity and at the same time is the parent of twodaughters. John also built a nationally recognized competitive swimming program inDelaware. He is a recent graduate of the Delaware Leadership Program and graduatedfrom Virginia Tech. John was chosen to be on the Founding Group because of hisknowledge of Delaware, his background in fundraising in Delaware, his knowledge ofthe extracurricular and sports worlds, and his drive to help make Delaware a betterplace for generations of children to come, including his own two daughters.William Porter – William was born and raised in Wilmington, DE, having graduatedfrom St. Elizabeth’s High School. After graduation, William attended the HonorsProgram at the University of Delaware to study European History. From there, he taughtsixth grade in an elementary school outside of Washington, DC, then moved on topursue a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania, andlater got his principalship certification from Wilmington University. William joined theFreire Philadelphia team in 2002 as a math teacher. He also took on and has led eversince the design and implementation of Freire’s college counseling program. In the pastfour years, William has not only added the responsibilities of leading and managing thePage 2-411
Freire Charter School, Section 2: Founding Group and School LeadershipFreire Philadelphia’s admissions team, but also has served on the Leadership Team atFreire Charter School Philadelphia, serving as Head of Academic Affairs. William waschosen as part of the Founding Group because he is eminently qualified to serve asHead of School in Wilmington. William is a native of Delaware, and he has been ahighly successful educator and instructional leader for over a decade. He knows whatestablishing Freire Wilmington as a high-quality charter school in Wilmington willrequire, and is ready to deliver on his promise to build the best charter high school inWilmington.Paul Ramirez – Paul graduated from Yale University in 2010, receiving three significantawards and honors for excellence in the humanities, in composition, and in AmericanLiterature. At present, he is a fourth year teacher at Howard High School, now as aTeach for America alumnus. For the past three years, Paul’s students have producedthe highest achievement gains in his high school. Ninety-two percent of Paul’s studentsmet their achievement targets in 2012-13 and as a result, Paul won the Delaware TalentCooperative Award. Last spring, Paul worked with other English chairs in his District tore-write and align the English curriculum with the Common Core. He also proposed anew data system for student assessment now being used across the District. Paul isthe English Chair at Howard High, coaching all 10 teachers in his department andpersonally mentoring three. He served as a data analysis intern for The Vision Networkand is part of the Rodel Teacher Council. Paul has been chosen for the FreireWilmington team for his track record advancing student achievement. He is also integralto the team for his work in curriculum, his ability to lead his peers, and hisunderstanding of the teaching and learning process.Hal Real – Hal lives in Rockland, DE. He is a trained real estate attorney but also anentrepreneur, having founded and opened World Café Live in Philadelphia and inWilmington. He has experience as an executive coach, and was a founder and partnerof a law firm in the 1980’s and 90’s. Hal also lends a plethora of board membership andexperience to the team, having served or currently serving on the Boards of Mid-AtlanticArts Foundation, Fringe Arts, Delaware College of Art and Design, LiveConnections.org,Philadelphia Mayor’s Cultural Advisory Council, The People’s Light & TheatreCompany, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and the Main Line Chamber ofCommerce. Freire will benefit from his understanding of the Wilmington business andarts communities, his experience as a board member, and his real estate lawbackground.Henry Smith, III – Henry currently serves as Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Delaware’sDepartment of Health and Social Services. Prior to coming to the Department of Healthand Social Services, he spent fifteen years with Delaware’s Department of Services forChildren, Youth, and Families. While there he served as Deputy Director ofManagement Support Services, Director of Management Support Services, and asCabinet Secretary of the Department. In his first five years of State service, Henryworked in the Budget Office as Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst, heading up its InternalConsulting Group. Henry spent the first 18 years of his professional career working inhigher education, and has been involved in public management for the past twentyPage 2-512
Freire Charter School, Section 2: Founding Group and School Leadershipthree. As an adjunct faculty member at Springfield College's School of Human ServicesWilmington, Delaware campus, Henry routinely teaches courses in fiscal managementand strategic planning; he has also taught courses in organizational behavior,leadership, and the economics of change. He is also a faculty member in theExecutive Master’s Program of the School of Human Services, having taught courses inSweden, Trinidad, San Diego, Charleston, Milwaukee, Houston, and other locationsacross the country. Henry’s undergraduate studies were completed at Union College inSchenectady, New York, and his graduate studies were completed at the University ofDelaware. Henry is a natural fit with the Freire Charter School philosophy and thepedagogical theories of Paulo Freire.Felicia Wenell – Since August 2011, Felicia has served as a corps member and thenalumna of Teach for America, during which time she has taught science and math to 8thgraders at Stanton Middle School. At Stanton, Felicia also leads the
Freire Charter School uses assessments to drive instructional decisions across all subjects both formatively and summatively. All teachers and administrators receive extensive, ongoing training regarding the use of assessments to develop teaching and learning plans for individuals and groups. Because higher education is a primary goal of
