Supporters of a proposed Southeast Arkansas Academy intend to apply to the Arkansas Department of Education for a charter to open in fall 2018.
The Board of Directors of Southeast Arkansas Academy will submit a letter of intent on Tuesday, March 7, to open a charter high school enrolling students in grades nine to 12, according to a public notice. The board invites interested parties to a public hearing on Tuesday, April 11, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Ridgway Christian School at 1501 West 73rd Ave.
The public notice of the meeting states enrollment will be open to the public and in accordance with the rules governing public charter schools in Arkansas. This meeting will focus on the grade configuration, school model overview, instructional approach, application time line, future information sessions, and enrollment protocols.
The public notice lists Pat Hart as the Southeast Arkansas Academy contact person. She declined to speak with the Commercial until after the upcoming meeting.
Dedrick Sims is the chief executive officer and president of the Sims-Fayola Foundation, a nonprofit educational organization based in Aurora, Colorado. Sims is working as a consultant to Southeast Arkansas Academy.
A native of Pine Bluff, Sims graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a bachelor’s degree. He earned a doctorate in instructional design and development and two masters degrees from the University of South Alabama. He has worked in education for 20 years.
“We are working with them to create and submit a charter,” Sims said of Southeast Arkansas Academy. “Our brand is different. This is an opportunity to give back to my home city and I am excited about it.”
The mission of Sims-Fayola Foundation is “to improve the life outcomes of urban males through establishing a network of single-gender charter schools; partnering with school districts and individual schools in school design and professional development; and creating original programming that directly addresses the persistently stubborn issues threatening their success.”
Sims became involved with Southeast Arkansas Academy after hearing about the organization through word of mouth. He said the proposed charter school will focus on the science/technology/engineering/mathematics model and project-based learning. The latter allows students to engage in learning through relevant projects. For example, a math teacher will assign students to build a rocket launcher to learn trajectory.
“The idea is to create projects that immediately transfer to relevant life skills and to present in a concrete way these abstract concepts,” Sims said. “When they are working in literacy, writing an editorial. It is a real-world type of curriculum that is based on Arkansas Common Core Standards. Project-based learning gives the school an opportunity to partner with industries. One of the great things is it mitigates the challenges of kids who speak English as a second language and kids who have an [Individualized Education Plan.]”
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Sims used to teach at alternative schools. He supports developing schools across the United States to provide an additional option for the families.
“We know as educators that schools are not one-size fits all models,” Sims said. “You see schools struggling with certain things. A small school like Southeast Arkansas Academy is a better fit for your child. [There are] fewer distractions and your child matters more. The STEM curriculum interests them more and fits their interests.”
Sims declined to compare Southeast Arkansas Academy with the Dollarway, Watson Chapel and Pine Bluff public school districts. Whether they are doing well or struggling “is not our focus.”
“I think we understand in schools the importance of having a tailored education, meeting families where they are,” Sims said. “Charter schools is the way to do it. I know people have mixed views about charter schools because they are still new in Arkansas. Charter schools are publicly funded and run by a public nonprofit organization.”
The Arkansas Department of Education has approved six district-conversion charter schools to open in fall 2017 and one adult education charter school.
Arkansas allows for two types of public charter schools, according to the ADE. A conversion school is a public school converted to a public charter school. Conversion schools can only draw students from within the school district’s boundaries, according to the ADE.
An open-enrollment school is a public charter school run by a governmental entity, an institution of higher learning or a tax-exempt non-sectarian organization, according to the ADE. Open enrollment schools can draw students from across district boundaries, according to the ADE.
Quest Middle School is a charter school in Pine Bluff. It is operated by Responsive Education Solutions, a nonprofit organization. The Commercial made multiple phone calls and email inquiries to Responsive Education Solutions seeking insight on the process of operating a charter school. No one responded to those inquiries.
