The purpose of the Diverse School Project is to challenge you to create a proposal for a school you would like to develop. This school should be one that you create on your own. You will complete this project in two parts: a proposal introducing the school and its pertaining details, and a final submission that outlays the complete development plan.
Instructions
For the Diverse School Project: Proposal Assignment, you will propose your project to the instructor in order to make sure they fully understand the scope and sequence of the project. The focus of this assignment is on the creation of a new school (on paper) using the demographics of a real locality. In your proposal, include an introduction to the school, a description, and a demographic analysis of the city, state, and locale of the school. Also include a description regarding the reason(s) for choosing this locale and this type of diverse school. Conclude with a strong thesis statement. Your proposal should not be more than one page, double-spaced in length.
For the Diverse School Project: Final Submission Assignment, compose a paper that fulfills the detailed expectations for each of the following categories. Each of the eight sections below should be noted in the paper with headers that are properly formatted according to current APA guidelines.
• Introduction (Proposal)
o Description and demographics of the city, state, and locale of the school.
o Brief description regarding the reason(s) for choosing this locale, which should include a needs analysis.
o Introduces the proposal with a strong thesis statement.
• Mission and Vision of the School
o Mission and vision of the school should clearly reflect the nature of the school (i.e., charter, religious, classical, urban, etc…)
• Marketing and Community Outreach
o Description of how the school entity plans to inform students and parents in its target community about the school.
o Description of outreach activities that will encourage students to enroll in the school, specifically diverse student populations including students with disabilities.
o Identification of partnerships that have been created with community organizations and that may increase the number of low-income and At-Risk students who will be served by the school.
• Program Description
o Description of the educational program (curriculum, instruction, and assessment) to be implemented by the proposed school with emphasis on the school’s instructional methodology.
o Description of the building, facilities, and equipment needs and how they shall be addressed.
o Description of the school’s plan to align the curriculum with state content standards so that alignment is evident throughout the first and subsequent years of operation.
o Description of how the chosen curriculum is a match for the targeted population of the school and what comprehensive, evidence-based research supporting the instructional program will be implemented by the school.
o Description of the school’s plan to address the needs of students with disabilities, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) learners, and students at risk of academic failure.
o Description of how the program will improve student achievement, including students with disabilities and/or learning differences.
• Governance
o Description of how the school will be governed and managed and how it will maintain autonomy.
o Description of how the governing body will create and sustain its strategic plan.
o Description of how the governing body will establish procedures to contract for outside services and make financial and policy decisions.
o Description of how the governing body will manage the administrative relationship between the charter school and the SCPCSD (South Carolina Public Charter School District).
o Description of how the governing body will be responsible for involving parents and community members in the planning, program design, and implementation of the school.
• Accountability
o Description of how the school and its governing body will be responsible for monitoring education strategies used to close achievement gaps that may arise among student subpopulations.
o Description of how the school and its governing body will be responsible for monitoring data that will:
▪ assist in making program adjustments when needed.
▪ allow school leaders to clearly measure progress toward the school’s primary goals.
o Description of how the school and its governing body will be responsible for monitoring disaggregated data to identify any achievement gaps among the various student subpopulations.
o Description of how the school and its governing body will be responsible for supporting increased student academic achievement for all students.
o Description of how the school and its governing body will be responsible for monitoring data that will provide a detailed, year-end progress report to stakeholders/parents.
o Description of how the school and its governing body will be responsible for maintaining state reporting records in the district’s student information system (SIS).
• Budget
o Description of a budget that represents reasonable revenue based upon the targeted student population with expenditures that relate to the various programs and services as outlined.
o Description of the school’s pupil accounting system, including evidence that the school will adhere to the procedures and regulations that are applied to public schools operating in the state as outlined in the S.C. Pupil Accounting Manual and the S.C. Student Accountability Manual.
o Description of how the school plans to satisfy the annual audit of financial and administrative operations, including evidence that the school will adhere to the accounting, auditing, and reporting procedures and requirements that are applied to public schools operating in the State as outlined in the Single Audit Guide, Financial Accounting Handbook, and Funding Manual.
o Description of any negotiated services provided by other vendors or agencies.
• Conclusion
o Brief description of what you have accomplished in the preceding pages.
o Description of how this school will improve the educational opportunities of the students in the community.
