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January 17, 2000
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When the Paterson Board of Education wanted to revitalize its schools by creating themed charter schools in the district, it turned to Montclair State for assistance.
The University, in turn, developed a proposal to establish a teaching academy and won a $447,000 three-year grant from Lucent Technologies to develop the Montclair State University Pre-Collegiate Teaching Academy. The college prep academy, which begins this summer, will be a rigorous academic program focusing on math, science and literacy.
"We've been involved in a variety of recruiting activities that have been coordinated through the Paterson school district, which is opening a half dozen other academies," said Cynthia Onore, director of the Center of Pedagogy. "Each academy has its own focus or theme that allows students to chose schools where their strengths and focuses lie."
The academy is a collaboration among several faculty. Linda Wise of Reading and Educational Media is program director; Jennifer Robinson and Ada Beth Cutler of Curriculum and Teaching developed the grant proposal; and Ann Marie DiLorenzo of Biology, and Anthony Piccolino and Mark Korlie of Mathematical Sciences are developing the curriculum for the summer bridge program.
INSIGHT: Tell us about Montclair's charter school.
Onore: The term charter is misleading because the academy, which is part of the regular school district, is governed by all the regulations that govern any other school in Paterson. The curriculum may look different because it is not traditionally organized, but we're adhering to the New Jersey state core curriculum. Beneath the surface of how the school is structured academically, the strand of all the content standards are there.
INSIGHT: What is the goal of the teaching academy?
Onore: The focus is on high academic standards and young people who might be interested in teaching, especially people of color because there aren't enough of them in the teaching profession. Although we have no intention of forcing anybody to become a teacher, we will emphasize teaching from a variety of perspectives. Whether or not they decide to become teachers, if the students fulfill all the graduation requirements, they will be guaranteed admission to Montclair State.
INSIGHT: What are the academy's admission requirements?
Onore: We've developed an elaborate and rigorous admissions process in which applicants are required to construct a dossier and sit through an interview. Our hope is that the students feel there's a mutual selection process going on. Our goal is to hire six teachers and recruit 60 students who will participate in a summer bridge program before entering the ninth grade. We plan to expand the school to grades nine through 12 and perhaps, eventually, include seventh and eighth grades.
INSIGHT: How will the funding from Lucent help develop the academy?
Onore: The Lucent grant will help us give the students extra help with their skills, introduce them to different ways of thinking about teaching and learning, and build a sense of community.
INSIGHT: What is the structure of the academy?
Onore: The public school experience typically is made up of a bunch of discrete, unconnected chunks of subject matter. Our goal is to make connections across curricular areas. We're developing an interdisciplinary curriculum in which students will be placed in blocks of classes focused on themes that will be carried out across every subject so there will be a coherence to the curriculum. That means teachers also will serve as advisers and students will work in teams. We're thinking of ways to structure time into the school week for regular but informal meetings between teachers and students.
INSIGHT: Do you anticipate that all schools eventually will migrate to themed curricula?
Onore: I don't think this model will ever completely replace the traditional comprehensive school, although I can't imagine why there wouldn't be enormous advantages in doing that. A small school provides the opportunity for support, nurture and caring, and close relationships. Our greatest challenge is to ensure that student achievement is actually raised. We have to be able to demonstrate that there is a visible, documentable, even quantifiable difference in the academic achievement of students who go through this experience.