Pomona rejected OPA last night - see the story at this link - I added the following comment

Of all the objections that the PUSD voiced last night to the Oxford Prep charter application, the most repeated was their concern over the ability for Oxford Prep to adequately reflect the ethnic diversity of Pomona. In particular, they stated that while Pomona school district is 80% Hispanic, the Oxford Preparatory Academy(OPA) in Chino is only 40% Hispanic. They made this “apple to oranges” comparison several times. The fact is, the Chino Valley Unified School District is 41% Hispanic, so the percentage of Hispanic children at OPA mirrors that of the District. Because OPA chooses its students by random lottery, Pomona can be assured that its diversity will be reflected in the new school.
The average API score for Pomona Unified is 731. Of its 40 plus schools only two managed to achieve an API over 900, Pantera (940 API) and Ranch Hills (921 API). These schools are 27% and 50% Hispanic reflectively. This is not representative of Pomona’s diversity either.
Oxford Prep in Chino earned a 973 API while it’s South Orange County campus earned a 993. It is ludicrous that Pomona Unified does not want to attract a program like Oxford Prep. In Chino, OPA took over a closed school in a less-than-desirable neighborhood.  It has helped revitalized the area, helping local businesses, property values, and there has even been a reduction of crime.
Apparently, the PUSD Board of Education feels that the District is doing well enough on its own and would not benefit by the addition of Oxford Prep. The Pomona Unified School District is ranked 657 among 770 school districts in California. The neighboring Chino Valley Unified School district is ranked 294 and the Capistrano Unified School district is ranked 137, but they both approved of and have benefitted from allowing OPA to set up campuses in their districts. 
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What about OPA's curriculum?

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DYNAMIC CURRICULUM - THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

While the many different programs that OPA offers that most public schools don't anymore are big differentiators for OPA, it is even more important to understand the pedagogic strategies that the school employs. Because it is not restricted by a school district in designing its curriculum, OPA is free to tinker with what, how and how much they can teach. As one of the architects of the theory of multiple inteligences, Howard Gardner of Harvard, explains, the theory is not a curriculum itself, but rather a different way of understanding how children learn so you can better design curricula that best suits their individual strengths or interests.

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences states that each person possesses at least eight (8) intelligences that characterize the way he/she learns.  These intelligences are: Spatial, Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Musical, Naturalist, and Bodily-Kinesthetic. Utilizing this theory as an instructional approach increases academic retention; thereby, producing optimum educational success for all OPA students.

The teachers at OPA have all the certification and education that teachers at regular public schools have. But then they have to be taught how to utilize the theory of multiple intelligences and how to implement the theory in their lesson plans and activities with the kids. Each teacher, parent and child knows the intelligence/s of that child and their strengths are taken into account in development of the lesson plans and activities.

My daughter is in the 6^th grade at Oxford Prep. She is “bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, and spacial” according to the theory of multiple intelligences. In practice, she loves horses, soccer, art and an amazing memory for visual images. However, she can have challenges in computing and processing what she reads. Knowing this, her teacher is able to tailor her learning experience to ensure she learns as effectively as possible. – I probably haven’t explained this well, but it is probably the biggest factor in my daughter’s success (All A’s and B’s on this report card!)

First Post

Parents naturally want the best for our children. We want them to have the same or better opportunities than we had. We want them to be at the best school possible. I have had the good fortune to have my elder daughter attend Edwin Rhodes Elementary from its opening under +Sue Roche's vision and leadership. That school soon became a top school in San Bernardino County. My younger daughter has had the privilege of attending the charter school that Sue Roche and her team opened in Chino from it's first day. Oxford Preparatory Academy (OPA) Chino, is now the top school in San Bernardino County with its highest API score and one of the highest in Southern California.

Oxford Preparatory Academy has already opened a second campus in South Orange County (SOC) that has already shown impressive results, attaining the highest API score in the Capistrano School District and the second highest in all of Orange County.

As the charter school movement continues to grow and  communities consider how to improve their schools, many in these communities look for successful charter school operators like Oxford Preparatory Academy to establish campuses in their cities.

Naturally, if you do not have children attending OPA, you may have many questions about what sets OPA apart. I invite you to use this blog to ask and answers questions you may have about the curriculum, the programs, activities and facilities at OPA.

OPA is so much more than test scores. It is different from regular public schools in many ways. I also invite parents to use this site to share their experiences and those of their children.

For myself, I could not be happier with the experiences that my daughter and my family has had with OPA. My sincere hope is that the successful practices that OPA has implemented can be modeled and applied to public schools and help improve education in our country.

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