Agenda - 11-10-1998 - Attachment #11

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Staff reported that parents were appreciative of the efforts the school made. The school counselor routinely attends juvenile court proceedings with students and their families. She said that parents were appreciative of this effort and were surprised to learn that she would make the effort to attend hearings that would be held during the summer months. Parents reported feeling highly connected to the school. They described dramatic contrasts between their experiences with school personnel at the home school and personnel at the alternative school. A parent stated, "My child's had an IEP his whole life and it's never made a difference. At this school, an individualized plan really means something." One parent stated that it took three months to receive a return phone call from someone at the home -base school. Another said that only when her child got in trouble at mid- semester did she learn that her child was regularly skipping classes. All parents valued the constant contact they have with Phoenix Academy staff. One said, "There's a lot of real love for kids in that classroom." Another commented, "The teachers here treat me with respect. Up until now, the school treated me like 'why listen to her, she's only his mother. "' Successes In the short time it has been in existence, the alternative school is already experiencing success. Students reported that their grades and their attitudes toward school have improved A student stated that she "never thought I'd make A's and B's again." One parent stated that her child wanted to go to school again and routinely told her about interesting events that occurred during the school day. Another parent said, "I was ready to have my daughter quit school; here she's beginning to feel successful again." Some staff members from the students' home -base school have also heard success stories; one guidance counselor reported that she knew of one student referred to Phoenix Academy that "just blossomed" in the program. The staff is also seen as highly responsive. The lead teacher received praise from virtually everyone interviewed Students and parents point to her as the person that makes the program work. Students said, "Ms. George would do anything in the world for any of us and she'll call your parents if you're not doing what you should." "She cares about us as individuals; you can tell this job is more than just a paycheck to her." Members of the wider Lincoln Center community stated that Ms. George made the presence of the program in Lincoln Center easier to adjust to. They reported that she was open with staff, modeled patient, yet firm, interactions with the students, and provided a sounding board for Lincoln Center staff with questions or concerns. This openness may have contributed to an unintended, but highly valuable, consequence of the program's Lincoln Center location. When the program was originally designed, one hope was that students would have exposure to environments that would "slingshot" them out of their identities as "problem" students into more productive identities. For this reason, the school was planned as a community-based school surrounded by businesses and community agencies. The school was placed at Lincoln Center because of resource constraints. However, the "slingshot effect" seems to be happening in this setting. Adults in the building, who were originally concerned about the presence of the alternative school, became involved with students. They occasionally taught classes, brought treats for the students, formed individual mentoring relationships with students, and provided job - shadowing experiences. Both students and staff benefited from these encounters. Lincoln Center staff became much more comfortable with the program as they got to know the students and students received the benefit of adult attention and encouragement. One staff member said, "For some kids this is the first time an adult who didn't have to care about 8