Charter School Process: DPI Dissemination Grant (Year 1)

Wright Middle School has been awarded two DPI Charter School Dissemination Grants. This is the complete text of the Year 1 grant submitted December 1999.

Executive Summary

James C. Wright Middle School was created to be a pioneer in the use of thematic integrated and mu iticultural curricula as a way of connecting with the lives of its students, to be the Madison Metropolitan School District's (MMSD) technology showcase school, and to be a forerunner in engaging the community in the education of its children. It has been in operation as a charter school since 1994, and its charter has recently been renewed. Prior to the 1997-98 school year, when a new principal arrived and the first year DPI charter school implementation grant was awarded, Wright had been experiencing declining student enrollment, high staff turnover, and a drifting away from its founding mission.

In the years since then the school has seen a significant turnaround. Staff and parents have responded to the new principal's leadership through a school-wide re-commitment to Wright's mission. The annual School Improvement Planning process has focused the school community's efforts on addressing a substantial student achievement challenge in reading and math. Wright's new Technology and Curriculum Integration Specialist, contracted under two DPI charter implementation grants, has built a readiness on the part of staff to learn how to use technology, has done collaborative curricular planning to help teachers meet student achievement targets. Lastly she has been working with Wright's staff in connecting Wright's programmatic emphasis areas (technology applications, integrated/thematic curriculum, and community partnerships) to school improvement targets in reading and math. The most recent assessments indicate that Wright's students are achieving at levels exceeding their peers' at other Madison middle schools, and that students, staff, and parents are highly satisfied with the program.

This dissemination grant will fund the creation of an extensive charter school online resource website based upon the Wright Middle School model. The website will provide a comprehensive description of the school, its educational mission, facilities, curriculum-all aspects of the school and its operation-so that others can use Wright's experiences to inform and guide the creation/improvement of other charter/public schools. The website will be practical; it will serve as a "how-to" guide, providing as much detail as possible so that others can replicate the Wright model in whole or in part. The website will not proselytize; its intent is to present Wright Middle School candidly, using both its successes and failures as examples of the process by which a charter school becomes and evolves. The website will include "online workshops" and will be supplemented by a "traveling library" of supporting materials. In addition, two semi-annual "conferences" will be used to provide others with opportunities for organized site visits to the Wright Middle School facility, providing a face-to-face complement to the website.

MMSD agrees to comply with all of the assurances required by the Wisconsin DPI and the U.S. Department of Education relative to receipt and administration of this grant.

I. Mission/Eligibility

1. School/Program Description

A. School History and Mission

James C. Wright Middle School was the first MMSD school to be granted charter status, in December 1994. Named after one of Madison's civil rights pioneers, the school actually began operating in August 1993 with a class of 80 sixth-graders at a temporary site under the name "Madison Middle School 2000". Renamed Wright Middle School and moved to a new facility in South Madison in the Fall of 1997, Wright now has a full complement of grades, 6-8.

Wright's mission is to successfully educate all students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to participate fully in an evolving global society by providing ...

... comprehensive, integrated, thematic learning
... a multi-cultural/multi-ethnic curriculum and staff
... innovative, flexible ways of teaching and learning; and a familial environment characterized by challenge, support and respect

through ...

... participatory decision-making by students, families, and all staff;
... student involvement in many aspects of their learning;
... small class sizes;
... recruitment and retention of students and exemplary staff;
extensive use of technology and the arts; and
... partnerships with families, business, educational, cultural and community resources.

B. Program Rationale and Philosophy

Perkins (1 992) said that people can learn when they have a reasonable opportunity and motivation to learn. He argues that in addition to strong motivation to learn on the part of the student, what is needed is clear information, thoughtful practice, and informative feedback. According to Perkins, many of the modern educational models work. What is needed is authentic information that is relevant to the student's everyday experience -- things that they will need to lead a thoughtful, cooperative life.

One way to do this is to connect the curriculum in meaningful ways. Peppard (1997) avers that "students learn more when they can see connections in what they are studying." In the standard, separate subject, approach to curriculum, students often come to view learning as compartmentalized and disconnected from the real world -- that they are being forced to learn information for no reason. Peppard also observes that, particularly among students from minority backgrounds, standard curriculum practices often fail to attach meaning to learning and that integrated curriculum "brings a sense of relevance and purpose to the educational process."

Papert (1980) further suggests that mastering of the most modern technologies establishes an intrinsic contact with some of the deepest ideas from science, from mathematics, and from the art of intellectual model building. To do this, as Braun (1990) points out, "technology must be integrated into the curriculum instead of being used as a supplement to the curriculum." Indeed, effective integration of technology into the curriculum further supports the notion that the curriculum itself be integrated. As recommended by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), "instead of learning disciplines in isolation, students should undertake projects to learn in an integrated manner."

All of this reinforces the view that Wright students must be active agents in constructing their own meaning against the background of world-class opportunities. Involvement by the community, including parents, can help students feel that they belong to a "community of learners". According to Peppard (1997), this can lead to "students [becoming] responsible for themselves as learners."

C. Distinguishing Features of Wright's Educational Program

Integrated Thematic Curriculum. Wright aims to be a pioneer in using thematic integrated and multicultural curricula as a way of connecting schooling with the lives of its students, most of whom are students of color and many of whom come from low-income families. Wright's commitment is reflected in extensive use of teacher teams (across the core academic disciplines and including specials), common planning time for each grade level to facilitate collaboration, team planning rooms, and - with assistance from DPI charter school implementation grants -- consultants moving among these teams to support curriculum development and instruction (e.g. through modeling and direct instruction).

Technology Showcase School. Wright views instructional technology as a powerful tool for enriching the integrated curriculum experience. Students are expected to leave Wright as proficient users of computer hardware, software and telecommunications as learning tools to demonstrate and share their learning. Support from DPI charter school implementation grant funds has enabled Wright staff to become comfortable with the use of technology in the classroom and to serve as pioneers in demonstrating instructional technology applications and disseminating best practices throughout the school district. Through major resource commitments from the district and support from two years of DPI charter school implementation grants, Wright students have had the opportunity to use the best technology infrastructure of all MMSD schools.

Community Partnerships. Wright also aims to be MMSD's forerunner in engaging the community in the education of its children, both in terms of school governance and in the instructional program. Partnerships between Wright and nearby institutions, businesses and non-profit community service agencies are providing a structured way of bringing more community members into the instructional program. Partners include the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, the University of WisconsinMadison, Madison Area Technical College (MATC) South Madison Education Center, Madison Newspapers Inc., US Postal Service (South Madison branch), Dean Medical Center, Dane County Youth Connection, Nehemiah Community Development Corporation, and the UW-Medical School.

D. Overview of Wright's Staff.

Wright's faculty includes 19 teachers, 8 of whom teach the core subjects (math, language arts, science, social studies). Specials teachers offer instruction in Spanish, art, strings, vocal music, band, P.E., technology, cultural arts, communications, and art appreciation. Teaching teams have been formed within and across grade levels, across disciplines, and across levels of expertise. Support staff includes a Learning Coordinator, Talented and Gifted Teacher, Social Worker, Psychologist, Reading Specialist, School Nurse and Nurse's Assistant, Family/School Liaison, two Library Media Specialists, two Educational Assistants, and three Special Education Teachers. Under the DPI charter implementation grants, Wright also contracted with CESA 2 for the services of a half-time Technology and Curriculum Integration (TCI) Specialist.

Two of Wright's current faculty members have charter school teaching licenses, allowing them to teach in disciplines for which they do not have current certification. Over its 5-year history, the use of these licenses by 6 teachers has helped Wright pursue its mission. Although Wright suffered from higher than normal staff turnover in its first two years, the school now attracts some of the district's most veteran teachers. In the last two years, four veteran teachers from other MMSD middle schools have requested transfers to Wright Middle School.

E. Student Enrollment, Recruitment, and Composition

Wright has a current student body of 200 students, with a capacity of 240. As a "school of choice", enrollment is open to students living anywhere in MMSD's West High School Attendance Area. The enrollment process gives priority to siblings of current students, and attempts to balance the student body by socioeconomic status and home school attendance area (i.e. the other West Area middle schools). Wright recruits new students via visits to feeder schools, use of a newly-developed video, and distribution of an informational packet to fifth graders and their parents.

The "school of choice" process has yielded a student body that has the highest concentration of students of color, and that presents the highest needs, of all MMSD middle school populations:

1. The overwhelming majority (77.6%) of Wright's students are children of color, with 56.3% African American, 13.1 % Asian, 6.7% Hispanic, 1.5% Native American.
2. The majority of Wright's students (59%) are from low-income households.
3. A significant number (44%) are from single-parent households, with an additional 12% living with a step-family, in foster care, in a group home, or homeless shelter.
4. Students receiving special education services are 14% of Wright's student body.

F. Relationship of Wright's Program to State/Local Education Goals, Standards, and Assessments.

As an MMSD school, the educational goals for Wright students are expressed by the District's content and performance standards for all middle school students. These standards are aligned with Wisconsin's model academic standards, and embrace the scope and content of Wisconsin's educational goals (1 18.01 statutes). Like all MMSD middle schools, Wright participates in the 8 th grade WSAS, administers the Terra Nova at 6th and 7 Ih grades, conducts an annual School Climate Survey of parents, students and staff, and uses standard district reporting methods to monitor indicators of student participation such as attendance and suspensions. Wright also uses the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test to monitor reading achievement in all grades, and uses an array of teacher-made performance assessments to inform and individualize instruction of all kinds. As part of the annual School Improvement Planning process, a team comprised of the Principal and staff, parents and community representatives review these data on achievement, participation and climate in order to set improvement targets for the coming year.

G. Parent and Community Involvement

From the outset, the community has been a key player in developing Wright Middle School. A coalition of South Madison and community-wide leaders were instrumental in convincing the Board of Education to create this school and to select a South Madison site. The school's program was formulated under the leadership of a District-community task force. Via focus groups, surveys and other discussion formats, parents of prospective students were active participants in the task force's planning process. Since the school's opening in August 1993, the main vehicle for parent and community involvement has been the shared governance structure described above (see section 1.4 below). This dimension of community involvement is in addition to the partnerships with the broader community cited in section I. l.C above.

H. District Financial and Other Support

Funding levels for all MMSD schools are based on a district-wide allocation formula that accounts for student need as well as the size of a school's student body. Under this formula, Wright receives over $1.1 million in operating funds for the 1999-2000 school year. Wright also enjoys the support of a variety of central office specialists and consultants, including several who assisted with this grant proposal.

2. Student Achievement

Wright's students-its students of color in particular-perform! Based on District statistics, Wright's minority students have consistently shown higher achievement test scores in all subject areas than do their counterparts at other Madison middle schools. The same students also attend school more regularly, are tardy less often, and are suspended less frequently than those in other middle schools. In addition, recent qualitative assessments in the area of technology indicate that Wright students exceed district benchmarks for technology proficiency.

Wright School responds to the needs of its students. During the 1998-99 school year, all students were tested using the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT). Using these data all students were placed in required reading classes at or near their ability level. These reading classes met in small groups for the entire school year. At the close of the school year all students were re-tested for growth in reading using the SDRT. Comparing the results revealed that 67% of the students who were below grade level in September gained 11/2 years in their reading ability; and 38% of the student population gained more than two years.

3. Parent/Staff/Student Satisfaction

Each year the Madison Metropolitan School District distributes school climate surveys for students, parents, and staff to complete. The survey provides assessment of attitudes and behaviors in: discipline and rules, safety, attachment to teachers, attachment to school, student influence, and respect. The most recent such survey was conducted in April, 1999. Overall, the results for Wright Middle School were very supportive, which reflects the positive attitude shared by Wright students, staff, and parents about their school. The areas showing the highest ratings were:

Students:

I know what the rules are at this school.
I am pleased with myself as a learner.
I feel pretty good about the way my life is going.

Staff:

I like the people with whom I work.
Teachers and the principal let students know what is expected of them.
I believe I am responsible for helping students achieve.

Parents:

My child has shown progress in developing basic skills (reading, writing, math, listening, speaking).
I respect my student's teachers at this school.
Students know what the school's rules are.

These responses reflect positive attitudes and generally high satisfaction among Wright's students, staff, and parents. Similar data available from the previous year indicate a general trend of increasing satisfaction among these school constituents. This positive trend represents a triumph over some of the programmatic and climate difficulties experienced by Wright early in its charter tenure, reflecting the school's commitment to improve, and to respond to the needs of its community. Listed here are some responses from the April, 1999 survey that changed significantly relative to the previous year:

Students:

I got to do something special because of my good work or behavior (+15%)
I enjoy going to this school (+18%)

Staff:

Staff enjoy working at this school (+45%)
Teachers and the principal let students know what is expected of them (+40%)
Students feel they belong at this school (+30%)

Parents:

My child is receiving a good education at this school (+41 %)
Teachers at this school have the same level of expectations for academic achievement for all students (+38%)
Teachers care about the students at this school (+37%)

* The percentages listed reflect percentage point increases of those who reported "Favorable" responses

4. School Management and Leadership

Since its inception, Wright has emphasized site-based management and the active involvement of parents and the community. Parents and community members participate in a variety of standing committees which form the basis for Wright's shared governance structure: the Learning Committee, the Budget & Personnel Committee, the Technology Committee, the Climate Committee, and the Booster Committee. Together, these committees form the Core Group, which meets regularly with the school administration to provide input into curriculum, instruction, personnel, budget, and school climate under a system of participatory decision-making which includes parents, teachers, administration and students. In addition, Wright develops an annual School Improvement Plan that identifies student improvement targets and achieves consensus within the school community regarding implementation strategies needed to meet these targets.

As part of Wright's recently renewed charter, the school is in the process of developing a new shared governance model that centralizes decision-making authority into a smaller governance body, and in which the decision-making process is more clearly articulated.

II. Proposed Work:
A Charter School Online Resource and Traveling Library

1. Overview

The success of Wright Middle School's educational program in the areas of student academic achievement, artistic expression, character development, and leadership, suggests an educational model that other educators nationwide may wish to replicate in whole or in part. The primary product of this dissemination grant will be a website that will serve as a comprehensive online resource both for existing public/charter schools and for those seeking to establish new charter schools. The fundamental goal of the website will be to describe Wright Middle School in sufficient detail that other educators will be able to understand

(a) the school's educational mission/philosophy, and
(b) how that mission/philosophy has informed key elements of the school's design, such as curriculum, facilities, staff, etc.

The cyberspace visitor will leave the site with a comprehensive understanding of the factors involved in a charter school's design, implementation, and operation. Fundamentally, the site will serve as a kind of "how-to guide" for visitors interested in initiating new charter schools, who desire a real working model from which to begin their own planning. To complement the website, we will create a charter school resource "kit-in-a-box", including VHS copies of the website's streaming content, hard-copies of website materials, and "workshop-ina-box" materials, that can be lent to others for brief periods of time. This "traveling library" will allow those wishing to examine the Wright Middle School model in more detail, those whose internet access is limited, and those who would like to make copies of materials of interest, to do so at their leisure. Finally, two semiannual "conferences" will provide face-to-face site-visit opportunities.

2. Description-Website

The Wright Middle School Charter School Resources Website will serve as a comprehensive "how-to" guide for educators based upon a working charter school model. Here we describe the various components of the website as it is currently envisioned. While our presentation here of the website's content is a linear one, the online medium will allow these components to be interconnected so that different cyberspace visitors can explore the website through a multitude of different paths. In addition, it is our intent that the website described here will continue to grow and evolve over time, mirroring the growth and evolution of the school upon which it is based. Such a long-term vision for the website will depend upon long-term support beyond the tenure of this dissemination grant. However, recognizing that such long-term support may not materialize, we will make the website developed through this dissemination grant complete as a stand-alone product so that it will continue to be useful and relevant well beyond the dissemination grant period.

A. School educational mission and teaching philosophy

This section will serve as the launching point for the website, from which all other areas of the site can be accessed. Here, the visitor will be introduced to Wright Middle School's basic educational mission. A fundamental goal of this section-and of the website as a whole-will be to deeply impart the importance of articulating an educational mission and the role that the mission statement plays in guiding all other aspects of school design and implementation. This section of the website will include an interactive guide to identifying educational goals (a "goals facilitator and to developing a mission statement based upon those goals. In keeping with the idea of the website as a practical "how-to" guide, a primary goal of the "goals facilitator" will be to give the visitor a running start in developing their school concept. In support of this goal, this section will also provide links to other online resources critical to defining an educational mission, such as education research articles on effective strategies for teaching and learning in different educational settings, issues facing students from various socioeconomic backgrounds, etc.

Examples from Wright Middle School's own experiences-both successes and failures-with respect to its educational mission will be provided in order to illustrate the relationship between Wright's mission and the development of its "school character'.

B. School history

The visitor wishing an in-depth introduction to Wright Middle School in the context of the community in which it resides will find in this section a detailed history of the school: the factors leading up to its creation, its resulting demographics, and the way in which Wright's rich history has been infused into the school's collective culture and personality. The Wright history narrative will be used as a way to get visitors thinking about how their own school will be shaped by its community's history and citizens, and how the school's educational mission must reflect these critical elements.

C. Virtual tour

Educators planning new schools may also be interested in learning about the role of physical facilities in building a successful school. What are the factors that should be considered in designing a new school facility? What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Wright Middle School facility with respect to teaching and learning? How is the physical layout of the facility related to the school's educational mission?

The primary goal of this section will be to give the visitor a realistic picture of the Wright Middle School facility's physical layout, with emphasis placed on a discussion of how the various elements of the building's design facilitate learning in the small classroom setting. In this section of the website, visitors will be able to take a "virtual tour" of the Wright Middle School facility. The visitor will be able to "walk through" the building, "visit" individual classrooms, and see detailed descriptions of key facility areas. Design blueprints will be available along with a description of the various considerations that led to the different elements of the building's design.

As an example, the virtual tour will illustrate how the classrooms are distributed within the building in such a way that younger students are kept closer to school administration and support staff, thereby allowing the school's youngest students to feel nurtured. As another example, the tour will show how classrooms have been designed with movable dividers, allowing teachers in adjacent classrooms the flexibility to team-teach when appropriate. The tour will also illustrate how the layout of computers in the schools computer labs facilitate managing large-group computer use. As a final example, the tour will point out how an underestimate with respect to the eventual size of the school's music program resulted in a music room that is often too small to accommodate all the students in the music program. By pointing out design flaws as well as successes, the virtual tour will give the visitor a realistic visual impression of what a real working facility "looks like", an understanding of some of the potential pitfalls in building design, an appreciation for the ways in which building design can help promote the school's educational mission, and an understanding of the importance of planning facilities with the school's goals in mind.

D. School climate

A key element of the website, this section will introduce the visitor to the ways in which Wright Middle School originally established-and continues to foster-its unique school character. The role of school climate in helping to achieve educational goals, and in making school meaningful to students, will be emphasized. Visitors to the site will learn about the specific ways in which Wright has succeeded in developing a school climate in which students feel safe and protected, their ideas valued and respected, their artistic expression guided and encouraged, their role as community leaders activated and recognized.

Examples from Wright's experience in creating and fostering a positive school climate will include: regularly occurring school assemblies ("Panther Pride") in which student successes in academics, athletics, the arts, and community service are recognized; regular school-community events, such as the annual spaghetti dinner, family festival, Black History celebration, and Cinco de Mayo celebration, which bring the school's families together, celebrate the diversity of the school's students, and which help foster a unique, positive, collective school identity.

E. Resources

A critical aspect of school design and operation is school resources with respect to staffing, facilities, and community resources. This area of the website will provide the visitor with a detailed breakdown of Wright Middle School's annual budget, with emphasis placed on how that budget is used to meet special staffing and other requirements with respect to the school's education mission. For example, Wright's investments in special staff such as a full-time technology teacher and a reading specialist will be used to illustrate how sound staffing choices have been integral to achieving the school's educational objectives of integrating technology into the curriculum, and of meeting student needs in the area of reading. The visitor will be given specific information on how to compose a teaching team that is (a) dedicated to the school's educational mission, and that (b) meets the needs of the school's student population. Tips on hiring key personnel, including actual interview questionnaires that have been used at Wright Middle School, will also be provided.

Physical resources, too, are important to the success of the educational program. The visitor will learn how Wright Middle School has developed its extensive technology resources over time. An important ingredient in Wright's ability to build up its technology program with state-of-the-art resources has been its success in procuring grant monies through DPI charter grants programs. This area of the website will thus provide the visitor with helpful information related to the grant-writing process, including examples of successful proposals and links to external funding agencies.

This area of the website will also emphasize the importance of bringing the community to bear upon the problem of school resources. Examples from Wright's experience with community partnerships will be used to illustrate how connecting to institutions within one's own community can significantly expand the range of resources available to the educational program. At Wright, community partners such as Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra (providing no-cost private music lessons at school to students for whom such lessons would be inaccessible otherwise), Wisconsin Public Radio (involving Wright students in locally produced programs such as "Higher Ground"), and UW Space Place (bringing University scientists and students together for hands-on science education) have been pivotal in achieving the school's educational mission. These community resources not only provide students with access to unique and exciting learning opportunities, they provide students a sense of connection, and of self-importance within, the community. This area of the website will use these examples to illustrate the importance of seeking out such community partners, and how they can help fulfill the school's educational mission.

Finally, the visitor will be able to access from this section information regarding Wright Middle School's charter agreement with the MMSD Board. This will be particularly useful to those in the process of planning new charter schools, for whom the nature of charter contracts is often a major source of confusion. This section will also give a side-by-side comparison of Wright's first charter contract with its new charter contract (Wright's contract has recently been renewed). This will be of particular value to those who may have questions about the charter renewal process.

F. Curriculum

Questions about curriculum often come to the fore in the planning and design stages of a new school. Indeed, the specific curricular model to be followed is integrally related to the stated goals of the educational program. This section of the website will present the visitor with programmatic information from Wright Middle School's experience with respect to: promoting grade-level and subject-specific teaching teams, integrating emergent technologies into the classroom curriculum, aligning the curriculum to State and District grade-level and subject-specific standards and benchmarks, connecting the curriculum to broad themes that make learning meaningful and that give classroom activities "real-world" context.

This section of the website will use Wright's model of "learning through social action and the arts" to illustrate ways in which curriculum can prepare students to perform in State-mandated standardized testing (without "teaching to the test") and at the same time make what goes on in the classroom relevant to students in a broader context. Content from various other areas of the website will converge in this section. Wright's innovative use of technology as an effective teaching tool-its applicability in the academic classroom, in providing additional resources to students in ED/LD programs, and in providing students new media for artistic expression-will be discussed. Particular emphasis will be given to the ways in which Wright's curriculum is connected to issues of importance to students, to the ways in which resources from community partners are used to leverage the students' impact on those issues, and the ways in which students can use the arts as avenues not only for self-expression, but as an additional means for having an impact upon issues of importance to students. In addition, this section will demonstrate how adequate planning with respect to facilities can significantly bolster the effectiveness of curriculum implementation and delivery. Finally, examples of thematic curriculum units that have been developed by Wright staff in a variety of subject areas will be available for download.

Sometimes, examples of what not to do can be just as instructive as positive examples. In this vein, this section of the website will also provide candid discussion of failed early attempts at thematic instruction at Wright Middle School. The discussion will include interviews of staff members who can articulate the reasons why Wright's current curriculum model succeeds where the earlier model did not, and steps that others can take to learn from Wright's mistakes.

G. Program assessment

One of the most important means by which a school can identify weaknesses, build upon strengths, and generally improve its educational program, is through formal evaluation and formative feedback. This section of the website will guide visitors through the steps necessary to define evaluation and assessment procedures that provide useful information about the extent to which program goals are being met. At Wright, a particularly useful form of evaluation has been in the form of follow-ups with students and their families after the students have left Wright for high school. Materials for performing this and other types of program assessment will be made available from this section.

H. Extracurricular activities

An important component of Wright Middle School's educational program is the wide array of extracurricular opportunities available to students. Indeed, Wright's extracurricular program has been so successful-with more than 90% of students participating in at least one extracurricular activity-that community organizations have begun to seek out Wright Middle School students for participation in their outreach programs. These extracurricular activities are an essential part of what makes the Wright educational experience so meaningful for many of the students. This section of the website will provide information useful for setting up and running a successful after-school extracurricular program. Emphasis will be given to ways in which the extracurricular program can be linked to the curriculum as a way of extending and enhancing the school's educational program. Examples from Wright's extracurricular program-such as the Community Service Club, Minority Youth Career Awareness Program (MATC), Book Review Club (Madison Newspapers Inc.), Space and Astronomy Club (UW Space Place), over 30 clubs in all-and how these activities connect to the educational program, will be provided.

I. Shared governance

A common feature of Wisconsin charter schools is the use of school governance structures that differ from traditional structures. This section of the website will describe the governance structure used at Wright Middle School, which includes parent, staff, student, and community representatives. A detailed description of Wright's shared governance structure-including a copy of the school's governance document and sample minutes from committee meetings-will be provided.

Also in this section will be a description and comparison of the different forms of shared governance that have been used at Wright Middle School during its five years of operation. Early on, Wright made use of a governance system that involved a large number of committees, each requiring a large number of active participants. In addition, the decision-making process was not clearly articulated, and little to no incentive was provided for staff involvement. Over time, it has become clear that such a large governance structure lacking clear definition of roles and responsibilities cannot function effectively. As a result, Wright Middle School is in the process of revising its governance structure to one that is smaller, with decision-making authority placed in a small, centralized body.

Others will benefit from Wright's experience with different governance structures; this section of the website will include interviews with Wright parents and staff regarding the pros and cons of the different governance structures so that the visitor can gain a deeper understanding of the issues that factor in to choosing a particular form of school governance. Included will be examples of governance structures used by other schools.

J. Promoting the program

Since charter schools are schools of choice, and as more public schools come under the practice of open enrollment laws (such as in MMSD), it is becoming increasingly relevant for schools to consider how to promote their educational programs within their communities. This section of the website will provide a discussion on Wright's experience with the challenges of (a) student recruitment and (b) maintaining a consistent staff in the face of fluctuating student enrollment. From this section of the website, visitors will be able to download Wright's recruitment brochures and school video, as well as guidelines for the production and dissemination of such materials.

K. Online TraininglWorkshops

A strength of Wright's staff is their commitment to using technology as a tool to improve teaching and learning. Their collective curriculum, technology, and instructional design skills far surpass the average school staff in the state of Wisconsin. Their ability to identify curricular needs and access technological resources to help address them has resulted in school-wide implementation models for research and writing, as well as classroom-based technology units and projects. Beyond simply using technology frequently in their lessons, the depth and higher level thinking skills stimulated by its use is both unique and pervasive.

Because of the staffs success in this area, Wright is in a strong position to offer staff development for other schools interested in providing a high level of technology integration and development into the learning environment. Professional development opportunities will be offered via three distinct methods: online workshops (described here), a "workshop-in-a-box" as part of the "traveling library" and a semiannual conference (see below).

Online workshops: These online workshops will be offered via the World Wide Web. Workshops will explore the various classroom projects teachers have completed with their students, strategies Wright employs to keep its staff current, and tools the school uses to maintain strong technology access for all. An online chat and message forum will be a part of each of the workshops, including short streaming video vignettes. Participants will be able to enroll in as many of these online workshop modules as their interest and time permits.

3. Description-Traveling Library and Site Visits

All of the materials described above will also be made available in hard-copy as part of five "kit-in-a-box" units that can be lent out to those whose internet access is limited and/or who wish more in-depth study of the materials. Materials will be laminated and bound so as to ensure their longevity through multiple users. Kits will be shipped to users who may borrow them for four-week periods. Users will be provided with pre-paid postage labels to facilitate the return of the kits to Wright Middle School.

In addition to hard-copy version of website content, each "kit-in-a-box" unit will include "workshop-in-a box" materials. This multimedia workshop kit will include a videotape, a facilitator's guide, supplementary print materials, student projects, and lesson plans for an emerging school to put on its own workshop centered around curriculum and technology integration based upon the Wright model.

Finally, the online website, the "kit-in-a-box" units, and the "workshop-in-a-box" materials described above will be supplemented by opportunities for on-site face-to-face consulting visits to the Wright Middle
School facility: semi-annual on-site conferences. These two annual conferences will offer attendees the chance to visit Wright's facilities, network with its staff members, interact with its students and their projects, and learn about the design of Wright's staff development program.

The production and development of the charter school online resource website described above will be the primary responsibility of a part-time consultant who will serve to design the website, re-purpose existing content and create new content, and publish the website through the district's web server, which provides for streaming video and audio capabilities. Website design and production will require a high-end computer workstation and other equipment detailed below. The part-time consultant will also produce the "kit-in-a-box" units, for which additional equipment (video camera and high-quality printer) will be provided. The consultant will be retained for 120 contract-days during the first grant year, during which all materials will be produced, and for 60 contract-days during the second grant year, during which the website and "kit-in-a-box" units will be updated and developed further.

III. Budget