Friendship Academy of Fine Arts maintains high standards

A critical difference at Friendship Academy of Fine Arts (FAFA), a Minneapolis charter school, is its culture. It is the school’s explicit mission to eliminate the psychological barriers to learning that too often are ignored in traditional schools.

A year ago, Friendship Academy partnered with Minneapolis Public Schools and hired an outside consultant firm (Cambridge) to help evaluate the school. After careful review of the Cambridge report, FAFA began to implement the recommendations from this report.

FAFA hired an academic director who works with the principal and the board of directors to improve instruction and increase student performance. FAFA set out to reframe the problem and bring about new solutions to their students’ performance.

FAFA has a relentless focus on standards. “We look at Minnesota standards and national standards to determine what each grade level needs to know, and we identify the best instructional strategies and resource material needed to teach those standards,” Academic Director Ethel Norwood said. Teachers understand that they can’t use a one-size-fits-all approach to deliver instruction.

Norwood states that we can’t use the same prescription to address all our ills. She stresses to her teachers that Houghton Mifflin, the textbook publisher, didn’t write its curricula specifically for FAFA or its students and that they should use additional resources to teach the identified skills and strategies.

Norwood said, “It’s about learning and teaching and if the students aren’t learning, then we have to find other ways to teach. We then have to evaluate what is the best way to assess what we have taught.”

It is the expectation that the class averages 85 percent. Assessment of student progress is administered through the use of technology. Each week students take a pre- and post-test in the area of reading/language arts and math via FAFA’s technology program (Achiever and Mechanics/Brainchild). Student data is collected, recorded and graphed. Teachers use the data to align instructional practices and to update Individual Learning Plans (ILPs).

Staff strives to create a nurturing yet challenging atmosphere that celebrates small successes and convinces students over time that they can master their identified goals. Everyone is held to the same high standards, regardless of their entering skill level, and regular help is available for those who need it. The belief that every student can attend college and succeed there permeates every aspect of school life.

Norwood states that the hard work and commitment from parents, students and teachers are being realized. FAFA uses the NWEA/MAP Assessment to evaluate student growth. Results from the winter administration revealed that 75 percent of the students in grades 2-6 have already met their identified reading target for the year, and 75 percent of the students have met their identified math target. The spring data speaks for itself: 95 percent of the students in grades 2-6 made growth in reading and 89.4 percent of the students in grades 2-6 made growth in mathematics. These results are a clear indicator as to how our students will perform on the MCAs.

Parents are committed to their students’ achievement and they are seeing value in the homework completion policy and the monthly performance-based project. Ms. Higgins, a parent of a FAFA student, states that her daughter loves the monthly projects. Ms. Higgins also says her daughter is able to articulate what she is learning and why it is important to her education.

In February, Ken Bryan of Cambridge Education, LLC, returned to re-evaluate FAFA and provided a detailed report. The report revealed that FAFA had made significant gains in the area of student performance and parent engagement.

Mr. Bryan says, “The curriculum is effectively enriched by its fine arts program and enables students to develop a wide range of skills and knowledge and motivates learning. Most students, especially those receiving special education supports, make measurable progress from their relative starting points based upon the growth data for the fall to winter NWEA 2010 data.

“Links with parents, families and the community are effective and positively impact upon the academic and personal development of students,” he adds. “Improvements in the school’s instructional leadership, such as the hiring of an academic director, has led to greater consistency with regards to planning, professional development and rigor in the use of data.

“FAFA should increase student voice by establishing a student council and provide more opportunities for students to take responsibility in each classroom and across the school.”
FAFA is one of 15 charter schools awarded a grant by Cargill, The Center for School Change and LarsonAllen Financial and in-kind Resources and Learning Opportunities. This grant is used to improve academic achievement, organizational, and financial performance. This has been a year of good fortune for FAFA, which also received funding from Minnesota Department of Education Q-Comp program to develop an alternative teacher compensation system.

After a very thoughtful discussion during and following a hearing that was held at Minneapolis Public Schools District Office, the Minneapolis School Board re-sent their vote and decided to renew Friendship Academy’s Charter for a one-year period during which time the school will make progress in all areas required. The board expressed a desire to have a more collaborative relationship where clear expectations are mutually shared and upheld.

FAFA looks forward to sharing with the community through its many events, such as Show Time at FAFA (June 3), Field Day (June 6), Awards Ceremony (June 8) and Graduation (June 9).

For more information about Friendship Academy of Fine Arts Charter School call 612-879-6703 or go to www.friendshipacademy.org.
This advertorial was provided by Friendship Academy of Fine Arts.