WELCOME TO
THINKTANK PREPARATORY ACADEMY
FOR
YOUNG URBAN ENTREPRENEURS
A private school education in a public school setting
THINK, EXPERIENCE, LEAD…..
LOOK FOR US ONLINE
http://www.thinktankprep.org
Lead Petitioner
Ms. Ceron Christie MA-ED AND MBA
Other members of the Charter Development team
Mrs. Diana Cancel: Sr. Human Resource Manager, County of Riverside, CA – MBA
Mr. Joseph Mitchell: UHY Advisors - CPA, MBA
Mrs. Maritza Rivera: Payroll Manager for Western Region of a National Consulting Firm - MS
Charter Development Nonprofit Partnerships
California Charter School Association
ExEd – Charter School Business Operation
VISION
Every youth will directly influence his emergence from poverty, do his best work and be his best ethical self.
MISSION
Through a small and academically rigorous but nurturing environment, ThinkTank’s mission is to prepare youths in grades 9th – 12th to become accountable for their actions and further, to use those actions to better their own environment and to compete in the global economy.
The school encourages low-income youth to become knowledgeable and self-motivated, and to employ critical thinking skills to merge theory with practice. Students are encouraged to create and pilot small-scale businesses on campus and in the community while being socially responsible.
BOARD MEMBERS
Mrs. Betsy Blanchard – National Foundation of Entrepreneurship: Teaching Entrepreneurship in Schools
Mr. John Dowsing – Engineer, Northrup Grumman Aerospace, Redondo Beach, CA
Mr. Greg Koffman - Rosenberg & Koffman Law Group
Mrs. Maggie McCrumby – Retired Educator
Dr. Robert Sinclair – Ph.D Economics, Vice President of Risk Architecture – Citigroup
Ms. Linda White – Director of Special Education, San Marino, CA
Mr. Yale Wishnick - Retired Program Director to California Teachers Association Institute for Teaching (IFT)
PROPOSED LOCATION
THINKTANK WILL PURSUE PROP 39 FACILITY
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPOSED AREA
28% or higher of Compton residents
are living below the national poverty level
Median Income $13,972annually
Population58% Hispanic
40% African American
California Poverty level14%
Graduation rate38%
45% overall (high school dropouts are 3.5 times more likely than high
school graduates to be arrested in their
lifetime).
CUSD is the #1
EmployerFood Industry being
#2
CUSD approved $40 million budget
cut2010 Layoff
notices
Only 5% achieving a Bachelors degree
Surrounding District Academic DataCDE data also shows a consistency of academically low performing districts in middle and high schools; with Compton Schools receiving API decile rankings of 1 and 2 respectively.
Districts APIAPI Rank Similar PI - YR Free & Subgroups
Schools Status reduced Hispanics African Other # of
API Lunch Americans Students
CUSD (ALL) (ALL) (ALL) (ALL)
Middle 535 1 5 5 70% 75% 23% 1% 28,538
High 537 1 5 5
School
LAUSD
Lynwood
Middle 629 2 3 3 89% 93% 6% 12973
High School 585 1 1 4
PARAMOUNT
Middle 568 2 8 2 85% 88% 10% 5% 12410
High School 492 1 2 1
Instructional Framework & Program
Summer Preparatory Programs (SPA –DAYS)
Targeted Instruction (TI) built directly into students’ schedule
Three Career PathwaysArts
Science Business and Entrepreneurship
4 classes/day = 90 Minutes each
Career Pathway begins the day
Extended Learning Time180 + 2 middle terms = 210 days
Experiential (Hands-on) LearningWith Master Teachers
Entrepreneurship in every classroom Student designed businesses
Pilot Micro-businesses on Campus Step into ThinkTank’s Capital VENTURE TANK
PROPOSED ENROLLMENT
GRADE 9 10 11 12 ENROLLEMENT
YEAR 1 125 125
YEAR 2 90 125 205
YEAR 3 90 90 125 305
YEAR 4 90 90 90 125 395
Preparatory Accountability Support by Enacting
Students are expected to attend tutorials and encouraged to attend SPA, PAP, BOSS and TWT programs to ensure successful achievement
SPA: Summer Preparation Academy - Training program for accelerated study includes student design and management of academic and professional portfolios.
PAP: Preparation for Advanced Placement Classes
BOSS: Business Opportunity Success Story – Seminars
TWT: ThinkTank Workshop Training in portfolio design in Arts, Science and Business.
MOST INNOVATIVE PROGRAM
** A small school environment (400 students over 4 years), hosted in an environment reflective of the seven identifiable factors demonstrated on successful high school campuses.
INNOVATIVE PROGRAM II
Extended Instructional Year - 210 days of balanced instruction that includes:
Traditional Instructional Days + Two Middle Terms (30 days) 180 [Eight periods/day] 15 + 15 = 210 days
**Middle Terms are full day schedules – remedial and enrichment activities, field trips, community service, full and half credit electives.
INNOVATIVE PROGRAM III
Three Unique Academy Career Pathways: College prep with emphasis in business development
ThinKTank Preparatory Academy of Arts
ThinkTank Preparatory Academy of Math – Science
ThinkTank Preparatory Academy of Business & Entrepreneurship
INNOVATIVE PROGRAM IV
Core + Experiential + (Network for Student + School Subjects Learning Teaching Success SuccessAreas Entrepreneurship(Career path) Curriculum - NFTE)
ThinkTank will drive Experiential Learning with the use of
NFTE’s Entrepreneur Curriculum
INNOVATIVE PROGRAM V
Identify Academic Problem + Targeted Instruction Higher Achievement
(Test Scores)
Tutorial sessions are built directly into each student’s schedule for the year.
INNOVATIVE PROGRAM VI
Learn about + Explore + Plan for College/ + Start Business/self Occupation Future UniversityJob/Career
Kuder Career Navigation program to help students identify they’re best traits,
skills, and occupation
INNOVATIVE PROGRAM VII
ThinkTank Knowledge + Business + Seed Self-Sufficiency + Financial Base Plan Money Sustainability
Students use entrepreneur tools to design and pilot businesses on campus and in the community
INTERVENTION FOR TARGETED GROUP
Experiential teaching through strength based learning
Business ownership incentive
Two middle terms for targeted instruction
Tutorials built directly into schedules
Mentor Teacher program (10 students/teacher)
Relevant & aligned benchmark testing
Individual learning plans based on major pathway
Entrepreneur/Micro-Business Component
Though Entrepreneurship will be integrated into all core classes and
students are required to complete an e-portfolio prior to grade-level
promotion. Those students interested in business, leadership or
entrepreneurship will utilize NFTE direct curriculum on How to Start a
Business.
How the NFTE program works?
Students are given a proposed situation that affects the school and are asked
to brainstorm ideas to address the situation.
Once the ideas are generated they are taught to utilize:
Research, market analysis, financial plan, design a business, implementation andmaintenance plan. Maintenance plan involves SWOT analysis.
SWOT looks at the strenghts, weakness, opportunities and threats that may face the business.
Micro businesses are piloted on campus; thus allowing students the opportunity to tweek or adjust mistakes. Senior students who successfully run their microbusinesses will step into the ThinkTank’s Venture Experience where they will present their business plan and financial numbers to prospective investors. Businesses that are successful will be implemented in the Compton Communiity.
In brief, utilizing NFTE Entrepreneurship curriculum throughout all courses, brings together a series of activities to
support an area that is regarded as strategically important to the community and US economy - in this case student
entrepreneurship.
TEXTBOOKS
ARTART: Davis Publication Discovering Drawing,
2007 EditionStagecraft II: Thomson Learning/WadsworthScene Design and Stage Lighting, 2003 EditionDRAMA I: Perfection Learning Corp. Basic
Drama Projects, 2004 EditionENGLISH TEXTEnglish Grammar and Composition: McDougal
Littell. Language Network, 2001 EditionBasic Text: Literature & Language Arts, Third
Course, 2003, Holt, Rinehart, Winston. Teachers may select works from this textbook. Supplemental Text: Holt Handbook
CREATIVE WRITINGBasic Text: Crossroads: Creative Writing
Exercises in Four Genres. Diane Thiel, 2005. Pearson/Longman ISBN 0321127617
Journalism: Glencoe/McGraw-HillJournalism Today, 2005 EditionHistoryWorld History Patterns of Interaction; Beck;
2006; and the support materials provided by McDougall-Littell.
SCIENCEBiology -Basic Textbook and Supplementary
Materials: Biology: Principles & Explorations, Johnson / Raven, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, © 2001
Environmental ScienceHolt, Rinehart & Winston 2006 EditionChemistry - Basic Textbook and Supplementary
Materials: World of Chemistry, Zumdahl/Zumdahl/DeCoste, McDougal Littell, © 2002
Physics: Basic Textbook and Supplementary Materials: Glencoe Physics: Principles & Problems, Zitzewitz, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, © 2002. Or Alternate Basic Textbook and Supplements: Conceptual Physics, Hewitt, Prentice Hall, © 2002
MATHEMATICSAlgebra: Holt California Algebra 1, Burger,
Edward B., et. Al, 2008; Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Geometry: Bass, Laurie, et al. Geometry. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004
US History: The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century 2006; McDougall-Littell
BUSINESSEconomics: Principles in Action and other
support materials provided by Prentice Hall, 2006
ENTREPRENEURSHIPHow to Start & Operate a Small Business, New
10th Edition: Student TextbookNFTE Classroom Support Materials:
Entrepreneurs in Profile
Leadership: Cengage Learning Research Findings, Practice, and Skills / Edition 5 by
Andrew J. DuBrin
Foreign LanguageSpanish: Realidades, 1, Prentice-Hall; 2004
Italian I, II: EMC ParadigmForza Level I, II, 2002 Edition
US. Government: Magruder’s American Government; and the support materials
provided by Prentice Hall; 2006
CST AND API GOALS
15% improvementeach year
until average is
80% proficient on CST for English &
Math
15 % improvement each year for FBB and BB
for every disaggregated
group
75% of students
move 1 ELD level each
year
Base Target of 700 for
2013 – 2014
30 points growth
each year thereafter
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Parent Professional Development& Leadership
*Barbecue* Tea 4 Two
Parent Volunteer &
Family Athletic Competition
Parent WeekendAcademy
2012 -2013
STUDENT RECRUITMENT
Place information ads on community news portal – HubCity, paper, community center, radio, cable stations and churches
School website – parent and students may fill out application and submit directly online
Direct presentations to middle schools
Direct Mail list
Bilingual English/Spanish Materials
Collected parent signature surveys and letters of support
BUSINESS & COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
NORTHRUP GRUMMAN
DEVRY
NETWORK FOR TEACHING ENTREPRENEURSHIP
EXED
FUNDING SOURCE
Public Charter Grant Program $600,000
Walton Family Foundation $250,000
Chase Manhattan
Citibank
Wells Fargo
Anthony Robbins Foundation