Category Archives: Uncategorized
CAP Reports
Abramson Corrective Action Plan Oversight by Folwell Dunbar
Abramson Site Visit Documentation Form by Folwell Dunbar
LEGAL & CONTRACTUAL PERFORMANCE MONITORING FORM
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LDOE Office of Parental Options
Corrective Action Plan Oversight
Abramson Science and Technology Charter School
Overview
Throughout the 2010 – 2011 Academic year, the Louisiana Department of Education Office of Parental Options regularly monitored Abramson Science and Technology Charter School’s progress toward the completion the state-mandated corrective action plan. This was done via email, phone conversations and onsite inspections. The final two inspections occurred on February 24 and June 10 of 2011. During the February 24 visit, Folwell Dunbar and Linda Brown met with the principal, the assistant principal and the Special Education coordinator. They looked at evidence to indicate that the school had completed all 92 activities associated with the corrective action plan. They also conducted a school walkthrough and interviewed teachers and students. Folwell Dunbar conducted a follow-up visit in June to verify the completion of a couple of end-of-year activities. All of the items listed in the state’s corrective action plan, as well as the additional action steps initiated by the school were successfully completed.
Observations
• The school worked with the Louisiana Association of Public Charter School’s Special Education Coop, the Recovery School District and the Sun Center throughout the year. The groups provided professional development and technical support.
• All of the school’s IEP’s were up to date and tailored to meet the children’s individual needs.
• The school is following Response to Intervention or RTI.
• The Special Education teacher to student ratio is appropriate.
• The school has adequate Special Education resources.
• All of the Special Education teachers are highly qualified.
• Abramson put together a Science Fair committee and developed a contract for participation.
• The school created new guidelines for Science Fair participation and conducted several trainings for teachers, students and parents.
• All of the stakeholders interviewed were aware of the Science Fair policies and procedures.
• The school developed and implemented a new, more robust professional development plan. It takes into consideration both individual teacher needs as well as school-wide goals.
LDE(PRR)-000218
• The school contracted with university staff members, consultants and the Regional Service Center to conduct trainings. They also attended professional development events sponsored by the DOE, RSD, LAPCS and LRCE.
• Several trainings were done to address issues related to cultural sensitivity.
• Abramson staff conducted regular classroom observations using standards developed by Pelican, faculty and staff.
• The school has taken several steps to increase and improve school-wide communication and collaboration, including the use of regular team meetings and various perception data gathering tools.
• The school has adopted a coaching and modeling approach to instructional support that includes incentives and consequences based on performance.
• Abramson developed a comprehensive, school-wide technology plan that is aligned to the school’s mission and vision and that includes extensive professional development and ongoing support. The school has also developed or expanded a number of unique technology offerings.
• The school developed and implemented a more robust teacher evaluation system. The teachers who were interviewed felt that it was reasonable and fair.
• The school made several key administrative changes and also appointed several mentor teachers.
• The school contracted with an outside company to provide substitute teachers and all teachers are required to have backup lesson plans available at all times.
• Teachers, parents and students were given various opportunities to express concerns or offer suggestions.
All of the concerns raised by the LDOE were addressed and all of the recommended action steps were taken.
Folwell Dunbar
Louisiana Department of Education
Office of Parental Options
Academic Advisor for Charter Schools
Folwell.dunbar@la.gov
225.439.6971
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Letter of Support from AIE
Please read the letter in PDF that came from Advance Innovative Education.
Answer to Shirl Gilbert
(Please check out the three attached PDF files first before reading the letter.)
1 Letter from Dr.Kosar to Gilbert
2 Letter from Gilberto to Dr.Kosar
3 Letter from Dr.Kosar to Gilbort
To the Editor:
(RE: “Officials: School reports probed – some complained of prayer room” – Date)
The allegations by Dr. Shirl Gilbert regarding “discriminatory” hiring acts and improper Turkish influences at Kenilworh Science and Technology School are false. They reveal a level of xenophobia that the public should not expect from any responsible professional education official in this country.
For example, at one previous visit with our governing board, Dr. Gilbert stated, regarding our teachers of Turkish ethnic origin, that “they should not go out and visit the parents of our students, since people may think they are ‘terrorists’.”
Regarding Dr. Gilbert’s “Search for a prayer room at Kenilworth”, here is what actually happened based on eye-witness accounts by those who attended his visit.
Dr. Gilbert went to our school on May 18th, 2010 without even the courtesy of prior notice to search the school for a so-called “prayer room,” following a complaint he admitted later had been made to him as hearsay, not in writing. Our principal escorted him throughout the school, and watched in disbelief as he searched room after room and even numerous cabinets and desks where teachers’ private belongings were stored.
Dr. Gilbert did not find a “Turkish prayer room” at Kenilworth because none exists. I should add, however, that he did discover a Bible in one drawer and a small Turkish cloth/rug in another. He immediately took a photo of the cloth/rug, although he did not photograph the Bible.
That Dr. Gilbert would find in a school drawer a cloth/rug made in Turkey as his basis for any concerns about the school is incredulous. It indicates to us nothing besides a clear prejudice and discrimination against schoolteachers of Turkish origin and, by extension, we assume any teachers of foreign ethnic origins as well.
Someone should ask Dr. Gilbert if he thinks it is unlawful or improper for a Hispanic teacher to bring a Mexican made rosary to school or an African -American teacher to have an African tribal artifact in her office. How any such items could convey the idea to Dr. Gilbert that Kenilworth is a “hostile school environment” is just insensible and paranoid.
Finally, when our school complained about Dr. Gilbert’s actions to state education officials, former DOE Superintendent Pastorek assured us such a discriminatory and privacy-invading incident would never happen again. For his part, we understand Dr. Gilbert apologized for his act at Kenilworth, saying, “my act was understood wrong.”
Tevfik Kosar
Board Member, Pelican Educational Foundation
