MODEL SCHOOL

Wiiji Kakendaasodaa: Let’s All Learn- Executive Summary

This Model School Project was a four-year (2010 to 2014) project to improve student achievement in reading and writing. The partners in this project were: Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, Walpole Island First Nation, Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative, Pathy Family Foundation and the Lawrence and Judith Tanenbaum Family Foundation and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

Mother Earth's Children Charter School

Alberta's first Indigenous charter school. MECCS Mission: To wholistically nurture, guide and challenge each child’s spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional self through traditional Indigenous teachings. Alberta, through it's school act, has allowed charter schools since 1994.

Enrollment in Charter Schools is increasing

The ranks of charter schools are growing rapidly. USA has 4,000 charter schools. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a nonprofit advocacy group, released a report which showed that in some cities, charter schools — which are publicly financed but privately operated — enroll a significant proportion of public school students.

Chalo School, Fort Nelson, B.C.

Chalo School, owned and operated by the Fort Nelson First Nation, opened in 1982. It provides education from kindergarten to high school. Chalo has independent school status with the BC Ministry of Education, and is part of School District 81 (Fort Nelson). Since opening, Chalo School has gained a reputation for providing education excellence, innovative approaches to curriculum, and encouraging cross-cultural inclusion as it is open to all residents of the SD 81 catchment area. In 2006, at the House of Commons in Ottawa, Chalo School was recognized "as a role model for B.C. and for the country."

Chalo School provides language lessons in Dene and Cree, starting in kindergarten. Cultural classes in art, living skills, and traditional practices are part of the curriculum. Chalo's student enrollment is approximately 200 First Nations and non-First Nation students.

Free Schools- UK

A Free School in England is a type of a non-profit-making, independent, state-funded school which is free to attend but which is not controlled by any Local Authority. Free Schools are expected to offer a broad and balanced curriculum. Free schools operate outside of local authority control and do not have to follow the national curriculum and have more flexibility over staffing. To set up a Free School, founding groups (that include parents and charity organizations) submit applications to the Department for Education. Between 2010 and 2015 more than 400 free schools were approved for opening in England.

Big Picture Learning

Founded in 1995, Big Picture Learning is a growing network of 100 schools around the world. The core idea behind BPL is that education is the responsibility of everyone in the community. As a non-profit organization dedicated to a fundamental redesign of education in the United States, Big Picture Learning’s (BPL) vision is to catalyze vital changes in K-Adult education by generating and sustaining innovative, personalized learning environments that work in tandem with the real world of their greater community. Students spend a considerable amount of time working in the community under the guidance of mentors, learning in real world situations.