Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School

Mission, Need, and Demand for the School
The Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School is based on the highly successful Accelerated model. It will partner with the nationally recognized Accelerated School in Los Angeles, which is starting a high school next year as well. The National Center for Accelerated Schools has agreed to make this school one of its first pilot high schools. This school will target high school students at-risk of dropping out and will focus on preparing all students for college, especially those who may not have otherwise considered pursuing a college education. The school clearly communicated the problem of underachievement and dropout by youth living in Indianapolis' near eastside with geographically targeted use of data and statistics. The proposed school presents a solid set of proven approaches that will meet many of the needs of the targeted student population, recognizing that many incoming students may be far behind grade level. For example, the school will incorporate content-rich interactive instruction that requires students to demonstrate that they can apply what they have learned, an extended school day and year, "double doses" of reading and math instruction, service learning, and parent and community involvement. The school offers a longer school year (195 days), and a longer school day (8 am – 5 pm). One day a week, students will have an alternate schedule that includes civics workshops and guest speakers. The founding group conducted a parent survey to ensure that community input was considered when developing the school.
Educational Services Provided
The Accelerated model has been used in more than 700 elementary and middle schools in the U.S. and four other countries. A central tenet of the Accelerated Schools model is to treat every student as gifted – high expectations are set for every student. The school will not place "at-risk" students in tracked or remedial classes. Instead, teachers will challenge all of their students and give them the opportunity to connect to the real-life lessons and use their own knowledge as a reference to solving new problems. The school is developing curriculum content guides based on what students need to know and be able to do in Advanced Placement level courses. The school will also use Indiana standards as "benchmarks" at each grade level to evaluate student progress. State standards, skills and content are grouped and sequenced around real issues and activities in order to cover multiple standards simultaneously. By centering learning on real experiences students can first build practical understandings of subject matter and then can apply this practical understanding in learning the abstract concepts and skills. Rather than picking a single textbook series for each subject, the school is identifying several textbooks and other instructional materials (e.g., on-line resources) picked for their rich academic content, cultural relevance to issues of interest for urban high school students and ability to individualize based on student aptitude. In the Accelerated model, instructional methods provide teachers with frequent assessment opportunities. Constant assessment of how teachers are teaching and how students are learning enables teachers to adjust lessons, individualize learning, and provide additional support. Teachers will participate in an 8-week summer training institute prior to the start of the school year. Annually, the teacher, student and parents together will develop an individualized learning contract for each student that encompasses student participation, service learning and enrichment goals linked to curricular areas, and students' personal education goals. The contract will be assessed and revised each trimester in partnership with the teacher, student, and parents. The school will use a wide range of structures to support students who are far behind grade level, such as "double doses" of math and reading, smaller class size, block scheduling, peer tutoring and study groups. Core courses are also offered in longer, 90-minute blocks to provide students and teachers with more concentrated, focused time together for learning. The school year is broken into trimesters – courses will be completed within the first 2 trimesters, allowing in the 3^rd trimester time for students who have mastered the subject to learn more advanced material, and giving those who have not an extended opportunity to achieve mastery.
Summary of the Founding Group
The diverse founding board possesses expertise necessary to start and run a public school. Members bring expertise in education, finance and development, accounting, business management, strategic planning, human resources, public relations, law and community development. Founding group members are actively using their expertise and experiences through a series of active committees created to meet the varied responsibilities involved in designing, opening, and maintaining a public charter school. There are committees on facilities, marketing/outreach, finance/fundraising, governance, academic life/curriculum, and personnel. The facilities committee is headed by Joe Gustin, who worked at IPALCO for many years and is particularly knowledgeable about facilities infrastructure. The committee has developed a detailed facilities timeline to ensure a facility is identified and renovated in time for school opening.
Governance and Management
Marcus Robinson, who is currently chairman of the English department at Cathedral College Preparatory High School, has been identified as this school's executive director. Marcus has a masters focused on educational administration from Butler University. At Cathedral, he serves as chairman of the Parent/Community Relations Committee (which is part of the continuous school improvement initiative). He also serves on the Midwest Diversity Committee of the Independent Schools Association of the Central States as well as on the Cathedral Minority Alumni/Parent committee. He has experience in curriculum development and is currently piloting a fully digital, paperless Composition course. The school has identified an experienced program director to focus on instruction. The school's instructional leader, Siri Loescher, has been involved with the Accelerated model for many years, brings a rich understanding of this very successful educational approach, and has been a driving force behind the development of this school for several years. John Neighbours, who actively serves on several non-profit boards and brings his demonstrated ability in helping organizations meet their organizational and financial challenges, heads this school's governance committee. The highly qualified board is well positioned to meet the challenge of operating this small, innovative high school. The board has provided a clear delineation of responsibility, segmenting and distributing responsibility across board committees and lead staff members. The School as a Whole committee, comprised of students, parents, faculty, board members and interested community members, will work in an advisory capacity to the board, providing regular feedback based on frequent evaluation and assessment of school performance. The board has been fully engaged in the development of this proposal and has demonstrated throughout the application review process its commitment to the success of the school.
Financial Viability
The school's detailed budget is based on reasonable estimates of revenue and expenditures. The founding team has planned an aggressive fundraising campaign to begin once chartered. Specific partners and foundations the school plans to approach have been identified. A detailed financial plan is in place that involves the executive director, a finance committee, the School as a Whole committee, an accountant, and various vendors to administer payroll and benefits.
Accessibility
The school has a plan for broad outreach and student recruitment, including door-to-door canvassing in order to reach families traditionally less informed about options. The school also plans to work with members of the community, including local community groups, students and parents, to help in outreach efforts. A thoughtful, realistic and comprehensive transportation plan demonstrates the school's commitment to ensuring transportation is not a barrier to students attending this school. The school's transportation plans include car-pooling, public transportation, and privately contracted services. Approximately $34,000 has been budgeted to develop and operate the school's transportation plan during its first year. The school plans to hire special education staff as well as faculty with training and experience with English Language Learners to ensure the needs of these student groups are met effectively. The school also plans to join the Indianapolis Charter Special Services, a special education cooperative designed to help member charter schools provide special education services effectively and efficiently to all students who need them. The cooperative, only the 3^rd of its kind in the nation, was formed under the joint guidance of the Mayor's office and the Indiana Department of Education. The cooperative has hired an experienced special needs educator to administer the cooperative as its director of special education and is operating effectively under the experienced leadership of the 21^st Century Charter School. Currently, all 3 mayor-sponsored charter schools are members of the cooperative.
Leadership Information *Note: The information provided below is solely a summary of qualifications, and does not reflect a comprehensive description of each founding member's expertise and experience.
Name and Proposed Positions of Applicants	Siri Loescher—Authorized Representative, Program Director Diana L. Adams—Board Member Eric Bedel—Board Member Mark Bruin—Board Member Alexander Carroll—Board Member Taray Delemore—Board Member Joe Gustin—Board Member Michelle Gutierrez—Board Member Tysha Hardy-Sellers—Board Member Alan Hill—Board Member Alix Litwack—Board Member John Loflin—Board Member William (Bill) Meador—Board Member John Neighbours—Board Member Marcus Robinson—Executive Director William Tolbert—Board Member
*Capacities Represented by Applicants (by topic area)*
School Leader Biography	Marcus Robinson, who is currently chairman of the English department at Cathedral College Preparatory High School, has been identified as this school's executive director. Marcus earned a bachelors in English from DePauw University and a masters focused on educational administration from Butler University. At Cathedral, he serves as chairman of the Parent/Community Relations Committee (which is part of the continuous school improvement initiative). He also serves on the Midwest Diversity Committee of the Independent Schools Association of the Central States as well as on the Cathedral Minority Alumni/Parent committee. He has experience in curriculum development and is currently piloting a fully digital, paperless Composition course. In addition to his responsibilities at Cathedral, Marcus also works in the mental health field in Indianapolis. Marcus has several professional affiliations, including with the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Catholic Educational Association, and the National Education Association.
Education	Experience Marcus Robinson is chairman of the English department at Cathedral College Preparatory High School. He has experience in curriculum development and is currently piloting a fully digital, paperless Composition course. He is responsible for planning, instruction, supervision, and evaluation. His duties also include the teaching of writing and grammar for college-bound students as well as literary theory and criticism. Siri Loescher and Alix Litwack have taught high school students in a national program that provides weeklong sessions in civics education. Diana Adams and Siri Loescher have worked in programs providing support services and/or after-school activities for at-risk students. Siri Loescher has taught at the undergraduate level (as a graduate student.) Siri Loescher worked as a coach and coordinator for the Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) and studied under ASP's founder. (This work included developing programs and learning standards.) Siri Loescher has served as an education consultant to a local school district as well as several educational organizations. (Organizations include the Indiana Education Policy Center at Indiana University, the Indiana and U.S. Departments of Education, among others.) Siri Loescher has experience in performing evaluations of education programs. Alan Hill has thirteen years of higher education experience working as an administrator, most recently as the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs at Franklin College. John Loflin has taught in various alternative schools and supervised student teachers in the Urban Education Program at Indiana University. He has also been a tutor and a substitute instructor in the Indianapolis Public Schools. He is completing a project collecting oral histories about Indianapolis schools. Training Marcus Robinson has a masters in educational administration. Siri Loescher, John Loflin, and Diana Adams have bachelors degrees in the field of education. Siri Loescher, John Loflin, and Alan Hill have masters degrees in education and Siri has completed some doctoral work in the education field.
Other Youth Work	Experience Siri Loescher, Diana Adams, and Alix Litwack have worked with a number of organizations providing social and other services to at-risk students and/or emotionally disturbed children. (Diana Adams worked as a case manager for Midtown Mental Health.) Joseph Gustin served as President and Board Member of the Indianapolis Family Support Center. Mark Bruin has been a volunteer with Boy Scouts and United Way youth programs, and has coached youth sports activities. In her job as an attorney at the Hispanic Law Center, Michelle Gutierrez has spent time doing outreach and community legal education so she is familiar with issues that present barriers to children's learning. She also served as a Certified Legal Intern for the Child Advocacy Clinic. Tysha Hardy-Sellers has managed a journalism program for teenagers for the Indianapolis Recorder. John Neighbours was President of the Marion County Commission on Youth and founder of the Prelude Awards for high school students. John Loflin has worked as a community organizer and youth worker in Indianapolis.
Management	Experience Alix Litwack has been a project manager for several youth/education organizations (including The Children's Museum, the Marion County Commission on Youth, the Indiana Youth Institute, and Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis). Alex Carroll recently retired as a Senior Vice President at Prudential-Bache Securities. Eric Bedel is a principal and office leader at William Mercer with several years of human resources experience that includes corporate communication, change management, sales management, and client management. Mark Bruin has managed several banking divisions, most recently the commercial banking and cash management divisions at the National Bank of Indianapolis. Joseph Gustin has twenty years of senior level management experience working in different capacities for subsidiaries of IPALCO and is particularly skilled in providing knowledge of facilities infrastructure and utility support services. William Tolbert held senior management positions in the pharmaceutical industry for his entire career. Training Taray Delemore has a masters in Public Affairs and has had training in conflict resolution and mediation. Joseph Gustin has attended the Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Entrepreneurialism	Experience Diana Adams mentions that she "on her own" became an advocate for at-risk youth and was involved in the legislative process to approve charter schools in Indiana. Joseph Gustin recently started his own business providing consulting in mechanical engineering, business development, and energy use and procurement. Tysha Hardy-Sellers started her own communications company after working for several years in the communications field.
Fundraising	Experience Siri Loescher, Diana Adams, and Alix Litwack have performed grant writing. Siri Loescher has performed grant evaluations for the Indiana and U.S. Departments of Education. Several members of the board have been involved in major fundraising efforts in their roles as board members for numerous other non-profit organizations.
Finance / Accounting	Experience Alex Carroll, Eric Bedel, and Mark Bruin have all held senior positions with financial services companies. Bill Meador is a partner with Deloitte and Touche and has 14 years of experience in public accounting. Training Mark Bruin and Bill Meador each have an MBA. William Tolbert has attended an executive business program at Harvard Business School.
Marketing / Public Relations	Experience Diana Adams notes that, in her advocacy work, she has developed a "full working knowledge of all social service agencies and community centers in Indianapolis." Taray Delemore has worked as a lobbyist for the Hoosier State Press Association. Tysha Hardy-Sellers has worked as a journalist, and as a media and public relations specialist for business, arts and entertainment, publishing and government organizations. She currently owns her own communications company, Sellers Communications Group.
Legal Expertise	Experience Michelle Gutierrez is an attorney with the Hispanic Law Center. John Neighbours is a practicing attorney at Baker and Daniels specializing in employment law. Training Taray Delemore, Michelle Gutierrez, and John Neighbours have law degrees.
Management of Public Funds	Experience Diana Adams acted as a Grant Manager for Eastside Community Investments. In this role she was responsible for monitoring five grants sponsored (in part) by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Bill Meador served for 6 years in the U.S. Army as a Finance Officer. Training Taray Delemore has a masters in Public Affairs.
Nonprofit Governance	Experience Alex Carroll has served on several boards, including the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, The Children's Museum, Indiana Symphony Society, Junior Achievement, and the Methodist Hospital Foundation. Taray Delemore is acting chair of a non-profit, Project Safety Net. Alan Hill has worked as an administrator in higher education for several years. As the Vice President of Franklin College he currently manages the office of admissions, financial aid, and student life. John Neighbours has experience serving on numerous boards. He currently serves as vice-chair of the United Way of Central Indiana and is on the executive committee of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors. William Tolbert has served on numerous boards including the Alpha Home of Indianapolis and The Children's Museum.


	Last Updated: 12/31/2007 \| Print This Page \| Email to Friend