Paramount Charter School: A Chaotic “Free for All” That Cannot be Immediately Shut Down
In August 2013, the Paramount Charter School submitted an impressive-reading, 344-page application to Broward County Public Schools (Florida). The school is run by an impressively-named nonprofit, The Advancement of Education In Scholars Corporation. The document reveals what would surely be a marvel of a school, one expecting to enroll 1,088 students in grades K-6 in its first year and anticipating 1,594 students in grades K through 8 in its fifth year.
Among its promises, the Paramount application included the following:
Be a college preparatory school that provides an extended day with performing arts and sports and fitness program with enrichment classes along with single sex core classes. Provide learning opportunities for all students with an emphasis on low performing students and reading. Provide an environment that promotes each student‟s personal and intellectual growth along with a commitment to educational success. Educate students uniquely different from a traditional public school and establish bold new innovative ideas to change the way children are educated. Provide parents with sufficient information on whether their child is reading at grade level and whether the child gains at least a year‟s worth of learning for every year spent in the charter school.The School’s education will encourage students to take intellectual risks in an atmosphere that is both challenging and supportive. With the careful guidance of experienced teachers, students will discover their individual passions while learning to value multiple perspectives and work with people who have diverse points of view.At the School, students will be problem solvers: they will learn to evaluate what they hear, read, or see and in doing so they will take control of theParamount Charter School: A Chaotic “Free for All” That Cannot be Immediately Shut Down | deutsch29: