a presentation from my personal charter school file

1. WELCOME TO
THINKTANK PREPARATORY ACADEMY
FOR
YOUNG URBAN ENTREPRENEURS

2. A private school education in a public school setting
THINK, EXPERIENCE, LEAD…..

3. LOOK FOR US ONLINE
http://www.thinktankprep.org

4. Lead Petitioner
Ms. Ceron Christie
MA-ED AND MBA

5. 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

6. Charter Development Nonprofit Partnerships
California Charter School Association
ExEd – Charter School Business Operation

7. VISION
 Every youth will directly influence his emergence from
poverty, do his best work and be his best ethical self.

8. 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.

9. 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)

10. PROPOSED LOCATION
 THINKTANK WILL PURSUE PROP 39 FACILITY

11. SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
PROPOSED AREA
28% or higher of
Compton residents are
living below the
national poverty level
Median Income
$13,972
annually
Population
58% Hispanic
40% African American
California Poverty level
14%
Graduation rate
38%
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
Employer
Food Industry being #2
CUSD approved $40
million budget cut
2010 Layoff notices
Only 5% achieving a Bachelors
degree

12. 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 API
API
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

13. Instructional Framework
& Program
Summer Preparatory Programs (SPA –DAYS) Targeted Instruction (TI) built directly into
students’ schedule
Three Career Pathways
Arts
Science
Business and Entrepreneurship
4 classes/day = 90 Minutes each
Career Pathway begins the day
Extended Learning Time
180 + 2 middle terms = 210 days
Experiential (Hands-on) Learning
With Master Teachers
Entrepreneurship in every classroom Student designed businesses
Pilot Micro-businesses on Campus Step into
ThinkTank’s Capital VENTURE TANK

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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

19. INNOVATIVE
PROGRAM IV
 Core + Experiential + (Network for  Student + School
Subjects Learning Teaching Success Success
Areas Entrepreneurship
(Career path) Curriculum - NFTE)
ThinkTank will drive Experiential Learning with the use of
NFTE’s Entrepreneur Curriculum

20. 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.

21. INNOVATIVE
PROGRAM VI
 Learn about + Explore + Plan for  College/ + Start
Business/self Occupation Future University Job/Career
Kuder Career Navigation program to help students identify they’re best traits,
skills, and occupation

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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.

25. 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 and
maintenance 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.

26. TEXTBOOKS
ART
ART: Davis Publication Discovering Drawing,
2007 Edition
Stagecraft II: Thomson Learning/Wadsworth
Scene Design and Stage Lighting, 2003 Edition
DRAMA I: Perfection Learning Corp. Basic
Drama Projects, 2004 Edition
ENGLISH TEXT
English Grammar and Composition: McDougal
Littell. Language Network, 2001 Edition
Basic Text: Literature & Language Arts, Third
Course, 2003, Holt, Rinehart, Winston.
Teachers may select works from this
textbook. Supplemental Text: Holt
Handbook
CREATIVE WRITING
Basic Text: Crossroads: Creative Writing
Exercises in Four Genres. Diane Thiel,
2005. Pearson/Longman ISBN
0321127617
Journalism: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Journalism Today, 2005 Edition
History
World History Patterns of Interaction; Beck;
2006; and the support materials provided
by McDougall-Littell.
SCIENCE
Biology -Basic Textbook and Supplementary
Materials: Biology: Principles &
Explorations, Johnson / Raven, Holt,
Rinehart, and Winston, © 2001
Environmental Science
Holt, Rinehart & Winston 2006 Edition
Chemistry - 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
MATHEMATICS
Algebra: 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
BUSINESS
Economics: Principles in Action and other
support materials provided by Prentice
Hall, 2006
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
How to Start & Operate a Small Business, New
10th
Edition: Student Textbook
NFTE Classroom Support Materials:
Entrepreneurs in Profile
Leadership: Cengage Learning Research
Findings, Practice, and Skills / Edition 5 by
Andrew J. DuBrin
Foreign Language
Spanish: Realidades, 1, Prentice-Hall; 2004
Italian I, II: EMC Paradigm
Forza Level I, II, 2002 Edition
US. Government: Magruder’s American
Government; and the support materials
provided by Prentice Hall; 2006

27. CST AND API GOALS
15%
improvement
each 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

28. PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Parent
Professional
Development
& Leadership
*Barbecue
* Tea 4 Two
Parent
Volunteer &
Family Athletic
Competition
Parent
Weekend
Academy
2012 -2013

29. 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

30. BUSINESS & COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIPS
 NORTHRUP GRUMMAN
 DEVRY
 NETWORK FOR TEACHING ENTREPRENEURSHIP
 EXED

31. FUNDING SOURCE
 Public Charter Grant Program $600,000
 Walton Family Foundation $250,000
 Chase Manhattan
 Citibank
 Wells Fargo
 Anthony Robbins Foundation