Charter School Tries to Teach to Students’ Rhythm

Sep. 22–The 60 students at ArtTech High School in West Linn were once lost in an education system that nearly pushed the teens to drop out.

Frustrated with large classes and the ease of slipping into anonymity at “big-box” high schools and middle schools, many had isolated themselves. Some struggled in classes. Others were simply bored. It was just a matter of time before the teens — all of them intelligent students who wanted to learn — quit.

But Mike Tannenbaum, West Linn-Wilsonville deputy superintendent, saw a way to perhaps save them — a charter school that would customize their education. He applied for a federal grant and is now co-principal of the school.

There is no guarantee the students won’t drop out. After all, the school just opened Sept. 12. But the teachers and several students said they see promise.

“It’s really more of my learning style,” said Nicki Rashevsky, 14. “The more responsibility you give to me, as well as the freedom, I’ll do well.”

Zachary Kline, 17, said, “There is much more attention placed on individual strengths.”

Lindsey Hughes, 15, said she had already noticed a difference.

“Big classes and groups overwhelm me,” she said. “It’s calm” at ArtTech.

The students started the year at Rolling Hills Community Church, pending completion of their permanent school, a storefront in the Village at Main Street in Wilsonville.

They’re scheduled to move to the new site Monday, Tannenbaum said.

The students had started bonding by day three. Hughes and Sarah Campbell, 16, took it upon themselves to assist Kline, who is blind, around the church halls. The three met at ArtTech.

“I’m stunned by how well the kids are getting to know each other,” teacher Karen Mitchell said.

The students who sit alone are invited in by others. Those who don’t talk during a group discussion are encouraged to join in by their peers.

ArtTech is one of 67 charter schools in Oregon and the second one in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, according to the Oregon Department of Education.

Oregon’s charter school law allows parents, educators or community members to start their own public schools via contract with local school boards. West Linn-Wilsonville sponsored ArtTech.

The law also requires charter schools to provide more flexible and innovative teaching methods.

ArtTech received $300,000 in federal startup funds. The money pays for planning, curriculum, furniture, technology, textbooks and other items, but not for salaries. The district picks up the rest.

ArtTech is built around nontraditional teaching methods. Because the students didn’t prosper in regular school settings, little of that culture is evident at ArtTech.

There are no individual classrooms. The students, all five dozen, meet in a single giant room and gather around tables. They start their day working the basics — math, reading and writing — and then divide into two groups for other subjects.

The teacher-to-student ratio is 1-to-15, roughly half that of a traditional school. The instructors move from table to table, working with a small group or an individual.

The attention to students is crucial because the teens, ages 14 to 17, show at least seven skill levels.

About one-third of the students would qualify as talented and gifted, Tannenbaum said.

“The other two-thirds could be talented and gifted, too,” Tannenbaum said. “But they never had the opportunity to show what they can do.”

ArtTech emphasizes project-based learning, which allows students to pursue in depth the issues that interest them. The classes include robotics, computer programming, mock trial, constitutional law and physics. The students also will do internships with schools or local businesses.

The instructors laid out plans for the curriculum, but they also improvise to determine what fits the kids.

“This is scary,” Mitchell said. “We have the ability to flex, and that is a stress reliever but also a stressor,” she said. “On an hourly basis, we’ll change plans.”

Mitchell is on a team of six experienced teachers and administrators running the school. Their ranks include two who returned from retirement specifically to work at the school, an Emmy-winning theater teacher and a former Fujitsu computer programmer.

“This is one place where I can use everything I’ve ever done,” said teacher Beverly Grossman, the former programmer, who also will teach mythology, her college major.

“It’s energizing. That’s how you know you’re in the right job.”

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