American Indian Public Charter School facts for kids

The American Indian Public Charter School (AIPCS) is a charter middle school in Oakland, California. It mainly serves students from low-income and minority backgrounds. The school opened in 1996. For a few years, it faced challenges. However, after 2000, things improved a lot. Both student numbers and test scores went up.

By 2005, students at AIPCS were getting better test scores than most public schools in California. The principal, Ben Chavis, believed that setting high expectations for students was key. This included strong attendance, good discipline, regular homework, and summer school. In 2007, AIPCS was the first public school in Oakland to win the National Blue Ribbon Award.

Over time, AIPCS began to attract a wider mix of students. More African American, Asian, and Latino students joined. By 2015, most of its students were Asian. The American Indian Model Schools system grew from AIPCS. It now runs three schools in Oakland. These include two middle schools and a high school, American Indian Public High School.

In 2012, the school system faced problems with its charter. There were concerns about how money was managed and about leadership. The Oakland School District voted to take away their charter. However, a court order allowed the schools to stay open. With new leaders, the schools got their charter renewed for five years in 2013.

History of AIPCS

AIPCS was started by the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) in 1996. Its goal was to help Native American students in the city do better in school. As a charter public school, AIPCS was free to attend. It also had a lot of freedom in how it operated. The school first started in a church in Oakland's Laurel District. Later, it moved to 171 12th Street. The high school is at 746 Grand Avenue.

Since 2007, the group of charter schools is known as AIMS, or American Indian Model Schools. When it first opened, AIPCS had mostly Native American students. It also focused on Native American culture. Classes included things like traditional bead-making and drumming.

One of the founders, Martin Waukazoo, left the school board. He felt the school wasn't focusing enough on basic skills. He said, "They were doing too many fuzzy, warm things like bead-making classes and drum classes. Those are good hobbies, but our kids need to learn to read and write."

By 2001, the school was struggling. Only 34 students were enrolled, and test scores were very low. That year, Ben Chavis became the principal. He was a Lumbee educator from North Carolina. Chavis had been a principal before and was recruited from Arizona. There, he was a superintendent at the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

Chavis made many changes. He replaced most of the staff. He removed bilingual education and Native American cultural content from classes. He also gave away all the school's technology. Chavis focused teaching on California's learning standards. He also put in place some strict discipline rules.

In 2005, AIPCS had seven teachers. There was one teacher for every 25 students. Most teachers were in their twenties. Chavis said that any teachers who didn't have their teaching license were working to get one.

In 2005, first-year teachers at AIPCS earned $42,000 a year. They could also get a $1,500 bonus. This was more than the $37,000 salary for new teachers in the Oakland Unified School District at that time.

In the years that followed, the school's student numbers grew. Test scores also got much better. The school became one of the best-performing in the state. During this time, the number of students who identified as American Indian dropped to less than 5%. This was similar to a trend in other Oakland public schools. More African American, Latino, and Asian American students joined. By 2012, about 90% of students in the AIM system were Asian American.

In 2007, the AIPCS board expanded its operations. They started the American Indian Model Schools system. They opened a second middle school, AIPCS II, and a high school, the American Indian Public High School (AIPHS). Chavis left his role as head of school in 2007. He stayed in an executive role until January 2012.

On March 20, 2013, the Oakland School Board voted to take away the charters for the three schools. This included the elementary school that Chavis's own children attended. But on July 15, 2013, a judge allowed all three schools to stay open.

Educational Approach

AIPCS uses a "back-to-basics" way of teaching. Students spend their school day in one classroom with one teacher. In theory, this teacher would stay with the students for all three years at AIPCS. However, teachers often leave, so this doesn't always happen.

AIPCS follows the American Indian Model (AIM). A key part of this model is excellent student attendance. The school used to give cash awards of up to $100 to students who attended every school day for a year. They claim yearly attendance rates as high as 99.6%.

The school day at AIPCS starts with three hours of Language Arts and Math. This is followed by a short lunch break of twenty minutes. The time between classes is kept very short. The school believes this adds an extra week of class time each year.

Students are given at least two hours of homework every night. If students don't finish their work, they might have to stay after school for detention. Students who are struggling and don't improve much might have to repeat a grade. One student was held back for getting a "B" in math. All students must attend summer school.

The student dress code requires khaki or navy pants and white, collared shirts. Makeup and jewelry are not allowed.

In 2012, the school had very little lab equipment. Science was mostly taught using textbooks. When Chavis was in charge, the school had no televisions. He believed they could lead to trouble. The school offers music, performance art, study hall, and club activities after school.

Andrew J. Coulson, an expert in education, said that AIPCS has a good plan for helping minority students succeed. He said the school creates an environment that helps students do well in academics.

Physical Education

Physical education at AIPCS was offered for forty minutes each school day. It mostly involved calisthenics and running. Students did not play traditional games like basketball, football, or baseball. According to the AIPCS website, its students in 2007-2008 did much better than the Oakland Unified School District average in physical fitness. This included aerobic capacity, flexibility, and strength.

Discipline

AIPCS follows the discipline rules set by the California Education Code. Students who are disruptive, don't finish work, or misbehave get an hour of detention after school. If they misbehave a second time in the same week, they get another hour of detention and four hours of Saturday School.

Some other discipline methods were unusual. For example, with parents' permission, Chavis once shaved a student's head in front of the whole school. This was after the student was accused of stealing. In other cases, he made a girl clean the boys' bathroom. He also made some students wear embarrassing signs.

Not all staff at AIPCS agreed with Chavis's methods. After he left in 2012, the school leaders stopped or changed some of the more unusual discipline rules.

Test Scores

From 2000 to 2006, the school's Academic Performance Index (API) more than doubled. API scores range from 200 to 1000 points.

• In 2001, AIPCS had an API of 440. This was one of the lowest among Oakland middle schools.
• In 2006, AIPCS had an API of 967. This was the eighth-highest in California. The average API in the state is about 750. Schools serving mostly low-income children usually score around 650. In the same year, the federal government named AIPCS one of the top 250 schools in the country.
• In 2010, AIPCS had an API of 988. This made it the highest-performing middle school in California.

In 2009, the school's 41 8th graders had these scores:

It's important to know that all AIPCS 8th grade students take Algebra I. Many California students don't take Algebra I until high school.

For comparison, here are test scores from nearby schools:

• Edna Brewer Middle School had an API of 782. Their proficiency levels were English 51%, Math 53%, Science 67%, and History/Social Science 50%.
• Westlake Middle School had an API of 680. Their proficiency levels were English 30%, Math 34%, Science 46%, and History/Social Science 23%.
• Piedmont Middle School, which has few low-income students, had an API of 918. Their 8th-grade proficiency levels were English 83%, Math 88%, Science 81%, and History/Social Science 80%.

High School Scores

As of 2009, students at AIPHS also did very well on tests. About 90% of AIPHS students scored at proficient or advanced levels in most subjects. Scores were a bit lower in Chemistry and Earth Science. In 2009, AIPHS had its first graduating class. All 18 seniors were accepted into good four-year colleges that fall.

Questions About Scores

Charles Murray, a scholar, praised AIPCS. He even said he would send his own children there. However, he was unsure about AIPCS's very high test scores. He said that such big score improvements often don't hold up to close study. He suggested asking questions like whether the scores were affected by students practicing for the tests. He thought the improvements might seem less impressive after these questions were answered.

In 2009, news reports suggested that AIPCS was known for "cherry-picking" students. This means they might recruit students who were already likely to do well. They were also accused of removing students who didn't perform well. AIPCS denied these claims.

The LA Times reported that half of the 6th-grade students who were doing poorly in 2007 left the school before graduating in 8th grade. Out of 51 students who started in 2006, 39 finished middle school at AIPCS. All students who started below grade level and stayed through 8th grade did improve. Charles Murray noted that if a school doesn't count students who leave because they're doing poorly, it can make the school's success look better than it is.

Student Demographics

AIPCS ethnic breakdown by year

By 2007–2008, the types of students at AIPCS had changed. The school had about 180 students from these ethnic groups:

• 46% Asian
• 23% African-American
• 22% Latino
• 3% American Indian/Alaskan Native
• Less than 2% Caucasian, Pacific Islander, Filipino

About 97% of AIPCS students in 2007-2008 were considered "socioeconomically disadvantaged." This means they came from families with lower incomes.

In its first years, the school had more American Indian students and fewer Asian students.

In 2007, the American Indian Model Schools system opened AIPCS II. This school is in Oakland's Chinatown neighborhood. 67% of its students were Asian. In 2005-2006, students entering this middle school mostly came from the nearby public Lincoln Elementary School. These students had high test scores and were mainly Asian.

Some critics have suggested that AIPCS's success is largely because of this change in student population. They believe the success of its Asian students helped. However, the LA Times reported in 2009 that Asian, African-American, and Latino students at the school performed similarly on tests.

AIPCS staff says the school attracts a mix of students from local elementary schools. But California's Office of Charter Schools noted that AIPCS's student makeup was different from the overall Oakland Unified School District. In the district, Asian students made up 14% of students. African American and Latino students each made up 36%. The differences at the AIMS schools might be due to how they recruit students.

School Finances

From 2001 to 2008, AIPCS spent less than $8,000 per student each year. This was less than half of what the Oakland Unified School District spent per student. However, the school received over $200,000 in 2006 from the Walton family foundation. This meant it had more money to operate than schools relying only on public funds. By June 2009, when public schools faced funding cuts, AIPCS had received more grants. These included over $100,000 from the Koret Foundation.

Threat to Charter

In March 2013, the OUSD Board voted to take away the AIMS charter. The Alameda County Board of Education could overturn this decision. The California Board of Education is the final place to appeal. If an appeal is not successful, the charter would have ended on June 30, 2013.

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