OFL-Capistrano Dropout
Prevention Program Renewed
District
Cites Effective Performance in Extending
Opportunities
for Learning Charter for Five More Years
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO,
Calif. (January 17, 2007) – The Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) Board of Education has
granted a second five-year charter to Opportunities for Learning (OFL), an
accredited public charter school serving at-risk middle and high school
students with innovative dropout recovery and prevention programs.
The charter renewal, approved Jan. 8, enables the school
district and OFL to continue for five more years their existing partnership,
which for the past half-decade has produced encouraging results for students
who would otherwise likely drop out of school and not graduate.
During the course of the initial five-year charter, OFL served
over 700 students and achieved a 74 percent success rate: 56 students graduated
through the OFL-Capistrano school and approximately 400 students successfully
returned to their District schools. The OFL-Capistrano charter also
successfully met all six of the Federal Department of Education Annual Yearly
Progress (AYP) criteria.
In recommending renewal of the charter, the District’s staff
report concluded that a sound educational program was being offered by OFL as
evidenced by both Academic Performance Index (API) comparison scores and an
increase in student enrollment. Based
upon the 2006 API – the cornerstone of
Jolene Dougherty, Executive Director, Elementary School
Support, stated, “The Capistrano Unified School District’s partnership with OFL has been very effective
in meeting the education needs of more than 700 students at-risk of dropping
out and not graduating from school. We look forward to creatively and
diligently building on this successful record of helping students
attain their life objective of high school graduation.”
Tom Goodman, Superintendent of OFL, commented, “These are
good kids and good schools, but for a variety of reasons traditional school
settings were not working for them and they were at risk of dropping out and
foregoing their high school graduation. We’ve been able to work closely with
the District to identify and re-immerse these students in personalized
instruction programs that get them back on track toward high school graduation
and success in life.”
At-risk students are youth who have left traditional schools
for a wide range of reasons. They include students who are socio-economically
challenged and ethnic minorities, teen parents, expectant mothers, individuals
in the juvenile justice system, youth with behavioral or health issues,
students who have simply fallen behind in credits, or whose needs are otherwise
not being met by a traditional school. Changes in society, in the family unit
and in the workplace have spurred the need for and growth of innovative
instructional programs such as charter schools to meet the diverse educational
needs and lifestyles of students.
About Opportunities
for Learning (OFL)
Opportunities for Learning Charter Schools (OFL) is the
operating name of three independent, WASC accredited charter schools with 26
learning centers located throughout Southern California. OFL and its sister organization, Options for
Youth Charter Schools, currently serve more than 25,000 students each year,
with thousands more on waiting lists.
Established by lifelong teachers and educators, John and