Cheironeum Prospectus Analysis, SWOT Analysis Example

Mission

The bulk of the criteria are met in the Mission Statement. Notably absent, however, is the component wherein “(t)he mission informs the public about the school and the students the charter school intends to serve.” While the Mission Statement indicates what grade levels will be offered, and the approximate projected numbers of students expected at each grade level[1], there is no indication as to what type of population will be served in terms of socioeconomic, academic, or geographical background. This information is, however, discussed in detail in subsequent sections[2].

Vision

This section is complete; it provides appropriate and complete responses for all criteria guidelines.

Curriculum and Instruction

This section is complete and appropriately structured. Some of the information in this section, however, is repeated–perhaps to the point of redundancy- in other sections.

School Characteristics

This is one of the strongest overall sections of the prospectus; the information is complete, clear, and succinct.

Capacity

This is another strong section; all information is completely and appropriately addressed.

Part 2

1. Charter School Mission, Vision, and Statement of Need
2. Mission Statement

The Mission Statement for Cheironeum Charter School is a bit heavy on jargon; it emphasizes laudable goals such as helping its students “Meet and exceed, as curious and disciplined thinkers, world-class standards of academic achievement,”[3] but does not explicitly state how it will accomplish this. It also does not specify the particular sector it intends to serve. It references its intention to develop students’ capacities to be “responsible citizens” in a “diverse global society,” but does not overtly describe what that means or how it will be accomplished. While the Mission Statement does offer readers some sense of the school’s purpose and values, it falls a bit short in connecting them to concrete, practical explanations about how this will be done.

Vision Statement

The Vision Statement in the prospectus is markedly stronger and more specific than the Mission Statement. It more than adequately describes the overall spirit and intent f the school, while also connecting that spirit and sense of vision to specific goals and purposes. The prospectus makes note of New Bedford’s geography, and states that one of the overarching goals of the school is to prepare students for an economic future wherein New Bedford serves as a ““homeport for marine research and ocean technology in the twenty-first century.”[4] The school’s vision, both in terms of academic structure and in terms or organizational culture, embraces a range of maritime-related imagery, and builds its structure around concepts such as “voyages[5],” “crews[6],” and other familiar touchstones. This presents an interesting, and even exciting opportunity for students to adhere to a curriculum that emphasizes core subjects, while framing it in a manner which could conceivably engender a sense of participation and community that diverges from that found in the typical classroom setting.

1. How will the school demonstrate academic success?
2. Curriculum and Instruction

General

This section of the prospectus is solid; all the appropriate elements are considered and addressed. The general purposes and goals of the school, coupled with the school’s educational philosophy, align well with the practical aspects of the school’s stated approach to developing curricula and instruction. The Cheironeum asserts that it seeks to develop students’ capacities to be “free citizens in a global society”[7]; both its structural models and its core curricula are in keeping with its mission, vision, and overall philosophy.

Curriculum

The prospectus appropriately references research materials (such as the 2000 study entitled “Answers in the toolbox” and other materials[8]) in its discussion of curriculum. These materials are appended in full at the end of the prospectus. In addition to the core curricula, the school will enroll all students in the International Baccalaureate programme; assuming this is even moderately successful it will both fit with the school’s philosophy and mission and will prepare students for high achievement at post-secondary institutions.

Moreover, it adequately addresses the specific criteria related to how the curriculum will be adapted to meet the specifications of the MCF; instructors and administrators will “map”[9] these specifics to aspects of the core curriculum and the IB. Additionally, the prospectus describes a full range of non-academic activities designed to reinforce and supplement the core curricula, including (but not limited to) exercise and physical education programs and other activities. The curriculum will be refined in an ongoing manner by aligning it with the updates and revisions of the five-year-cycle model underpinning the IB, and make similar ongoing adjustments to the core curriculum. All requisite charts and outlines appear to be present and well-crafted. This section is solid; there are few, if any weaknesses to be addressed herein.

Instruction

As in the previous section, this section adequately and clearly addresses the criteria guidelines. The pedagogy the prospectus describes includes “experiential education,”[10] “problem-based learning,”[11] and “differentiated instruction.”[12] The prospectus makes clear that the curricula will be offered to each student in the same form, while the instructional approaches will be tailored to suit the needs and skill sets of each student. The prospectus cites a number of studies that demonstrate a connection between the school’s instructional approach and high achievement and performance.

In terms of instructor standards, the prospectus sets up the conditions for an environment wherein a “self-correcting professional learning community with standards that exceed what could be imposed”[13] will flourish. This community will, however, still function in a transparent environment, allowing for administrative correction and oversight where needed. According to the Cheironeum group, this “middle way”[14] will allow a sense of professionalism –largely absent from U.S. perspectives on teachers, according to the prospectus- to take root, evolve, and develop. The Curriculum and Instruction sections offer significantly more detailed information that can be addressed in this summary; that said, each section is strong, clear, and largely free of jargon or buzzwords.

School Characteristics

This section adequately and fully addresses all criteria offered in prospectus guidelines. The particular strengths of this section can be seen in several areas, not the least of which is in how the school’s characteristics serve to reinforce other aspects of the school’s mission, vision, and educational philosophy. In keeping with the ship-as-metaphor motif, the school will adopt a heterogeneous approach, wherein “the organization of students, schedule, academic day, and learning spaces will encourage team-teaching.”[15] All of the criteria about the structure provided to teachers and students, and the information about how and when students at different grade levels can enroll in the school are fully detailed. If there are any weaknesses I this section, they may be found in the ways that the prospectus sometimes risks being succinct for the sake of being overly-detailed. It must be noted, however, that none of the information is necessarily extraneous or unnecessary; it may be, however, that some of it could have been edited for the sake of brevity.

Capacity

All appropriate criteria are appropriately and adequately addressed in this section. The greatest, or at least most notable strength in this section is that it responds to the criteria in a succinct and direct manner. The requisite statements of commitments are attached as appendices; none of the members of the founding group are proposed as board members, leaders, or employees. According to the prospectus, no proposals will be made in the regard prior to the writing and presentation of the final application.

[1] p1

[2] p3

[3] p1

[4] p1

[5] p3

[6] p3

[7] p9

[8] pp8-9

[9] p11

[10] p17

[11] p17

[12] p17

[13] p17

[14] p17

[15] p17