Executive Summary. LBA Academy Construction & Business Management Charter High School

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1 LBA Academy Construction & Business Management Charter High School Ms. Chayma Gomez, Principal NW 97th Ave Hialeah, FL Document Generated On September 21, 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 6

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation. - John F. Kennedy LBA Construction and Business Management Academy (LBA Academy), an innovative charter high school specializing in the fields of business management, construction management, and marketing, is developing students to become leading entrepreneurs. It was the vision of Latin Builders Association's (LBA) past President, Mr. Bernardo Navarro that inspired the idea to create the concept of LBA Academy. For two years, Mr. Bernie Navarro was the president of the Latin Builder's Association, established in 1971 by a group of local subcontractors. Latin Builders Association has brought about the interest of builders, developers, contractors, architects, engineers, plumbers, electricians and tradesmen associated with the business of construction, by provide a dynamic forum for networking, training, development, and representation at the local and state level. Today, it is considered one of the largest Hispanic construction associations in the United States. Mr. Navarro and the association believed that creating a school like the LBA Academy would foster the potential for numerous future industry leaders by giving them the opportunity to learn these skills early. To bring this vision into fruition, the LBA partnered with Miami Dade County Public Schools and opened LBA Academy in the summer of This was the first time that a business association such as the LBA, partnered with Miami Dade County Public Schools to open and operate a district-managed charter academy. Because of the school's unique partnership with the Miami-Dade school district LBA Academy is currently located within a district facility allowing the teachers and students to have access to a fully functional school building. This year, the LBA is in the process of acquiring a permanent location for the school a mile north from its current location. The new building is projected to be available for the school-year. Initiated on the principle of providing young students the skills necessary to write a business plan, manage a company or manage a construction site, LBA Academy hopes to raise the graduation rate for the youth of Hialeah. Located between Hialeah and Hialeah Gardens, LBA Academy services a multi-cultural student population of a low socio-economic background designating the school a Title I school. While preparing students for diverse entrepreneurial careers, our school also challenges its students with college-bound academic curriculum, offering dual enrollment, advance placement and honors classes. In 2012 the school began with a freshman class (9th grade) size of 38 students/2.5 teachers/1 administrator/1.5 support personnel. In its 4th year we are currently serving 186 students of grades 9-12/11 teachers/2 administrators/ 2 support personnel. The talented faculty of the LBA Academy consists of 11 teachers; nine (9) teachers hold a Master's degree on a staff of 11 (81%) and five (5) teachers have a professional certificate on a staff of 11 (45%). Whether formally or informally our teaching staff has established a genuine professional community where staff supports each other and reinforces curriculum through the sharing of best practices, and professional discussions on student academic successes and areas of need. Teachers are empowered and have broad opportunities to take ownership of their curriculum and tailor it to the needs of their students. LBA Academy teachers are determined to raise the academic bar and improve the critical thinking process through a rigorous and engaging program. The school does possess a large population of students enrolled in the Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Program, while also providing educational support to students with Special Education needs. Page 2

5 In addition to the unique curriculum and program offerings, the small size of our student body provides our students with a personalized learning atmosphere, where teachers and administrators have a close, nurturing relationship with our students. Students are monitored both academically and behaviorally. Our goal is for our students to complete high school, attend college or create their own business, and become productive citizens in society. Our partnership with the Latin Builders Association provides roles models and liaisons for our students. This powerful partnership provides the essential focus and cohesiveness for our students to successfully complete this program, building a sense of commitment and camaraderie. For most of the students, these mentors and speakers will be the motivational push needed since most of our students will be the first high school graduates of their families or will be the first of their family to enter college. Having a large population of LEP students, presents itself as a challenge. LEP students tend to score below grade level in reading and their overall academic achievement drops due to language barriers. Additionally, constant motivation to speak English is needed. LEP students tend to get comfortable with speaking their native language, when they are surrounded by peers who speak the same language as their native language. Page 3

6 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. Our vision at LBA Academy is to create entrepreneurial leaders. All incoming students are required to read Steven Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens." As part of their academy requirement, all students take a leadership course where they create personal and academic goals, track their goals, record their victories, share their dreams and aspirations, as well as list the leadership roles they have been involved in during the year. Through this leadership course students practice these habits and embrace them as part of the school's culture. Our school embodies our purpose and vision through many other avenues. The school implements a rigorous Florida Standards curriculum that require teachers to provide interactive and engaging lessons that allow students to synergize, discuss, and evaluate their learning. Included in the day, students attend an advisory period dedicated to teaching students executive functions. All students participate in monthly team building activities, where they learn how to work and problem solve in a group setting. If you can envision the school day of the future, you will see those same features in the classrooms of LBA Construction & Business Management Academy. The framework and mindset of our school is beyond traditional; here at LBA Academy we hack our education, and as a result we learn how to hack life itself. Hacking is no longer a word to be associated negatively with invading someone else's hard drive. It is now associated with designing your own educational course. Rather than sticking to the traditional course of lecture, students figure out how to create an education for themselves. Our students learn hands-on how to create a website by designing and managing the school's website. Our marketing students develop marketing plans and organize the school Open House events to market the school. Students have consulted with other schools on their marketing efforts and have participated in creating promotional videos for neighboring schools. Through the partnerships established with the LBA, students attend monthly luncheons. Through these luncheons our students are given the opportunity to learn how to network with business professionals. This real-world exposure facilitates authentic learning moments for our students. These luncheons provide the opportunity for our students to learn and practice public speaking in a professional setting. Afterschool and during the summer, students have participated in internship opportunities offered by the many companies that are members of the LBA. Additionally, we provide monthly exposure to professional speakers who come in to talk about their professional journey. These real-life professionals provide the authenticity of what they are learning in the classroom while providing a real-life model of what their future could be. Page 4

7 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Through hard work and dedication, LBA Academy Charter High School achieved a grade of "A" on its first and second year. The grade for its third year is still pending. From the school scored above 90% of students scoring proficient in mathematics. From the school scored 71% of students scoring proficient in reading. On it's second year ( ) it scored 65% of students scoring proficient. In the summer of 2013, LBA Academy administration and faculty proposed a topic and were selected to present at the "Preparate - Preparing Latinos for the Future of America" College Board Conference. In the summer of 2014, five LBA Academy students were able to complete a full summer of internship through LBA Academy's L.E.A.D. Program. We have been awarded the TD Charitable Grant for the past 3 years. The grant supports our afterschool tutoring and our Saturday Academy tutoring. For the we were awarded the Miami Foundation Grant. On September 2015, LBA Academy was recognized as a high performing high school. Currently, 100% of seniors are on track to graduate. On campus dual enrollment courses for students. Increased the amount of teachers with Masters Degrees. Reading and Language is an area that needs improvement. Strategic planning and curriculum evaluation through faculty meetings, school improvement plant meetings and leadership meetings have been implemented. Another area of improvement is increasing student enrollment to grow our academies, and diversify course offerings. Page 5

8 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. In , there was a change in administration. Due to the changes there was high teacher turnover due to poor policies and procedures. Changes were made to administration and new procedures were set in place to get the school moving again. This year, all teachers and support personnel were part of the planning process for the new school year. Teachers helped extensively to create our new 4x4 schedule, evaluate previous used curriculum materials, create curriculum maps that align with the mission and vision of the school and helped put together a new charter school application. It truly has been a collaborative effort. Page 6