FAQ

What is The New City School?
The New City School (NCS) is a public charter school emphasizing bilingualism / multiculturalism, visual and performing arts, reasoning, and community engagement. The New City School opened its doors in August 2000.

What is a charter school?
A charter school is a new form of public school that may be started and operated by individuals or organizations from outside of the traditional school district system. Successful charter school developers are granted a charter to operate a public school for a fixed period of time (in California usually for 5 years). Charter schools are generally exempt from most laws that apply to regular public schools, so administrators, faculty, staff and parents have considerable autonomy in designing an educational program, facilities and budget that meet the needs of their students. In exchange for this increased autonomy, charter schools are held much more strictly accountable than most non-charter public schools. Charter schools must meet all of the student performance and operational goals listed in their charter, or their charter may be revoked. The first charter school law was passed in Minnesota in 1992. California was the second state to enact charter legislation in 1992, authored by then Senator Gary K. Hart. There are now 40 states, plus Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and Washington, D.C., with charter schools.

According to the Charter Schools Development Center, the charter school reform concept is part of a larger policy effort to fundamentally alter the structure of the public education system in an effort to (1) provide quality public education choices for families, (2) enable change-oriented educators to establish and operate new, innovative schools, and (3) provide increased competition within the public education sector. It’s the competitive aspect of the charter concept that makes it controversial and also powerful. The charter school reform concept was largely developed by Ted Kolderie, a public policy expert at the Center for Policy Studies in St. Paul, Minnesota.

What are the admission requirements for The New City School?
The New City School is a public school and is tuition free. To enter Kindergarten, students must reside in California and turn 5 years old by December 2nd of their Kindergarten year.

How are admissions determined?
Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. If there are more applications than spaces a public, random drawing is held on March 1st. Students’ names are drawn and either assigned a Kindergarten space or placed on a waiting list. Please contact the school for more information regarding the drawing and waiting list.

What is the enrollment timeline?
To be considered for the 2006-07 lottery, enrollment forms must be submitted by February 28, 2006 at 5:00pm.

What is the average class size?
Classrooms are limited to 20 students and offer developmentally appropriate, child-centered curricula to students who learn in classrooms composed of 2 to 3 grade levels. The ratio of children to teachers is 20:1 in grades K-3, and will be kept as small as possible in all grades, as dictated by our physical and spatial limitations. We provide teacher assistants in the elementary classes so that the child-to-adult ratio can be maintained at approximately 10:1 or better in the primary grades.

What should NCS students know and be able to do?
Jean Piaget defined the aim of education as autonomy. Constance Kamii wrote (in “Young Children Continue to Reinvent Arithmetic”) that autonomy is “the ability to think for oneself and to decide between right and wrong in the moral realm, and between truth and untruth in the intellectual realm, by taking all relevant factors into account, independently of reward or punishment.” Embedded in each NCS Outcome (attainment of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the NCS educational program) is this aim, without which all knowledge is, by Kamii’s definition, irrelevant.

To prepare for graduation, all NCS students will prepare a portfolio of work samples and perform a series of “on demand” tasks designed to measure their competencies in the following outcome areas. Upon graduation from the New City School (currently the culmination of grade 8), students will demonstrate appropriate age or grade-level mastery of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes described in the following:

1. Proficiency in English and Spanish: Bilingual Literacy (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing in English and Spanish)
2. Reasoning and Problem-Solving: Expertise in Communicating Mathematical, Scientific, and Moral Logic
3. Wellness: Healthy Physical and Mental Behavior
4. Purposeful, Active Community Participation: Critical Thinking on Historical Perspective and Acting in the Service of Justice
5. Creative Expression: Creativity in Communication through Art, Music, Drama, Dance, and Creative Writing

What is “Dual Immersion”?
Dual Immersion, or Dual Literacy, is a process by which all New City School children develop bilingual oral proficiency in English and Spanish through formal instruction and informal interaction with second language experts and other learners. All students participate in daily classes to enhance the development of their second language. Students are first instructed in reading and writing in their stronger home language. In the upper grades, our standards-based Language Arts/Literature Program focuses on reading challenging and interesting texts and writing for an audience in a variety of genres, in both languages. By the time a student is in Las Montañas (grades 6-8), 50% of their Language Arts is in English, 50% in Spanish.

How does The New City School compare to California schools with similar demographics?
Students at the New City School participate in the State testing programs and receive results like other public school children. The school compares favorably to similar schools on these measures and very favorably on many measures not reflected on the tests, such as bilingualism, creativity, love of learning, and overall positive attitude.

How do parents participate in NCS life?
Parents are welcome in the classrooms to observe as well as to interact with children. They are encouraged to plan, attend, and assist in guiding children on our weekly excursions into the community. Students reinforce their parents’ and family members’ awareness of their school learning by taking home projects and books to share. Parents in all grades are expected to facilitate daily reading to, with, or by their children at home.

There are ongoing opportunities for parents to share and develop their expertise outside of the traditional school day. In order to facilitate deeper understanding of theory and practice as it relates to their own children, parents are invited to attend after-school Family Workshops in October and May. Parents and students attend sessions designed to teach learning theory through hands-on learning activities that can be easily replicated at home. Themes for these events include Family Literacy, Math, Health, Appreciating Parents, and more. Community members are invited to share at these events as well, as the topics relate to workshop themes (e.g. visiting authors, health services, booksellers, etc). Allowing for budget and space limitations, we plan to offer classes in second language development, technology, and other areas identified by parent interest.

Each year, parents are asked to reflect on the success of The New City School, the staff, and the academic and social growth of their children in a Parent Satisfaction Survey. The results of this survey are shared with the school community and Board, and influence planning and decision-making at every level (e.g. the decision to replace a non-satisfactory lunch program, or an increase in Visual and Performing Arts instruction).

How is The New City School funded?
In California, charter schools receive state and local funding in a per student allotment. This allotment is based on statewide averages, dependent on the grade level of the students. Many charter schools also receive state and federal funding through categorical programs like Title I or class size reduction. In addition, many charter schools apply for and receive funds from the federal charter schools grant program administered by the California Department of Education. Charter schools can also receive contributions from individuals and private foundations to support their operations.

For more information about charter school funding, please visit the California Department of Education’s Finance and Grants page.