An environmental charter school in the East Penn School District that serves K-4 (and eventually K-8 or K-12) whose planning was begun by a group of parents and educators in Emmaus, PA. To learn more about environmental education please view this video produced by the non-profit No Child Left Inside organization:
MISSION: The Seven Generations Charter School is an academically rich educational community creating generations of stewards who embrace our world and each other. All members of the Seven Generations Charter School community are committed to a public education alternative that promotes sustainability and citizenship with an interdisciplinary, individualized, project-based curriculum.
VISION: To each Seven Generations Student, we pledge:
• An integrated learning experience that emphasizes sustainable living practices
• An experiential, constructivist approach to education that encourages hands-on learning in the community as well as in the classroom
• A culturally rich atmosphere that celebrates the expansive world around us
• An environment of academic excellence that taps into the creativity and uniqueness of each child and that fosters mutual respect.
Seven Generations Charter School (SGCS) offers an innovative educational alternative to traditional public education. SGCS strives for excellence in all academic subject areas and the fine arts, while also focusing on sustainable living principles, including environmental stewardship and respect for all living things.
The foundation of our rigorous educational program is the research-based “Environment as an Integrating Context for learning” (EIC) curricular framework, proven to increase student performance on standardized measures of academic achievement in reading, writing, math, social studies and science; improve development of problem-solving, critical thinking and decision-making skills; expand engagement and enthusiasm for learning; reduce discipline and classroom management problems; and heighten students demonstration of greater pride and ownership in schoolwork.
The EIC curricular framework was developed by the State Education and Environment Roundtable. EIC is a research-based model for an interdisciplinary, hands-on, and engaging experience that employs a school's particular environment and community as the context for all learning.
EIC also employs the “best practices” of successful educators nationwide. Evidence gathered from the SEER study of 40 schools around the country-including four Pennsylvania public schools-indicated that students learn more effectively within an environment-based context than within a traditional educational framework. Just as all PA public schools are required to do, SGCS will demonstrate the positive outcomes of the EIC-based curriculum through use of the standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment of the PSSAs. Based on the research outcomes of other EIC schools around the country, we expect that our students will not only meet but exceed all expected standards.
Using the EIC model, SGCS transcends the barriers between disciplines that exist in the traditional public school, as all teaching and learning will be centered on common environmental projects. Lessons across disciplines are intertwined, and all classes at a grade level are coordinated with one another as they do their part in bringing a project together. Interdisciplinary learning fosters students' ability to see connections between subject matter, to synthesize disparate knowledge, and to develop creative approaches to problem-solving that are essential in the real world. This approach to education allows teachers to embrace a collaborative teaching style often absent in traditional public schools.
The project-based component of SGCS' academic program also sets it apart from traditional public schooling. Students at SGCS are engaged in real-world investigations that will regularly take them out of the classroom, into nature and the community. This approach fosters critical thinking, creates an atmosphere of collaboration, and engages and empowers students and teachers alike. Because projects grow out of student-driven questioning, students have an investment and sense of ownership in their learning.
Project-based learning also fosters community relationships, as students work side-by-side with partners on environmental remediation projects and other ventures beneficial to the community. These partners might be parents, farmers, environmental scientists, town officials, local artists, heads of businesses and non-profits, senior citizens, etc. Numerous community organizations have expressed a willingness to form partnerships with us. These types of collaborations will enable the students to become key players in improving life at their school and in their community.
Students need a research-based education proven to build their critical thinking and questioning skills; increase their commitment to solving the challenges of environmental sustainability; develop their ability to innovate in an entrepreneurial marketplace; and inspire their commitment to personal responsibility, citizenship, and community service.
The purpose of the Seven Generations Charter School (SGCS) is to meet these vital needs.
On 4/4/06, CBS News reported that “in Philadelphia, nearly half of every school day now is spent on lessons focused on passing the [PSSA] tests.” While we support the No Child Left Behind goal to raise the level of all student achievement, we explore alternative methods to realize the same goal. Our interdisciplinary EIC-based program integrates student-directed projects with supplementary curricula, making hands-on environmental remediation and community service the primary means by which students acquire essential academic skills. As we empower children with a stake in their own education, we empower teachers to transform pedagogy with greater latitude to tailor curriculum to each learner, class, and community.
Incorporating the best practices of other successful green charter schools, SGCS is an innovative education lab, attracting high-performing teachers to develop, then disseminate, our effective strategies. In classes varying from 16 to 20 children, each student will have an individualized education and be challenged to perform to his or her highest capabilities. Our rigorous academic program will far exceed AYP standards.
“Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The length of time for which charters are granted varies, but most are granted for 3-5 years. At the end of the term, the entity granting the charter may renew the school's contract. Charter schools are accountable to their sponsor-- usually a state or local school board-- to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for this accountability. They are accountable for both academic results and fiscal practices to several groups: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them, and the public that funds them.”
The US Charter Schools site is a very user-friendly place to learn more about charter schools.
The PA Dept of Ed has some info about Pennsylvania charter schools on their website (but it can be a bit confusing).
There are three ways for a child to gain admission to the school:
• If the parent of the child is a “Founding Member,” s/he is automatically admitted to the school. This applies to children living within and outside East Penn School district.
• If the child lives in the East Penn School district, s/he applies for admittance and returns enrollment paperwork by the appropriate deadline. If more students apply to the school than the number of attendance slots available, the students will be selected by lottery.
• If the child lives in a neighboring school district, s/he may be placed on a waiting list. If slots open that cannot be filled by East Penn students or children of Founding Members, students from outside districts will be eligible.
No, however admission priority is given to students living in the East Penn district, to children (or grandchildren) of Founding Members, and siblings of students already enrolled in the school. If slots in the school open that cannot be filled by East Penn residents or children of Founding Members, students from outside districts will be eligible.
Children of Founding Members will gain admission to the school regardless of the district in which they reside. Otherwise, if you'd like to enroll, please send an email to enroll@sevengen.org.
If the school district's closest border is within 10 miles of Seven Generations Charter School that district is obligated to provide bus service for resident students.
