Atlantis Charter School

One-by-one the names appeared on the large screen at the front of the gymnasium. Each line that was filled in meant one less spot for a potential Atlantis Charter School kindergartner.

The gymnasium at the charter school’s Park Street campus was a standing room only, but it wasn’t for a game. Instead, parents and prospective students gathered for Atlantis’ annual kindergarten lottery.

The game of educational chance is held because the school receives more applications for enrollment then spots. This year the stakes proved even higher when the school received 205 applications for next year’s kindergarten class — the highest total in eight years.

Making the field even more crowded was that 42 of the 64 open seats were already reserved for incoming students who have siblings in the school and three seats that had to remain open in the event students were held back. Those requirements meant only 19 seats were available for the remaining 163 applicants, leaving only a 12 percent chance of getting into the school.

As the names started being called, the prospect of sending a child to Atlantis steadily diminished, and the atmosphere in the room reflected it.

As children’s names were called, some parents celebrated with restraint. Sometimes it came in the form of a hug shared with their child, some quickly shouted “Yes” or “Oh my God.” One mother even clapped, drawing a round of applause of some of the children who weren’t aware of what was happening.

“That was a little gut-wrenching,” Mike St. Pierre said after the lottery. His daughter was the first one to have her name called. “I felt sick at first, and then it was like ‘ahhh.’”

His daughter’s acceptance came with a bonus prize. St. Pierre said his son will look to enter the school next year and, pointing to the stomach of his wife, Melissa, added noted Atlantis student won’t be far behind.

The St. Pierres said they wanted to get their children into the charter school because it was the “better school system” for them and noted the success other families have had.

Family ties also brought Jeffrey Pacheco and his family to the lottery. Their son was one of the night’s winners, giving the Pachecos an “exciting” evening.

For each smile that exited the building, there were those leaving with disappointment and, for some, even a few tears.

“This was nerve-wracking,” Sandra Franca said, her family left to ponder their child’s future on the school’s waiting list. “We want to give our children the best education we can, so it’s hard to sit there and wait as other kids’ names come up.”

Sisters Melanie and Michelle Matthews were each hoping to get their children into Atlantis, but the experience was not their first. Melanie has been trying to get her son into the school for the past three years, while her daughter was also in the kindergarten lottery last year.

Her luck didn’t change this year, and this time her daughter’s name slid down the waiting list from being in the fifties to the eighties.

“Oh, it’s painful,” Melanie Matthews said of the process.

Michelle was feeling a bit better about her chances, even though her daughter failed to hit the jackpot Thursday night. While not winning the big prize she did get some consolation with her daughter landing in the top 10 on the waiting list.

“All that waiting and waiting and pulling my hair, I’m just not that fond of the public schools,” Michelle Matthews said. “But there is hope.”

The Atlantis Charter School board of trustees unanimously voted to offer Robert Beatty of Fairfield, Conn., the position of executive director Wednesday night.

Beatty, director of Trailblazers Academy, a public charter school in Stamford, Conn., was chosen after the board interviewed him and the other finalist, David Brown of Plymouth, principal of the Harbor School in Dorchester.

If Beatty accepts the post, he will replace Fernando Goulart, who will officially leave his position on July 31.

Beatty will replace Fernando Goulart, who will officially leave his position on July 31.

About 40 people were on hand for the meeting at the school’s upper campus on Park Street.

At the outset, Board President F. George Jacome told the gathering, “I believe one of these two individuals is the right fit for the school.” He added, “We were for someone who personified the spirit and philosophy of Atlantis.”

The two came from a group of about 12 candidates that was whittled down from an original 300 contacted by a private search firm used at the start of the process. From that group, Jacome said five were extensively interviewed by the search committee with numerous formal and casual meetings. Three emerged from those talks, and the final two were presented to the full 12-member board.

Asked the forces of his leadership philosophy, Beatty, who has been at Trailblazers Academy the past eight years,

said, “finding and supporting the best people and just letting them do their jobs ... trusting people to make professional decisions.”

When asked his strength as a school head, he said, “communication is important. You need a comprehensive communication plan for the entire staff.”

A philosophy major from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., Beatty was asked his education philosophy.

“There are very few excuses why we shouldn’t be providing the best education possible in this country,” he responded.

When asked why he wanted to leave his current job, Beatty responded, “I see a unique and very attractive opportunity here in Fall River.”

Beatty also told the board that parents are a “critical” part of the education process. “It has to be a three-way partnership: the school, the students and the parents.”

Questioned how he could cope with coming from a school of 150 to 200 students to one with an enrollment of about 700, Beatty answered, “Good management practices.”

Told that the parents are very important at Atlantis, Brown was asked his idea to help build parent capacity to help their children.

“We educate only half the child. The other half is at home,” he said.

At the Harbor pilot school, he said, “We do parent nights to help them with math terms and give them a bag of tools to take home. That helps them so they can support their children.”

Asked how he accomodates all teachers and students, Brown said he believes that an executive’s job is to “empower people to take leadership roles — give them the power to make decisions.”

Calling Atlantis a “phenomenal place,” Brown said he wanted to be part of the “passion” that people have for the school.

Also, he said he worked with the math and science teams to motivate teachers and students in preparing for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test. “I can’t tell you how many pencils I’ve sharpened,” he added.

Allowed to pose questions of his own to the board, Brown asked what was the financial forecast for Atlantis.

Robert Collins of the Finance Committee said, “We’re in good financial condition. Given the volatility of the markets, we have to be prepared for the unexpected. Right now we’re pretty good.”

The Atlantis Charter School Board of Trustees is taking the final step in naming the school’s next executive director.
The board is scheduled to meet Wednesday for a regular meeting, however, part of the night’s agenda will be unlike anything else the group normally tackles at its gatherings.
Board President F. George Jacome said after tackling about 15 minutes of regular business the board will hold interviews with the two finalists for the school’s top administrative position.
Jacome Monday declined to identify the two finalists, but said both come from positions outside of Fall River. He said no current Atlantis employees applied for the position.
Once the interviews begin, Jacome said each finalist will appear before the board for approximately an hour to 90 minutes. The group is then expected to go into an executive session and decide on the successor to current Executive Director Fernando Goulart at that time. Goulart will officially leave his position on July 31.
The Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the school’s upper campus at 37 Park St.
“We’re very excited about this and what has essentially come down to a conversation with the Board of Trustees,” Jacome said.
Jacome said one of the finalists is going before the board with the advantage of receiving a recommendation from a search committee that vetted candidates. That 10-member group was made up of four members from the board, including Jacome, along with teachers, administrators and parents.
“The reason for the two finalists is as somewhat of a courtesy to the other members of the board,” Jacome said. “We decided we would just like to let the other trustees have a look.”
The two finalists come from a group of approximately 12 candidates that were whittled down from 300 potential applicants that were contacted by a private search firm used at the outset of the process. From that group, Jacome said five were extensively interviewed by the search committee, with multiple meetings taking place in settings from formal to casual. He said three emerged from those talks and ultimately the final two were decided on for presentation to the full 12-member board.
“We looked at not just how good the candidates are, but we were also looking for the person who would be the right fit,” Jacome said. “We want someone who would be willing to spend the next 15 years here and knows about the legislative process and the formula challenges (that determine charter school funding). We want someone who is going to be a leader but is not at the tail end of their career. And I’ll tell you, these guys are right smack in mid-career.”

In the 15 years since they were created, the debate over charter schools in Massachusetts has been polarized over issues of financing and authority. Too little attention has been paid to the most important question: How well are charter school students learning?
While charter schools have consistently out-performed district schools on standardized tests, a new study paints an even clearer picture. The study, commissioned by the Boston Foundation, compared test scores over four years for students of similar backgrounds in Boston’s district schools, charter schools and pilot schools.
The researchers, a team mostly from Harvard and MIT, found significantly higher scores for the charter school students, especially in middle school math. One finding was especially striking: A single year in a charter school closed half the “achievement gap” between minority and white students that has so frustrated educators.
The Atlantis Charter School in Fall River routinely scores higher than the public school on the MCAS and makes it a point to involve parents directly in their children’s education, allowing them not only to keep tabs on their children’s education but to continue to the learning in the home. Atlantis’ success has made it a very popular option for area students. A month before the deadline, Atlantis has already received 120 applications for kindergarten, and expects a 20 percent increase in overall applications from last year.
Executive Director Fernando Goulart attributes the influx to a number of reasons, notably the school’s success, parental involvement and the turmoil that has been swirling in the Fall River School Department as Mayor Robert Correia and the School Committee successfully sought to oust former Superintendent Nicholas Fischer last month.
The results for pilot schools, which incorporate some of the administrative independence that allows charters to innovate, while remaining under the control of the school district, were disappointing. Pilot school students performed slightly below students in regular middle schools, and slightly higher than their counterparts in regular high schools.
What sets the Boston Foundation study apart is the effort to address the argument that charter school students are a self-selected sample of the most motivated students and parents. Researchers compared the scores of students who applied to the most popular charter and pilot schools but lost out in the lottery required for admission. Their scores also fell well behind those of their luckier peers.
School officials remain committed to opening more pilot schools, but a legislative cap prevents the opening of new charter schools in several cities, despite long waiting lists for charter admissions. Of the 120 kindergarten applications, just 60 slots are available and 30 or so of those will go to siblings of Atlantis students. Greater access to charter schools is needed, and the governor and Legislature can do something about it.
As a candidate, Gov. Deval Patrick said he supported charter schools, but wanted to fix their much-criticized funding formula before expanding them. As governor, he rethought his position. After more than a year of study, he produced an ambitious education reform plan that didn’t do either, instead calling for the creation of “readiness schools” which, like pilot schools, would function under union rules and the control of local school boards.
Now that the state budget crisis has moved Patrick’s education agenda to the back burner, it’s time the governor rethinks his position again. Innovations that help charter schools succeed must be spread to all schools, and the cap on new charters must be lifted. Students must not be deprived because of a political stalemate on Beacon Hill.