Cleveland State University Goes to School
This past February, UB featured a story by Ron Schachter that investigated the exciting opportunities—and potential obstacles—that universities face in developing on-campus K-12 schools. Now, as fall 2010 approaches, Cleveland State University is about to join the ranks of those institutions that have already embarked upon this new chapter in education, with the opening of the Campus International School (CIS) near its urban campus.
The Campus International School has big plans for both K-12 and university-level students. “K-12 students will have access to university facilities … and in the future, secondary students will have opportunities to take university credits,” says Ronald Abate, a member of CSU’s College of Education and Human Services’ faculty and the liaison for the new Campus International School. In addition, “a number of academic colleges and departments have expressed an interest in conducting enrichment learning experiences for K-12 students both at the CIS school site and on campus.” Departments include Psychology, Speech & Hearing, Urban Studies, and Chemistry, and more are expected as the program grows. And of course, it only seems obvious that CSU education students and faculty will take advantage of the hands-on, real-world opportunities that an on-campus K-12 school offers.
CIS is in part a response to the city’s need for development and growth. “Local foundations, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and Cleveland State University recognized the need to establish a public urban K-12 school that produced high quality graduates that are prepared to contribute to the economic future of the greater Cleveland area,” Abate says. Funding provided by the Gund Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation have “been instrumental in the planning and start-up process.” As Ron Schachter noted in his UB’s February issue, the start-up for a charter school such as this is estimated at anywhere between $250,000 to $500,000. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will fund the CIS’s general operating expense, as it is an important part of the district’s transformation plans. The new school is expected to aid in reversing the flow of urban sprawl and draw new families into the city by offering a new, viable option for students and their families living downtown. During the start-up years of the school, the CIS will focus primarily on the needs of students and parents, but there is a high level of community interest in the school, Abate says, adding that “community outreach efforts are planned.”
Seeking Swiss-based International Baccalaureate (IB) program authorization, the Campus International School hopes to “raise academic performance requirements beyond the baseline Ohio standards,” while educating students to compete in a globalizing world and ensuring the necessary preparation for transition to the university level.
The Campus International School will accept 120 students in kindergarten and first and second grades for its first year and plants to extend classes to the 12th grade by 2015. It will be housed in a school building near the CSU campus owned by the United Methodist Church. CSU and the CMSD are “seeking external funding to design and build a state of the art K-12 school building on the campus of [CSU],” and Abate puts the current estimate of the building at twenty-two million dollars.
The Campus International School has big plans for both K-12 and university-level students. “K-12 students will have access to university facilities … and in the future, secondary students will have opportunities to take university credits,” says Ronald Abate, a member of CSU’s College of Education and Human Services’ faculty and the liaison for the new Campus International School. In addition, “a number of academic colleges and departments have expressed an interest in conducting enrichment learning experiences for K-12 students both at the CIS school site and on campus.” Departments include Psychology, Speech & Hearing, Urban Studies, and Chemistry, and more are expected as the program grows. And of course, it only seems obvious that CSU education students and faculty will take advantage of the hands-on, real-world opportunities that an on-campus K-12 school offers.
CIS is in part a response to the city’s need for development and growth. “Local foundations, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and Cleveland State University recognized the need to establish a public urban K-12 school that produced high quality graduates that are prepared to contribute to the economic future of the greater Cleveland area,” Abate says. Funding provided by the Gund Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation have “been instrumental in the planning and start-up process.” As Ron Schachter noted in his UB’s February issue, the start-up for a charter school such as this is estimated at anywhere between $250,000 to $500,000. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will fund the CIS’s general operating expense, as it is an important part of the district’s transformation plans. The new school is expected to aid in reversing the flow of urban sprawl and draw new families into the city by offering a new, viable option for students and their families living downtown. During the start-up years of the school, the CIS will focus primarily on the needs of students and parents, but there is a high level of community interest in the school, Abate says, adding that “community outreach efforts are planned.”
Seeking Swiss-based International Baccalaureate (IB) program authorization, the Campus International School hopes to “raise academic performance requirements beyond the baseline Ohio standards,” while educating students to compete in a globalizing world and ensuring the necessary preparation for transition to the university level.
The Campus International School will accept 120 students in kindergarten and first and second grades for its first year and plants to extend classes to the 12th grade by 2015. It will be housed in a school building near the CSU campus owned by the United Methodist Church. CSU and the CMSD are “seeking external funding to design and build a state of the art K-12 school building on the campus of [CSU],” and Abate puts the current estimate of the building at twenty-two million dollars.
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