Administrative law judge to hear appeal starting May 8

Monarch Academy Baltimore charter school, which the Baltimore Board of School Commissioners voted to close after this school year, submitted an appeal to the Maryland State Board of Education. The appeal will be heard by an administrative law judge in May, and the decision will be the first appellate interpretation of Baltimore City’s charter renewal process and related laws and regulations.

“We’re seeking a five-year renewal of Monarch Academy Baltimore’s charter to keep the school open for our 1,000 students and their families so that we may continue educating and caring for the whole child, while always striving to improve,” said Andrew L. Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild, which operates Monarch Academy Baltimore.

Monarch Academy Baltimore’s appeal argues the Baltimore Board of School Commissioners relied on a flawed renewal report by Baltimore City Public Schools that cites controversial test scores from only one year. The board additionally showed unfair prejudice against Monarch Academy Baltimore, according to the appeal, by failing to follow its own policies and regulations for the charter renewal process (appeal brief PDF).

“The Board of School Commissioners’ decision to close Monarch Academy Baltimore is not supported by the record and is based on an inaccurate, unfair assessment that is ultimately harmful to our students and families,” said Kimberly H. Neal, general counsel for the school. “We have genuine concerns about the city’s charter renewal process and look forward to presenting our appeal to the administrative law judge.”

The appeal references support from an independent study by Dr. Alex Schuh, founder and director of School Frontiers, an education research and evaluation firm with experience evaluating testing and school measurement in charter schools. Schuh holds a doctorate in educational psychology in the areas of policy research and evaluation. The study concludes Baltimore City Public Schools’ process was not fair, transparent or rigorous, resulting in measurements that were neither reliable nor valid (full study and summary PDF).

“While decision-makers consider the future of Monarch Academy Baltimore, we’re a school now unsure of our future with students and teachers fearing they’ve lost their school home and questioning where they’ll be next year,” said Nakia Nicholson, chief academic officer for Monarch Academy Baltimore. “Baltimore City Public Schools has given us a tremendous challenge, and we’re hoping for a quick resolution.”

Monarch Academy Baltimore’s appeal hearing is scheduled for up to three days beginning on May 8 at 9 a.m. at Maryland’s Office of Administrative Hearings at 11101 Gilroy Road in Hunt Valley.

 Monarch Academy Baltimore is a public charter school operated by The Children’s Guild for students in kindergarten through eighth grade in Baltimore. Monarch Academy Baltimore provides students with an enriched, rigorous, hands-on, academic curriculum emphasizing project-based learning and the arts and technology. In addition, Monarch Academy Baltimore follows Transformation Education, an organizational philosophy that infuses a school’s beliefs and values into the look of the school building, instructional approach, teachers’ mindset and behavior and operating systems. (www.monarchacademy.org)

Monarch Academy Glen Burnie, a public charter school founded and operated by The Children’s Guild and affiliated with TranZed Alliance, received a five-year renewal of the school’s charter contract. The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County voted unanimously to renew Monarch Academy’s charter at its Feb. 6, 2019, meeting.

“Monarch Academy Glen Burnie has become a leader in hands-on, project-based learning beloved by students, families and teachers in Anne Arundel County. We’re grateful to our partner Anne Arundel County Public Schools for recognizing Monarch Academy Glen Burnie’s strengths and renewing its charter,” said Andrew L. Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools considers site visits, interviews, other qualitative and quantitative data, a financial audit and a renewal application to evaluate Monarch Academy Glen Burnie on performance in six categories: instruction and student services, business and management services, school climate, governance and management, parent and community involvement, and operational compliance.

“I have a very close connection with Monarch, because my oldest son attended there for four years. He was the first fifth-grade class that went through, and we had a wonderful experience, and I think Monarch has set the standard,” board member Julie Hummer said at the Feb. 6 meeting. “Charter and contract schools are added to school systems to complement what we already offer, and Monarch Glen Burnie perfectly illustrates that.”

Monarch Academy opened in 2009, and this year concludes the fifth and final year of its second charter contract. The school serves 676 students in kindergarten through eighth grade with the mission of “preparing students for citizenship by developing critical thinking skills, creative problem solving, self-discipline, and a commitment to service in order to thrive in the community in which they live.”

“Monarch Academy Glen Burnie continued to assemble a teaching staff that worked diligently to build its capacity to deliver quality instruction, consistent with the school’s mission and instructional model. With the support of its Governing Board and operator, Monarch Academy has continued to establish itself as a unique educational option for families throughout Anne Arundel County,” according to the Anne Arundel County Public Schools charter renewal report.

In addition to Monarch Academy Glen Burnie, Monarch Academy Annapolis and Monarch Global Academy in Laurel are Anne Arundel County Public Schools contract schools and serve students in Anne Arundel County.

Monarch Academy Glen Burnie, a public charter school founded and operated by The Children’s Guild and affiliated with TranZed Alliance, serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade with an enriched, rigorous, hands-on, academic curriculum emphasizing project-based learning, arts enhancement and technology. In addition, Monarch Academy follows Transformation Education, an organizational philosophy that infuses a school’s beliefs and values into the look of the school building, instructional approach, teachers’ mindset and behavior and operating systems. (www.monarchacademy.org)

Steve Wozniak’s Education-as-a-Service Company, Woz U, is joining forces with Maryland-based TranZed Apprenticeships to develop world-class apprenticeships to meet in demand jobs, like cybersecurity, data science, and mobile and web development. The dynamic “Modern Apprenticeship” partnership launched ahead of Wozniak’s two-day tech summit, DesTechAZ 2019, provides robust and relevant content to effectively prepare the talent of tomorrow, today.

“Getting a technical education is the best investment you can make. Period. Nowadays, there’s all this new technology that we can use to solve the world’s problems and not enough people to do it,” said Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Woz U.

The economy is experiencing a golden age, boasting record expansion and record low unemployment rates; however growth is being hampered by an urgent need for a skilled, tech-savvy workforce. In a 2018 Hays survey, 73 percent of employers reported a skills shortage, and 92 percent said the shortage is negatively affecting their business.

“Employers can’t find skilled workers, and millions of job openings remain unfilled. The talent simply isn’t there yet, especially in technical and computer-related fields,” said Paul Champion, President of TranZed Apprenticeships. “The answer is TranZed ‘Modern Apprenticeships’, where workers learn on the job while earning an income. We’re excited to develop these opportunities in partnership with Woz U.”

As a result, Woz U’s Education-as-a-Service platform, paired with TranZed’s “Modern Apprenticeship” approach, brings an ecosystem of over 2,000 hours of content which can be customized based on industry demands. A “Modern Apprenticeship” is a work-based training program aimed at preparing individuals of any age to meet sophisticated talent needs.

“Most of the Woz U modules taught are “from scratch,” which means even individuals without previous industry knowledge can become career-ready in a short period of time,” said Jacob Mayhew, CEO of Woz U. “Additionally, we update our content on a bi-weekly basis to ensure individuals enrolled in all Woz U programs are trained to address the rapidly changing needs of the technology labor market.”

Key components of the “Modern Apprenticeship” partnership include:

· Customized, supervised and paid on-the-job training, wages graduated in-step with skills gained during training

· Related classroom instruction on or off-site

· Formalized mentoring and coaching

· Nationally recognized industry credentials or specialized technical certification earned for demonstrating the achievement of workplace competencies

· Optional college credit leading to an associate or bachelor’s degree

For media inquiries please email Ana Pereira at [email protected] and to learn more about the Modern Apprenticeships visit tranzedapprenticeships.com.

About Woz U

Woz U is an EdTech enterprise that is revolutionizing education and training by providing organizations affordable technology curricula and training to offer students and employees. Our vision is to disrupt the current education and training model and creating and powering a new learning ecosystem to elevate human capital in technical careers. With the ultimate disrupter Steve “Woz” Wozniak as our co-founder and namesake, our unique Education-as-a-Service business model is designed to help governments, schools and businesses sustain their ever-changing technical skill gaps and talent demands. Learn more at woz-u.com.

About TranZed Apprenticeships

TranZed Apprenticeships, an affiliate of The Children’s Guild Alliance, works to advance modern apprenticeships throughout the U.S. and offers apprenticeship programs in the Mid-Atlantic developed to address the need for alternative career paths. Apprenticeships combine on-the-job, competency and project-based training with job-related classroom instruction. They offer an earn-and-learn model where apprentices earn money starting their first day and receive pay increases as they gain additional skills and master their occupations.