TranZed Apprenticeships, a nonprofit registered apprenticeship provider with the mission of expanding modern apprenticeships across the United States, introduced an apprenticeship program for behavioral health aides. Apprenticeships combine on-the-job, competency and project-based training with job-related classroom instruction.

Maryland’s first registered technology apprenticeship intermediary, TranZed Apprenticeships offers the behavioral health aide program in addition to programs throughout the Mid-Atlantic in information technology, cybersecurity, digital and social media, data science and analytics, secure software programming and medical assistance.

TranZed Apprenticeships developed the behavioral health aide program, registered in early May, in partnership with affiliate organization The Children’s Guild, which plans to enroll 10 new behavioral health aides in the program this year. Graduating apprentices will have the opportunity to remain with The Children’s Guild, receive a pay raise and continue to pursue a career in education or counselling.

The Children’s Guild operates special needs schools and charter schools and serves children and adolescents with challenging behavior. Children’s Guild behavioral health aides provide one-to-one support in classrooms, keeping students on task and helping them develop more positive behaviors when faced with frustrations and challenges.

“This new apprenticeship will provide behavioral health aides with a structured training program involving on-the-job training and classroom instruction to give them the tools they need to support the children they have been partnered with. It creates an opportunity for interested staff to improve their knowledge and skills and be seen as a professional part of the teaching team,” said Dr. Andrew Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild.

TranZed Apprenticeships President Paul Champion announced the behavioral health aide apprenticeship program at the May meeting of the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council.

“We are excited about supporting The Children’s Guild and developing clear career ladders through high quality apprenticeships for staff as we partner with The Children’s Guild to transform how we care for and educate America’s children and support its efforts to put kids first,” Champion said.

TranZed Apprenticeships offers apprenticeship programs throughout 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. (tranzedapprenticeships.com)

The Children’s Guild is an affiliate member of the TranZed Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations and dedicated to transforming how America educates and cares for its children through education, behavioral health and national training and consultation services. Affiliates of the TranZed Alliance also include Monarch Academy charter and contract schools, The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School, The Transformation Education Institute, the National At Risk Education Network, the TranZed Conference Center, The National Children’s Guild Fund and TranZed Apprenticeships. (childrensguild.org)

Students from The Children’s Guild School of Prince George’s County and The Children’s Guild D.C. Public Charter School participated in a baseball clinic at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy under the guidance of League of Dreams, which provides baseball experiences for all children, including those with special needs. Check out the segment on WUSA featuring the clinic and an interview with Kelly Spanoghe, our Chief Organizational Learning Officer:

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)