Prometheus 6

The school's philosophical manifesto states that "children should be the subjects of their own educational experience" and stipulates that "children will involve themselves in developing their own curriculum."

This partly means that children are not coerced into learning anything at any particular time, although a skillful teacher is expected to creatively inspire children to pursue the class' learning goals.

Struggling charters face uncertain future
Two campuses that fail to meet key guidelines due to poor test scores may survive because of popular support.
By Howard Blume
Times Staff Writer
June 12, 2007

By the rules, Discovery Charter Preparatory School in Pacoima ought to be doomed because its test scores have fallen from the penthouse to the cellar.

For its part, Pacifica Community Charter School in West Los Angeles raised eyebrows with its "learn as you feel like it" approach, which also produced low test scores. Pacifica didn't even receive a valid school score in 2004 and 2005.

The state says that to survive, charter schools must improve student achievement, and these schools, by key measures, have not.

So with the city's school board scheduled to decide today whether these schools will live or die, the decision should be easy.

Not necessarily.