Alameda County

Name: Anonymous
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
City of Residence: Fremont
County of Residence: Alameda

We at the ******** household are very happy with our COIL experience the last two years. The opportunity for our daughter to be home schooled and go to Ohlone college at the same time has been a great help. Her self confidence has increased. Gino is an excellent advisor and we enjoy seeing him. To the entire staff, thank you for all the work you do on our behalf.

Name: Anonymous
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
City of Residence: Fremont
County of Residence: Alameda

This is my first year home schooling my daughter and I think that both of us have benefited from the program. My daughter's first couple years of public school were great. She had an excellent teacher and learned quite a bit. When she was in the second grade, things started to go downhill. The classrooms were very overcrowded, and the teachers seemed to be working in assembly line format. When she was in the fifth grade, she was having a problem with a student picking on her to the point of elbowing her in the stomach and stealing her snack and lunch food. The last straw was when she was ganged up on by this girl and some of her friends. The school refused to do anything about this, and her teacher was verbally abusive towards her. I pulled her out of public school and put her in private. The first year was fine, and my daughter felt that she could go to school and learn without feeling threatened. The second year, things started once again to go down hill. The administration had changed, and along with that so did the behavior of many of the students and teachers. My daughter was put down because of her religion, and the quality of education had suffered greatly. So once again I tried public school hoping things would be different now that she was junior high age. The year started out good, and progressively got worse. She developed a dystrophy in her hands and was unable to attend regular school any longer, so she was home schooled till the end of the year. That's when we found out about C.O.I.L. We attended the information night, and I was very impressed although I was apprehensive because of our past experiences. The year started out a little rough because neither of us were used to this kind of schooling, but now we're settling into it. I think the C.O.I.L. program benefits my daughter because it's structured towards her individual needs, and because of this she not only learns more, but retains the information, plus she enjoys learning where before it was a daily struggle. My daughter is now a lot more positive towards education. Before C.O.I.L., she didn't want to go to college. Now she's talking about it all the time. She looks forward to her future. She's also come out of her shell. At the beginning of the year, she wouldn't get involved in anything. Now she's going to parties, has made some new friends, and is starting to get interested in other classes that C.O.I.L. has to offer. She's even mentioned joining the student counsel. Thank you.

Name: Anonymous
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

We've been with COIL since its inception, and it's been wonderful. COIL has helped us to meet the different learning needs of each of our children. They've given us the resources and support that our family has needed to be able to homeschool. Without them, we probably would never have homeschooled our children.

Name: Ellen Hilbrich
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

For our family, COIL has been the ideal blend of freedom to enhance my children's educational experience and support for more standard and structured learning experiences. With the opportunity to work one on one with my children, we have been able to explore curriculum elements more fully as well as enrich their learning more broadly by learning about the process of learning and what approaches suit them best.

At the same time, COIL has provided very valuable opportunities for more structured/traditional learning experiences and social contact. The highlights for our family have been: a complete year of Spanish 1, FAME (Fine Arts Mini Experience), Science Camp, Poetry and Art, visit to Berkeley Bird/Wildlife Preserve, several excellent writing workshops for elementary and Jr. High, a series of science classes coordinated with NASA's Jason Project, Math-based games class, and a Fundamentals of Physics class involving K'Nex. Additionally, the fact that COIL provides a standardized testing experience and access to Fremont Unified curriculum is extremely important in preserving the option to smoothly transition to a traditional classroom setting if a time arises when that
is the best option for a continued level of educational excellence.

Name: Florence Knapps
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

My daughter, Sarah Knapps, came to COIL after a very pressured freshman year at a traditional high school. After the first year at COIL, she felt she was doing much better. Her advisory teacher was very patient, but firm, in helping her accomplish the goals set for each period. She assumed responsibility for her own work.

She was able to graduate a semester early and, because of classes taken at a community college, she was able to make the transition to college with a minimum of stress.

Name: Rhonda Sorensen
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

I am very pleased with this charter program. My husband was required to travel to Arizona to work for several months. I feel very lucky and blessed that we have been able to travel to Arizona and be with him and continue our educational commitment with COIL. I feel that the teachers have really gotten to know my two children and understand their strengths and weaknesses. They are always willing to listen to our concerns and able to assist in finding new solutions to benefit their learning styles.

Name: Anonymous
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

We've been with COIL since its inception, and it's been wonderful. COIL has helped us to meet the different learning needs of each of our children. They've given us the resources and support that our family has needed to be able to home school. Without them, we probably would never have home schooled our children.

Name: Karen Foster
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

COIL has been a wonderful life saver for our daughter. She began the school year at a local Junior High and unfortunately, was ill often. The teachers reacted in a mixed way to this and it became more and more difficult to get work from them to keep her current. Finally, we asked for a SST, but the team never responded with recommendations for her. At this point there was an opening at COIL and she was able to transfer. The approach at COIL is different and better for her. The tests given up front to evaluate the style, strengths and weaknesses of the student have helped a lot. Individualizing the subject matter rather than rubber stamping the curriculum has made a difference. Her stress level has dropped and she is feeling so much better, no virus' nor other illnesses recently. She no longer has to ask class mates to "please be quiet," during the time that the teacher is talking and at study times. She no longer has to deal with the kid next to her in computer class downloading questionable materials.

She enjoys the staff, classes and the environment of COIL. In just this month, it has been wonderful to see the changes in her. She has even been able to return to her Drama Class, music lessons and 4-H.

Name: Deb Bontadelli
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

I love COIL. Having a mentor teacher and supplies available to me frees me up to teach my son, instead of spending my time looking for new curriculum and materials. My son loves the onsite classes and the field trips and he loves to see his friends at these opportunities as well. I enjoy the opportunity for him to learn from some one else as well. Thank You!

Name: Steve & Karla Scott/James Tregembo
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

COIL is the ideal solution for our son. He is able to work at a fast pace in his area of giftedness, while receiving personalized one-on-one instruction in more challenging areas. The staff at COIL is helpful and skilled in a large variety of teaching methods which customize each student's learning plan to meet individual learning needs. In addition, their program balances the homer schooling concept with numerous group classes and activities to ensure that each student retains the opportunity to prosper in social areas as well as academic ones. COIL presents a thoughtfully planned and well-executed program.

Name: Eliza Leong
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

COIL provided my child with the opportunity to learn at his own pace while guiding us with advice concerning how fast we should be teaching to enable his learning.

We took advantage of most of the grade appropriate classes COIL offered, which included numerous writing seminars, FAME and Math Labs.

For my child's weaker areas, his resource teacher was wonderful in tweaking the program to fit him better. We adjusted both Language Arts and Science following the suggestions of his teacher. COIL is is a great program for home schoolers.

Name: Patrice Varga
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

Our work with COIL has been an unqualified success. The entire staff has been supportive and friendly. My son and I have a wonderful partnership with his advisor, Lisa Cole, and we really appreciate all of her hard work in arranging field trips, special presentations and Math Lab. We feel like we are part of a thriving community.

Name: Mr. and Mrs. T. Freeman
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

We have had the wonderful experience lately of seeing first hand the support that COIL has towards special needs children and those with learning disabilities. Any person with even a limited knowledge should be aware of the many limitations of special needs children and the many extra hours (sweat & tears, as well) that parents of these children experience on a day to day basis. It is so comforting to know that we have at last found a program who is not full of empty promises of help or who lumps all children together and ignores their own individual abilities and uniqueness. The methods for learning disabled children require the support and recognition of the staff to create a individualized program that allows that child to utilize their strengths. To lump them into a program of "the norm" and expect them to accomplish it sets the child up for certain failure. A perfect example of support shown recently was when our child went for her regular meeting to receive her next set of school work. At one point the teacher suggested my child read a novel which was (for her) a considerable size. Inwardly I began to panic knowing that such a book would overwhelm her, that it would take her a very long time frame to read it, and that the information would certainly not be retained. Sensing these feelings the teacher immediately switched over to alternative book and method much more in sync with my daughter's capabilities. In most other school programs, unless specifically one exclusively for special needs children, this type of flexibility and understanding would be unheard of.

We are so grateful to the Coil program for their support and willingness to work with this special class of children. Now we have a hope of a future for our child that will help build her self esteem and give her a chance to work and grow at her own pace and within her own limitations.

Name: Lynne Christensen
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

All COIL families have different reasons for home schooling their children. But I believe it can all be summed up by saying that we want the best for our children and for some reason or another, the public school system did not meet our needs.

In our case, I felt trapped in a system that did not respect our family time and values and my sons' need for outside stimulation. Putting them in a private school was out of the question because we simply could not afford it. I began to look into homeschooling as a possible solution. When I discovered that a charter school existed very close to us, I was ecstatic. COIL has truly been an answer to prayer for our family. Both of my sons have excelled in the homeschooling environment and my husband and I are pleased with the results.

I recently had the opportunity to observe how COIL had affected the life of another student. I happen to work as an office clerk in the Fremont school district. One of the students at our school was having great difficulty with his grades and discipline. His family decided to pull him out of the school and place him in COIL. My first reaction was that this student was so undisciplined that there was no way he would succeed at COIL.

Well, a week ago this same student came by our school to say hi. Knowing that he was a COIL student I took the time to talk with him for a while. I was amazed at how this student had changed for the better. He was succeeding in school and felt a self-confidence he had not felt before. It showed in the way he looked and the way he acted. He told me all about the great grades he was getting and how he had been able to skip ahead in a few subjects. I felt so grateful that COIL was there to help this student who was falling through the cracks in the public school system. It was after seeing this student that I had a greater understanding of the need for and purpose of programs such as COIL.

My sons are both graduating from COIL this June. I hope COIL will still be up and running in the decades to come so that it will be there to help all the other students who need an alternative to the public school system.

Name: Sherie Palumbo
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

What I like best about COIL is that now there is a way for my daughter to get all that she needs and deserves out of school. No other main stream school in the district could comply with her needs. I am very happy and so is my daughter. Her self-esteem is up by 100%. Big Thank You to COIL and most of all M. Musgrove.

Name: Teri Harms
Group: Parent
School: Circle of Independent Learning (COIL)
County of Residence: Alameda

Since we are all individuals, we have different learning styles & rates of learning. I believe parents know how to help their children best since they've been around them the most. I've been extremely happy with Coil's program.

NAME: William & Rhea Tapie
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: COIL
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Alameda

We love COIL! This is our 4th year as a homeschool family. We have gone through both the public/private sector and weren't happy in either. We have two children attending COIL. Our son is in 6th grade and our daughter is in 3rd. They both enjoy going to this school, attending classes, being part of the activities, making friends and going on fieldtrips. Mrs. Laurel Jones and Mrs. Priscilla Lee are great supervising teachers. They have given both our children a sound foundation to education.

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Butte County

Name: Frances Rainey
Group: Parent
School: Camptonville Academy (C.O.R.E.)
City of Residence: Chico
County of Residence: Butte

This is my first year homeschooling my daughter. It has been wonderful. Last April, on the way home from school, I asked my then 2nd grader what she had learned that day. She promptly told me that she had learned she knows everything, and didn't need to go to school.

So, this year she doesn't "go" to school. We have been teaching her at home, and she attends group classes through her school. She is delighted by being able to go her own speed, and learn new things in math, rather than repeat the same concept week after week to make sure everyone gets it. I can customize her curriculum to strengthen her weak areas, and let her run in the areas she excels at. I actually know what she is learning, and what she needs more time to practice. Rebekah is happier, has more time with her family and friends, and still gets new social exposure through classes and field trips at the center. I cannot say how happy I am to have found a system where my daughter is encouraged to go the extra mile, do her work exceptionally, and not settle with "good enough" work.

Next year, we will be learning at home again. It is a wonderful method of education for eager learners, and every child is an eager learner, once they discover what they can learn.

Name: Mary Rodgers
Group: Parent
School: Camptonville Academy
City of Residence: Chico
County of Residence: Butte

I appreciate the work of our teacher in furthering the education of my children. I have three children enrolled in Camptonville Academy (CORE). Their teacher is wonderful. She helps us to ensure that their education is complete and varied.

I also love that my children are at home while receiving an education. I don't have to worry if a disgruntled student is going to bring a gun to school and shoot them. They don't have to hear swearing or have the influence of gangs on their young lives. They don't hear, "You can't do that" when they make personal goals.

They are receiving their education in a place where they are safe and secure. They know that their teacher cares about them and wants them to succeed, not only in school, but ultimately in their lives when they have grown up.

Name: Denise Crawford
Group: Parent
School: Camptonville Academy
City of Residence: Chico
County of Residence: Butte

My two children have benefited from using this program for the past two years. They have accomplished a more intensive level of learning due to the unlimited amounts of time we have to spend on each subject. They are able to spend their time on areas they need more practice with and not move on until they have mastered it completely. This seems to help them advance far more quickly in each subject then they were able to in a conventional classroom. We also have the time for open discussion into other areas when presented with new ideas that add to their education. They have more friends through this program who have similar interests. This alternative has succeeded our highest expectations. We are extremely appreciative of this opportunity.


NAME: Barbara Mitchell
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: CORE, Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I am the grandmother of a 15 year old boy who has been living with me since birth. Ryan, my grandson has attend Camptonville Academy beginning in the 8th grade. He has had many fine teachers and opportunities not available in the regular public school. He is able to work at his own pace. When a problem occurs there are the resources to address and correct it. I am very pleased with this program and the wonderful, excellent staff.


NAME: Kym Casperson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy charter school
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I just came back from the Sutter's Fort trip with my 10 year old. I wanted to let you know what a success I felt it was. I believe it was the best event I've attended in my 3 years with Camptonville. The families that participated were great. The parents worked very hard, and the kids were well behaved and had an open mind toward the many learning opportunities. The teachers involved also really did their homework and put in alot of time and energy. Big kudos in particular to Lois. Karen also did a super job on the General Store supplies and basket making. My very serious 10 year old was not excited about the trip, and really didn't want to go. She had a ball, and they even had her square dancing (which if you knew her, you be shocked)by the end of the evening. I highly recommend this event become an annual one.

My daughter Britny is what I would refer to as "twice-exceptional". She has been evaluated by psychologists to be in the 145-155 IQ range, but also struggles with severe ADHD. She attended traditional school for 2 years and was quickly labeled "mean" and "the bad kid". In the past 3 years with Camptonville, she has soared not only academically, but socially and her behavior has improved as well. I believe the reason for her success lies with the individualized attention, curriculum, and classes that have been personally designed for her needs by her state credentialed teacher at Camptonville.

NAME: Jennifer Bradley
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy charter school
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

As a parent who has been homeschooling for nine years, I want to express my appreciation and confidence in Camptonville Academy and their teachers. The support and resources that have been available to my daughter, Carissa, in her 8th grade curriculum have been tremendous. I feel that she has truly gotten individual attention and her curriculum reflects that. I have enjoyed having access to a great variety of resources. I especially appreciate the freedom Camptonville gives me to tailor Carissa's curriculum to bolster her weak areas and to enhance her strengths. I would highly recommend Camptonville to anyone who is looking for an alternative to traditional school. The teachers provide a lot of support and guidance which is invaluable to those of us in the trenches!

NAME: Debbie Devine
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: CORE @ Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Magaila
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I realize there are folks who are doing their best to close down programs like Camptonville Academy offers, and this is why I am writing instead of enjoying time with my family right now.

I believe these folks mean well, and they wish to funnel much needed money to traditional public schools. There was a time I would have been on their side of this argument; however, I am not.

As a former early childhood educator, I have five years of classroom experience that tells me the best place for many (not all) children these days is in a positive home learning environment.

Camptonville offers our family a reasonable/sane education alternative in a rural area that otherwise lacks such opportunity. I am so grateful for the support and resources of this program and the assistance of it's facilitators.

You may ask what I mean by reasonable/sane education. We live in the poorest community of California, Butte County. I have observed my local classroom choices, and talked to local teachers. I say a reasonable education is one that you can obtain for your child that meets the following standards:

1. A schooling environment free from bullying.

2. A teacher who does not have to deal with overwhelming behavior problems.

3. Enough personal attention so that all children can learn well.

These reasons along with freedom to adapt learning materials to my child's needs are why I choose homeschooling, with or without Camptonville. I could go on for pages. I could tell you stories of doctors predicting my (now precocious six year old)
daughter was at birth destined to be a brain damaged "vegetable". I could tell you she is so bright because of my training as a teacher. However, I believe the truth is her wellness is due to the loving attention of myself and my husband. I believe there is no better advocate for any child's well being than a caring, involved parent on their side.

As a caring parent, I have succeeded having Camptonville on my side. Camptonville Academy gives parents dedicated enough to homeschool their children, the tools and training to do their job well. To remove this support will not stop families from homeschooling these kids- it will only cut off the support to monitor the success of these homeschooled children. I would recommend that the folks who would close down these types of programs focus their energy to redistribute money from other less important political areas to the whole category of education. Educators of all kinds need to be on one side only-the side of every child, whether that child is in a public traditional classroom, or lucky enough to be in a program like Camptonville offers.

NAME: Merri Mattly
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

When my son was 4 he informed me that he wanted to be home schooled. We tried a K4 program and I then realized that he was advanced for his age and tried to challenge him with some kindergarten work computer games which he easily completed. I knew I did not want to send him to traditional school because he would not be appropriately challenged in kindergarten and I knew he wasn't able to handle the setting of a first grade classroom.

This year has gone exceptionally well. I have been able to teach him the first grade material in a kindergarten format. He loves being homeschooled and having his mom as his teacher. We are able to cover so much material in such a short period of time because I'm not having to deal with another 20 students, meeting their level of abilities or dealing with multiple personalities.

I have learned exactly how my child learns the best, and I am able to meet his individual needs which enable him to enjoy the learning process, not to mention what he has taught me. Our family has been enriched by this experience and our 5 year old is so happy and loves his school time.

I wished I had this opportunity with my oldest child. He would have benefited greatly from this experience and would not have had the learning difficulties that come with falling through the cracks in a large classroom at a large school.
I'm very thrilled with the great support and creative ideas my facilitator gives us. What a blessing to be able to cater the learning process to what works best for your child and then watch them bloom.


NAME: Shirley Israelsky
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Oroville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

Personalized Learning is our choice for our children's education for a number of reasons, two of which are because of the flexibility and the close instruction we have with their learning. The flexibility of our children's school schedule is much more efficient now as compared to when we had our eldest in the (traditional) public school system.

Our then Kindergartner would go to school at the time her Papa (Professional Truck Driver) got home. Now our schedule is set so that the children get to see and spend some quality learning time with both of us, even with my Husband's unset schedules. We spend our mornings with lessons and bookwork, and the afternoons are saved for free reading, Art and Physical Education if they are not enrolled in Gymnastics, Karate, or Horseback Riding.

Personalized Learning through Camptonville Academy allows our children to receive a well-rounded education and one that follows State Standards for their particular grade, and also has a credentialed teacher taking an active role in our children's education. Being directly involved in deciding exactly which assignments they will study for each particular month during the school year really makes me comfortable in knowing they are learning what they should for their ages.

Our daughter also attends a U.S. History class (weekly) and both attend a Science class (monthly) for a change from their at-home curriculum studies and to learn alongside other children. Occasionally it works very well, while the eldest child is in class, to have the younger child learn on the computer or do his learning in the Resource Center Library.

Teaching through Personalized Learning, to us, is an easier method than meeting a school's rigid schedule, and we make use of every spare learning moment we possibly can for whatever circumstance each day or hour brings to our lives. Recently, our youngest child (Kindergarten) learned to read and that makes us proud that our efforts in teaching are worthwhile and rewarded through the Personalized Learning approach.



NAME: Terri McFarland
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

Our experience with C.O.R.E. has been very positive. The quality and attentiveness of the teachers and staff is such an important part of the success of this school. I truly feel that any concerns or questions I may have are consistently and thoroughly addressed in a very timely manner.

The curriculum choices available are excellent! My 9 year old son Seth has had many wonderful opportunities to participate in classes and activities that have made learning exciting and fun. I am amazed the way this program can be customized for any learning style. It's great to have individualized options available for our children that can address specific areas of need.

I hope more children in our community can experience the benefits of a personalized learning approach.

NAME: The (Lugauer) Easley Family
GROUP: Parents
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Paradise
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

" Homeschooling" (Personalized Learning) became the only solution to a bad situation. My boys graduated 6th grade with a D- average and were social outcasts. Since we started them with Camptonville Academy they brought their grades up to an A, and have excelled especially in regards to their social activities, including involvement with a wrestling program.

NAME: The Bleeke and Kenoyer Family
GROUP: Parents
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Paradise
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

Since we have started with Camptonville Academy we have been so happy with the individualized program that the school provides. We have some special needs for our family and it is comforting to have our family's needs met in a personal way. We think this is an awesome program!

NAME: The Dowell Family
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Paradise
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

My children are better behaved than they ever were when they attended school in a classroom. I believe this improvement is as a result of them feeling more comfortable and secure in their everyday surroundings and situations. My older children have developed a lot socially, and have learned to interact appropriately in social situations with various people in many age groups. My kids learn more in less time. We are a happier family since we spend most of our time together now.

NAME: Rachel Bench
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

Camptonville has been a wonderful experience for my daughter and our family. Our daughter has received more academic/extra curricular activities than if we homeschooled on our own or if she went to (traditional) public school. She has been able to take horseback riding lessons, gymnastic classes, attend science and history assemblies, and currently she is in the drama "Lion King". Camptonville is awesome!!

NAME: The Buyert Family
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

The Personalized Learning program at Camptonville Academy provides us with many advantages, including:
Paying for the curriculum we need
Providing fun learning experiences such as plays, hands-on science and history assemblies, and field trips
Exciting and experimental classes that provide my children with an abundance of friends
I enjoy the one-on-one time we receive through the teachers. It is a great way to stay accountable to the education of my children.

NAME: The Molini Family
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

A Personalized Learning program has allowed my son to have enriching classes at the center with great individual tutoring in problem areas. We have been able to order supplies (through our teacher) which allow him to enhance his areas of interest. The teacher is a wonderful coach who brings out the best in my son.

NAME: The Blanchar/Layfield Family
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I love working with my child through Camptonville charter program. It gives me the opportunity to see Morgan learn and grow. I feel so lucky that I can cater to her likes and interests through her schooling. I also love the activities that Camptonville has given us the chance to be a part of. Morgan has been able to be in her own mini production which was a highlight for her. With having this experience I feel it would be really hard for me to go back to regular traditional school.

NAME: The Glassel Family
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I am the mother of two homeschool children. My son was 3 years behind in (traditional) public school and has been held back. His last public school report card was straight F's and 1 D. Jimmy has experienced great success at Camptonville Academy. His self-esteem and grades have flown through the roof! In 6 months, Jimmy has done more school work than in the last 3 years altogether! Jimmy has finally found success in school.

My daughter was having difficulties in (traditional) public school with other children picking on her and throwing dirt clods at her on the walk home. Today it is not a worry since she is being homeschooled. Her grades have also improved since being at home. Katie has also begun piano and is enjoying it.

Thank you to their homeschool teacher Patti Russell who spends extra time with my kids and help to keep us all accountable to our responsibilities!

NAME: Terry Freeman
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Oroville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I know this is a great program. It teaches the kids without interruption from "peer pressure" and kids are more involved in their studies and not the pressure of others. The teachers especially seem to have more time for "one-on-one" relationships and more contact. Patti Russell (our teacher) is the best!!

NAME: The Manuel Family
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Durham
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

Victoria is doing very well in her home study program. She enjoys her course study and attending meetings at the Chico center and visiting the center library. We are able to vary her studies to suit her interests and needs. We are very pleased with the center and its teachers.

NAME: The Kirkpatrick Family
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Oroville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

The CORE program has given Wendy the chance to go to Butte College for her high school class. It has given her credit for working. She has been able to focus on her studies without dealing with peer pressures of the regular school. Her grades are greatly improved.

NAME: The Brown Family
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy C.O.R.E.
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

Personalized Learning for my son Taylor has greatly improved his learning experience. He is less distracted with having one-on-one teaching and enjoys pacing himself.

NAME: Julie Brusseau
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Gridley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte Co.

I am the Mother of four children. We have been using personalized learning for 3 years now. We started out first with our two oldest children, grades 7 and 8, and this year we decided to use personalized learning for all of our children.
I was very apprehensive about it before we started, questioning whether I had the ability to teach my children at home and receive positive results. Thanks to Camptonville Academy, their staff, teachers, and policies, this year has been a very positive experience.
I believe is important for the parents to have some control over the students education, including choosing the student's curriculum. Resource Centers have been such a help, with the wide variety of material available.
Personalized Learning has allowed each of my children to learn at the speed that suits them best. I am pleased to say they have learned at a rapid rate, and have progressed very quickly. They should all do well on the State testing coming up soon.
We have enjoyed being able to have available discretionary education funds that our teacher can use on our behalf for enhancing our children's education. We have used them for computer classes, educational field trips, art material and art classes, books and reference material, music instruction and much more.
I am thankful for the opportunity to teach my children at home, where they can build a strong foundation for going out in society and being strong and productive citizens.
I will do anything in my power to help this Charter School program continue. It has been very productive for our family and should be considered by more families.

NAME: Lori Hansen
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte Co.

The opportunity to have an individualized learning program has been a wonderful experience for my son and our family. He has been allowed the freedom to learn at his own pace and in his own style. We can focus in on his interests so that his learning is fun and exciting instead of monotonous. We are also afforded the time to do many extras like foreign language, geography, and more science: areas that he would not be able to get in a standard program. My son is truly getting a more enriching education due to his personalized learning program.



NAME: Cynthia Hagen
GROUP: Parent (Student: Nick Hagen; Teacher: Linda Scherba)
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

Personalized learning is allowing my son to learn and succeed in ways he has never done in a classroom setting.

My son has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism. He is very bright, yet because of his neurological issues a full-day, regular classroom is too stimulating and demanding for him. The result is an inability to stay attentive and to keep up socially, which is obvious to others and embarrassing to him. Special education classrooms with their smaller class size and modification have not worked either, because many children read at a much lower grade level, or even worse, their attitudes and behaviors exacerbate my son's natural anxieties and make concentrating even more difficult.

My son and I have suffered through many well-meaning but inappropriate placements in the public school and classroom setting, experiencing first-hand the abysmal success rate of California Special Education, with its very low rate of high school graduates. My son needs every chance he can get to succeed in order to be an self-sufficient and independent adult. Fortunately, with a student who has Asperger's, each little success, whether academic or social, goes a very long way. And in personalized learning, we are experiencing successes beyond my wildest dreams.

TEACHING TO STUDENTS' STRENGTHS
Children without learning disabilities may be able to perform the rote, repetitive learning required of them in a classroom, and may have the conceptual flexibility to find interest in unfamiliar subjects. This is more difficult for a child with a disability. It is extremely important to be able to provide subject material that excites a child who must struggle to focus thought, to read, or to handle a pencil. Our consulting teacher suggested my son study Japanese when he became interested in Japan and his ability with the language has become a source of pride and self-confidence. That confidence in his ability to learn then led to a burst of growth in math, a more challenging subject.

THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF CHALLENGE
For a child with a disability, discouragement and overwhelm can be all too familiar, along with the looming anxiety about being able to cope with life as an adult. Yet just as with other children, challenges met build confidence and self-esteem. This is true academically and also, importantly, in physical education. Two classes a week of martial arts were all the classroom education my son got at first. But seeing himself move up the ranks at his karate school gave him the confidence to take hockey lessons, and then to try out for and play in the junior hockey league. Evening practices and games would not have been possible for him to manage if he had spent all day in a classroom.

SOCIAL INTERACTION THAT WORKS
Social interactions can also be carefully chosen for success. One or two classes per week have been all he has needed, to start with, and more added as desired. Any more would be overwhelming, like throwing a nonswimmer into the deep end of the pool. My son has social confidence because he is not being forced to handle too much social interaction. He can learn each new social skill at a comfortable pace. By contrast, I have known several teens with Asperger's Syndrome who have continued in a public school setting. They may have been able to keep up academically, but the constant social challenge was too much for them, so they withdrew either literally or into coping behaviors that stigmatized them, and live a life of social isolation.

COMFORT LEADS TO EXPLORATION
When overwhelmed or discouraged, special ed students can retreat to their own world, or become resistant, even combative. With a school program that works for him, my son has a basic feeling of comfort which has made ventures into unfamiliar territory possible, even enjoyable. He grapples with new information and interacts with other people more fully than he did when constantly dealing with too much stimulation and challenge.

With personalized learning, my son is growing at his pace, and that pace is far from slow because it now has a foundation built on respect for his abilities as well as his limitations. I have more hope for his independent future than I ever did in all those years of working so strenuously with special ed teachers, aides, psychologists and school principals to figure out how to help him within a classroom-based, public school setting. As his homeschool teacher, my time is spent more efficiently, and more pleasantly, than it was during years of advocacy, conferences, IEP meetings, and trying to figure out how to get a boy for whom a regular classroom was excruciating to feel comfortable, learn, and succeed.

The classroom system is not appropriate for learners such as my son. It is critical to bear this in mind, given the exploding numbers of students with Asperger's Syndrome and autism that our state is currently meeting. Personalized learning works, works more efficiently and with joy! And what more could a parent or teacher want than for their student to experience the joy of learning?

NAME: Candy Roberts
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Paradise
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I have three daughters that have benefited from personalized learning. The time that I could spend with each one on areas of interest, and areas that they may have had difficulty in was beneficial. The children and I have enjoyed times together that we would not have had time for if they were in a classroom all day. The help and encouragement from the teacher make the experience all that much easier. I recommend this program to all mothers I meet that are interested in looking at other choices besides the traditional school system. I think it is wonderful.

NAME: Karen Chandler
GROUP: parent and teacher
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte County

As both a parent and teacher within the Camptonville Academy, I can attest to the incredible opportunity and environment available to us through the personalized learning model. On a personal level, my child has been able to take advantage of small group instruction in history, writing, art, and science, while maintaining the time to extend her study through literature, videos, work books, and activities. My 4th grader is a child needing multiple exposures to new concepts before remembering them and she has been able to do that here. She has also been able to excel in math, while failing miserably at spelling, and all without the destruction of her self-esteem when being compared to classmates. Of course, we work diligently on spelling. I don't want her to stay in the 4th percentile. But that is balanced beautifully with all the other things she does so well. Like all students, she is a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses.

I believe that all educational environments have something to offer our students. Site based programs offer lots of practice waiting, taking turns, and cooperating with peers. These are all important skills, but do not require 6 hours daily, 5 days weekly, for 13 years to learn. My daughter has learned them and practices them in the few classes she attends. By combining site based and independent study environments into a personalized learning program, my daughter, and the other students enjoy the best of both worlds. And on top of it all, I get to be the one to teach her values and morals, not a classmate.

Thank you so much for the opportunities to work for and educate my daughter in such a wonderful program.

NAME: Linda Kalanquin
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: C.O.R.E., Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Paradise
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte County

Six years ago, in elementary school, our son was having difficulty reading. Being bright, well-behaved and skilled at compensating he didn’t seem to be receiving the help he needed. Very soon after beginning homeschooling, he caught up and is now an outstanding reader. A personalized learning approach was just what he needed.

We began homeschooling to help our son catch up, but have continued because it fits our needs so well. Each of our three children has unique gifts, challenges and learning styles. With the help of our credentialed Educational Facilitator, and the resources at C.O.R.E. our children are receiving a rich and diversified education.

NAME: Laura Manuel
GROUP: parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte County

To Whom It May Concern;

I am writing this in support of the learning program at the C.O.R.E. in Chico, California. My first grade daughter is involved in this program and it has been a delight to see her tremendous learning progress as her studies are geared to her interests and she is free to learn without distraction in her small classroom. She is enthusiastic and delighted with her teacher and loves the Chico Learning Center's Library and classrooms. This form of learning and study has been a 'window to the world' for her. We both look forward to the new school year as this one has been wonderful! Sincerely, Laura Manuel

NAME: NJP
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy (C.O.R.E.)
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Paradise
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte Co.

My son has attended Camptonville Academy for 4 years. It has been a lifesaver for a young man who, because of learning disabilities, was spending all of his energies just trying to give the appearance that he was like everyone else, when he was in the classroom setting. He was unable to process information at the same speed as other kids so he would pretend he was taking notes or copying from the board but was actually writing nothing, just jibberish. He was so embarrassed to have a resource teacher come in and help him or to be excused to attend a resource class that he refused to go. He began having behavior problems and saying he didn't care.

After switching to a personalized study program he is a different child. He is relaxed and confident. He is able to study math at his grade level and work with a group of students to hone skills and at the same time take science at a less demanding level where he gets the basics to pass the course without being overwhelmed.

With him studying in our home, I am able to create a quiet atmosphere with frequent breaks. If one day isn't going well, we call it quits and do the work on another day. He is not embarrassed to ask questions and if I am unable to help him we work directly
with a teacher who can. It is the best possible environment for a kid who otherwise might be the one sitting in the principle's office because the day to day stress of a campus environment is just too much.

The staff of Camptonville is also wonderful. Charter schools are just finding their ground and our administration and teachers are quite open to ideas and input from parents. Our parents are encouraged to attend board meetings and council meetings and when we have questions, they listen. Suggestions we have made have been implemented by the next academic year. Personalized learning is our future. Fitting the education to the child instead of forcing the child to fit in to the mold is a need that more schools need to take into account. Camptonville and my student are BOTH successful.

NAME: Amy Smith
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Paradise
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I like Personalized learning because you can pick out your own text books and you are able to work at your own pace. It's nice to have personal conversations with the teacher so often. I appreciate the staff at Camptonville, caring so much and spending so much one on one time with my daughter. I plan to continue with Camptonville.

NAME: Tom Perdue
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

I have been not merely pleased with the response of our son but amazed! Ryan has gone from being disinterested and resistant to school to being engaged and excited. All this in less than two months of being a part of the Camptonville charter school program. Our experience is a very positive one; from my first visit at the site with their librarian, to the interview with our program teacher, to all that has followed. This is a positive, life-changing experience for our son and for our family.

(And following the end of the school year) I wrote the initial assessment above early on in our experience. Perhaps a reasonable explanation for it was due to the "honeymoon" phase. Nevertheless, my views have only become more exact. Ryan did get excited about learning again and has continued to do so. We only regret that summer came rather too soon. Still, we are confident his performance will continue to mirror his talents. Ms. Debra Moon has been very helpful;, insightful, and supportive. We are very grateful for her.

NAME: Larry and Judy Van Landayt
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Paradise
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

My husband and I feel that Gina is much happier this year. She has time to develop some of her talents, because her schedule is more flexible than it would be at private or public schools--both of which she has attended. She has been able to do more with us in the evenings because she gets more done during the day leaving more free time at night for family as well as opportunities to do artwork, dance, practice her flute, read, sew, or whatever.

Name: Susan Spann
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Butte

Camptonville Academy in Chico is a fantastic school.  My son is blossoming and doing so great. The regular school enviroment was not good for him but this is great. He learns the way he needs to learn.  Keep open the school please.

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Nevada County


NAME: Tammy Miller
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Grass Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Nevada county

We have a 7 year old son and 5 year old daughter. We never thought ourselves the home school parents, but 2 years into it we are so sure home is where God intended our kids to be. We are able to address each issue as it comes and we have noticed a sweet difference in our kids and how they view the right/wrong in their world. Luke and Kate are very social, strong, smart and the best part is they are with us. They are little empty pitchers and we choose what fills them-most of the time! We do community service, spent a lot of time with our grandparents and have extra time to learn household responsibilities and how our daddy's business works. We believe God created the institution of family to love, nurture and teach each other, not a place to send them away to fend for themselves and at such young ages. Good luck and God bless! Warmly The Miller Family

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Orange County


NAME: Waldi
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Orange County

Time, time, time.....it is so fleeting and yet we have time to enjoy each other's company and learn and grow together. Our children have time to be kids and attend extra curricular activities. They have time to grow as individuals and not be pressured by peers. They have time to enjoy the subjects that please them. They have time to further research and pursue their passion. How do I know it has made a difference academically? Well if you consider the SAT's as a reliable yardstick of proficiency then you'll appreciate an above average score. Both children, i.e. 4th and 5th Graders have consistently scored 3 or 4 Grades above average.

I hope Personalized Learning continues so that Education turns to Learning. The teacher is ready when the student has a willingness to learn.....and is not bogged down by 'social i.e. peer group' distractions and SAT performance training.

Thank you for your efforts and time dedicated to Personalized Learning.

NAME: Laurel Jew
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagle's Peak Charter
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Fullerton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Orange

Personalized learning has given us the freedom to pursue educational goals specific to each child, which in turn has increased each child's interest in learning and enthusiasm. For example, my oldest daughter has been "tuned in" to art since preschool, and we have been able to use drawing and emphasize the visual arts in history and science as well as providing focused training in other art media. On the other hand, my son is much more interested in how things work and how fast they go...and we've been able to build on his technology interests to make history and the arts as interesting to him as science.

Meanwhile we are able to provide a much more intense and effective focus on skills-based subjects (such as reading, grammar, and math) using the tutorial method. My son, in particular, would be very distracted in a traditional classroom environment, but when working individually he is able to ask questions and make applications well beyond the immediate subject. Instead of being a distraction to others, he has become a joyful challenge to work with...because he is free to let his mind work, out loud and in motion if need be. Because we read aloud to cover many subjects, my children's vocabulary and comprehension are not limited to what they can "sound out" for themselves. They can ask a question any time and have help to research the answer in as much depth as they desire. Neither are their social skills limited to those behaviors valued by their peers, necessary for survival on the playground, or important for classroom-based crowd control. Our family-centered learning adventure includes the example of Mom and Dad interacting, reading, learning, and enjoying continuing education, an example we want our children to continue to imitate with pleasure their whole lives long. It also includes time to think, time to ponder, time to digest ideas, but not a lot of time for busywork. These are not things we think they could ever gain in a classroom - where the central model is the teacher doing his/her best to address the middle of the bell curve - but it's one that will equip them well for a changing workplace and a life full of zestful variety at the peak of their own individual potential.

NAME: Mike and Jana Miller
GROUP: Parents
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Rancho Santa Margarita
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Orange

Words cannot express the impact that choosing to home school our two children through Eagle's Peak charter has done for our two children as well as our family. Our children have benefited academically, socially and emotionally. This is our first year home schooling. My oldest son,(5th grade), is an identified GATE student. He loved public school and did well socially but he was losing his love for learning and because of the heavy course load in 4th grade, he was unable to participate in sports or spend much time with friends. Now that he is learning at home, he takes trumpet, plays football and is able to work at a faster pace in the subjects that interest him most while keeping up with his core studies. He also spends more time with friends just being a kid and playing. He is so much more well rounded and happy.

Our youngest son was the one who last year begged (2nd grade) to be home schooled. I finally decided to try it and he blossomed. He never had any problems in traditional school aside from the fact that he was frustrated having to wait while the other kids finished their work. Now he is able to work at his fast pace and often starts his school work in the morning by 6am. He has not lost that zest for learning and constantly investigating new fields of study. He currently wants to rebuild a car engine and is reading everything he can get his hands on. He is able to play every afternoon instead of doing homework and now he also participates in sport.

Overall, our family runs smoother, has lots of time together and when my husband works odd shifts he is still able to interact with our boys. Many people we run into say "I could never do that" but really if you've ever done homework with a tired uncooperative child after school, you've done much more than I do every day. Eagle's Peak Charter School has made this all possible for our family and we are grateful for the alternative to traditional public school.

NAME: Kristina Olson
GROUP: Parent/Teacher
SCHOOL: Eagle's Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Rancho Santa Margarita
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Orange

Eagle's Peak has been such a wonderful experience for our family. Our Education Specialist La Donna Verloop has been wonderful to work with. She has such a positive influence on our ability to home school. She is a wealth of information regarding teaching styles and curriculum. We are grateful to have her and Eagle's Peak. Thank You!

NAME: Terry Martin
GROUP: Parent/teacher
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Trabuco Canyon
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Orange County

To Whom it may concern,

We are just finishing up our first year with Eagles Peak School. I have been providing personalized learning for our son, Tim, who is now completing fourth grade. Prior to beginning his personalized program, otherwise known as home schooling, Tim had attended a private Waldorf school where he was not well served academically or emotionally to say the least. He emerged from the school near the beginning of third grade with no self esteem left and very little academic skill. He is a very bright and articulate child with a strong kinesthetic learning style which is not currently well served in traditional education.

Through Eagles Peak, specifically through La Donna Verloop, our ES, I am able to provide Tim with a chance to rebuild his confidence and self esteem while learning and excelling in academics in a safe and supportive environment. To date he has accomplished much of what he was supposed to have learned in first, second and third grade at his former school, and is now progressing steadily towards fifth grade. In one and a half years of personalized learning Tim has learned 1st-4th grade academics. This form of education is the best for Tim and one I can provide both with my own credentials and with the tremendous help I receive form our Educational Specialist. I wouldn't have it any other way for Tim's sake.

NAME: Karen Fleischli
GROUP: Parent/ Teacher
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Orange County

Personalized learning through Julian Charter School not only has been instrumental in the education of my two children but also in the development of myself professionally. As a parent I am able to participate in choosing curriculum that addresses state standards as well as meets my child's academic needs and interests. My children thrive in a one on one student/teacher setting where they are able to progress as quickly or slowly as they need without labels being placed upon them.

Personalized learning allows me as a teacher to really know my students and to individualize to their needs accordingly. In the public classroom with 30 plus students I could rarely do this and felt much frustration. It is a joy to work with so many dedicated and talented professionals whose goal is to provide an environment where children can thrive. My sons enjoy the opportunity to learn according to their interests, something they probably would not be able to do in any other school. Kudos to personalized learning.

NAME: Lorie Taylor
GROUP: Teacher and Parent
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Lake Forest
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Orange County

This year has been so great! I am a facilitator for Julian Charter School (which I love!!) but also a first year homeschooling mom to my kindergarten son. As I got to know some of the parents that I actually facilitate, we began to form a wonderful co-op between us that has led us to share holiday parties and field trips together. The children have formed great friendships and the moms have gained much support with one another. Between the four families, we have four kindergarteners. This last week, we had a small graduation picnic for them: grad hats, diplomas, words of honor, the works! It was very special.

Now, we are looking forward to next year and are adding 2-3 more families into our group. This summer, we are meeting to plan our next year. Everyone is so motivated to share their ideas for curriculum, field trips and special activities that we can do together. I am looking forward once again to the sense of community and support that we have with one another. It is incredible to watch each child grow academically, socially, & emotionally. I feel very blessed to be so much a part of the lives of my students and my own children!

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Placer County

NAME: Sharon Mandon
GROUP: Parent and Teacher
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy charter school
FROM: Auburn, CA

My daughter was a creative, bright, very confident girl. She had been homeschooled in our program (one to one) until mid first grade. She then entered school, due to my health. From then until the beginning of third grade, she really struggled with her work. She is dyslexic and could not read up to the standards being expected in very low grades. Soon she became stressed about school. She started to feel like she was stupid. By third grade she not only was struggling academically, but socially as well. Other kids where labeling her. They were calling her names. She started being very explosive and moody at home. She started telling big lies to make herself look important. It was very hard to watch this happen to her.
We decided to bring her home for just fourth grade. She joined Camptonville Academy. It has been a transformation. I want to share with you some of the ways she has benefited from our program.
First, she does have some learning problems, but she is very gifted in other areas. Being at home she is able to explore and excel in art, music, creative writing, poetry, and lots of other things. This is such a great boost for her self esteem and gives her greater confidence to tackle the subjects that are hard for her. She has taken classes in these areas at the center in Auburn and has really enjoyed the fun, positive interaction with peers there.
Second, because Katie has some reading issues, I am able to deal with them in a proactive, specialized way at home. Our program has provided her with a special reading and spelling program called Barton which I feel is very helpful. Katie has time at home to curl up with a good book and actually love to read. She has someone with her who helps her in areas she is weak in without any fear of teasing. I read with my child. I know her and can really gauge improvement and areas that need more work. And, I can tell you, she has made great improvement this year.
Katie went recently on a living history field trip to Sutter's Fort. About 40 kids from Camptonville where there. It was such a great experience all around. I was struck, as a parent and teacher, by the students. We did a lot of hands on stuff. Not one kid gave us a hard time. No one gave up or refused to try. The big joy for me was at the end of the night when we had a band and a square dance. The kids got up and danced without any coaxing, acting silly or being embarrassed. That shocked me. I felt it showed such a security and confidence in themselves. Peer pressure was so much less of an issue for these kids. In our time that is priceless.
Numerous people have commented on the change in Katie since being in Camptonville. She is blooming, socially, emotionally and academically. The support she gets from the classes, curriculum and field trips is such a gift to her and our family. My husband recently said, "I don't want to put Katie back in school next year. She is doing so great that it would be foolish."
Thanks Camptonville!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NAME: Donna Ann Dunlap
GROUP: Administrator, parent
SCHOOL: C.O.R.E. @ the Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Meadow Vista
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Placer County

I have worked for Camptonville Academy for the past five years. During that time, I have seen many success stories, but none more critical to me than my own daughter's experience. My daughter, Samantha, was a talented person, who simply was not blossoming in a traditional site-based high school in the way I felt she should be. After having attended private school for most of her life, her experience in public high school was just not quite going click. She did fine while at school, but wasn't interested in participating in the typical weekend social activities, partying, etc, that most of her friends were engaged in. So she enrolled in our school and was able to finish high school in three years, instead of four. During her final year, she also began attending Sierra Community College. She graduated from high school just after her 17th birthday, then continued at Sierra College to finish her AA degree just before her 19th birthday. Since she had a 3.5 grade point average, transferring to UC Davis was actually quite easy. She is currently finishing her BA degree which she will finish before her 21st birthday! Camptonville Academy provided my daughter a chance to proceed at a pace that suited her best rather than being held back by a traditional site-based approach. My thanks to the Legislators of California for allowing this unique approach to education to exist.

NAME: Margy Diggs
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: C.O.R.E. @ the Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Auburn
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Placer County

Individual "Personalized" learning has allowed my children to excel in their strengths and take more time in their weak areas and not feel "slow" or lose confidence. It allows them to go faster or slower in line with their abilities.

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Riverside County

NAME: Sandra Kling
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

I have been implementing the “Personalized Learning” concept in my work since I became an educator over five years ago. This is the only way to work with students! In my view, it does not make sense to force the same curriculum and assessment on every student when they all have different learning styles, academic/developmental levels, and most importantly, unique interests. It is wonderful to see students thrive when they can learn in the manner that best suits him/her and at a level that they can understand. I am a huge supporter of this concept and hope that the State will recognize the benefits of this concept in education our nation's future! My motto has always been “Educating Kids One at a Time.”

NAME: Terri Novacek
GROUP: Parent, teacher
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Canyon Lake
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

Before my son was five, he scored above the level that suggested he was academically ready for Kindergarten. However, I was advised to hold him back another year "because he was a boy." Having taught in the classroom for ten years, I did have a first-hand understanding of that logic. However, now that it was my own child, I felt it a shame to hold him back. Although he is a well-behaved boy, I knew if I sent him, he would be considered a behavior problem because he would have difficulty sitting still. If I held him back, he would be considered a behavior problem because he would be bored. I decided to provide personalized learning for a year and re-evaluate the situation the following summer. It's been three years now. He is a happy, active second grader, who is still eager to learn. I know if I would have put him in the traditional school setting, he would be unhappy and struggling.

As a teacher, I see numerous students come through that thought they hated learning, because they hated school. Now that they are in a position to take responsibility for their own learning, they are thriving. For some, they do well because they are able to participate in real-life learning. What does it matter if you learn how to count change from a textbook, or working at your parents' store. You can learn angles and measuring from worksheets, or you can help someone build something. The charter school has made it possible for parents to receive support in their effort to make their children happy, healthy, and productive citizens.

NAME: Trish Ruppel
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Wildomar
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

Personalized Learning fills a definite need in education. My son, who shined up until the end of second grade in the classroom setting, became stressed in third grade. His writing began to deteriorate and completing work was a struggle. I homeschooled him the last half of third grade, but being new to this, I basically did “school” at home. He was less stressed, but his love for learning was still squashed.

The following year, I had become more knowledgeable of my choices and I chose curriculum that was personalized for him. He now writes again and his love for learning has returned. He can also focus on his strengths, which are science and geography. He is well ahead in these two areas. This would not have accrued in the classroom setting and most likely, they would of labeled him as behind.

Personalized learning has also allowed me to give advanced subjects to my daughters, who are both in second grade. Though they did well in the classroom setting, I think in time they would of become bored. Through Personalized Learning, they have received a more in-depth approach and a literature rich program.

Thank you to those who have pioneered the way for Personalized Learning. I believe we will see a generation of confident, well-educated children who have a strong self-worth and a confidence in their ability to be productive citizens.

NAME: Leah Allen
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

More and more parents in America, myself included, are choosing to educate their children themselves. My own children are learning in this way and are doing very well. Parents choose this education option, called personalized learning, because it is the best way to educate a child. Personalized learning provides many advantages to the student that are not available in a formal school setting and as a result, standardized test scores for home schooled children are higher on average than those of their counterparts in traditional schooling. Education experts claim the reasons behind the success of home education are unclear. However, I believe that there are three main reasons why home-schooled children do better than children enrolled in conventional schools do.

The first reason for the success of children learning in their own homes is the attention a parent can provide for his or her own child. Since families have fewer children than a typical classroom, the teacher (or parent) can devote more time to each child and work with the student on a one on one basis. This individual attention helps the child work through difficult material, provides direction when necessary, and allows the child to jump ahead when he or she does not need more instruction.

The ability to work at their own pace is the second reason personalized learning is the best education choice and why these children perform at higher levels. Many times, in a classroom environment, advanced children must slow down their learning in order to stay with the rest of the class. Students who could function at higher levels cannot do so because the teacher must keep the whole class learning at the same level. Many times these children move up a grade but often they are not ready emotionally to interact with older children. Personalized learning allows the advanced student to continue his or her education without the stress a younger child can feel in a group of older children.

The third reason I believe home schooled children do better is the flexibility of the curriculum. Children learn in different ways. Some children need to see an example of what they are being taught before they understand. Others need to have the material explained in words. Still others need a combination of the two. A parent can adapt teaching styles to fit with how his or her child learns and can teach each child differently. This ability streamlines the teaching and learning process, allows children to move through information faster, and helps them advance quickly.

Personalized learning is more cost efficient and is so beneficial to the students. It should be considered a basic right for a child to receive the best education possible and personalized learning is that education.

NAME: Kryn Freehling-Burton
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

We have been tailoring our sons' education for the past three years. They are thriving in the personalized, one-on-one attention that my husband and I can give them. Our Education Specialist is an incredible asset. She spends time with the students each month and through this interaction and our learning records, she is able to recommend curricula and resources that suit each of their learning styles. I am so grateful we chose this approach to helping our children learn to love learning.

NAME: Julie Carlson
GROUP: Parent/home educator
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

My daughter loves Eagles Peak Riverside Academy. Each one of her eight classes is taught by a teacher who specializes in a single subject and is very enthusiastic about it. When I ask her at the end of a day at the Academy, "Which was your favorite class?", she says "I can't choose! They are all my favorites!"

We have had a great time this first year of homeschooling. We have studied thematically. California History is part of our fourth grade curriculum. We have read many books about Native Americans, Mexican Americans, the Mission period, and the Gold Rush. We have been on many great field trips: Bowers Museum, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point Whale Watching Cruise, Los Angeles Harbor Cruise, Jurupa Cultural Center, Jensen-Alvarado Ranch, Rubidoux Nature Center, Sacramento (California Railroad Museum, Discovery California History Museum, Sutter's Fort, Sutter's Creek, the state Capitol, Old Sacramento). She has planted a 30" x 15" garden with pumpkins, gourds, carrots, corn, and ten kinds of flowers.

We would not have had time to do all of these wonderful things if we had been in a traditional school. We both appreciate the advantages of personalized learning!

NAME: Sherrie Schooler
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Corona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside county

The benefits of the Personalized Learning program offered to us by Eagles Peak is almost too wonderful to express. My son has Tourettes plus. He has the associate sleep disorder, which practically dooms him from getting an appropriate education within the scheduling limits of public education. He required speech therapy from age three until a few months after I removed him from public school. We accomplished at home with the education specialists, online resources, and myself, in three months, what had failed for six years through the public school system.

My son learns more now because we approach learning when he is “on.” Before he would sleep poorly, awaken too sleepy to study, learn, function properly in social settings, etc. He would come home still tired have Tourettes outbursts struggle, cry, scream through any attempt at direction to complete homework, sleep poorly (the cycle was endless). Mitchell required many medications to attend public school. Some helped him function socially or behave within the rules of attending a public school. Some were meant to suppress tics that were considered disruptive or misinterpreted as violent or agitated. Some were to try to regulate sleep, etc. Mitchell is now off all of those medications, thanks to Eagles Peak. It took months to get him off all the medication he needed when he attended public school. He has more tics, but they are fine with him and with me. He is now the person who gets to decide if his condition’s symptoms need medical intervention. I have Tourettes plus, I also have a B.S. degree in chemistry with a minor in biochemistry from U.C. Riverside, and a degree in biology, so I can handle and understand his needs better than most educators.

Mitchell is excelling in every subject now, partly because he is regaining the high self esteem that he had before public school, which was nearly destroyed there. Mitchell skipped second grade because of the early home schooling I did in conjunction with public school. He was put in a main stream class in third grade and not only did he suffer in self esteem, but he learned so little that he was kept back. Mitchell’s physician said that they did so much damage to him that there was no modification they could implement that would make a school a safe environment for him to return to, for an undetermined amount of time. I tell you these things because my son deeply needs this type of education option. If it were not organized and readily available, my son who qualified for MENSA before age three, would be suffering weekly in the standard halls of education.
I truly wish that it had been an option for me. It took me until I was 29 to realize that I was not the stupid disruptive child teacher after teacher publicly called me. I graduated from Golden West College with honors before attending UCR as a University Scholar and proudly made the deans list. My mother kept that light of self confidence burning inside me, despite my bad experiences.

Mitchell’s light is not dimmed by people trying to hold him responsible for a medical condition. I believe he will do great things. He loves government and law. He has advantages in the sciences like few other elementary age children have. He loves opera. He reads librettos, watches operas, listens to Cd’s, and we discuss them. We could not pursue these areas before because of the time consuming rigid demands of public school. I have heard it said that if teachers used techniques that assisted Tourettes and/or ADHD children to learn, then the other students would excel. That is not yet available in public or private schools as a whole. Please allow us to continue to provide the kind of education that allows our children to excel.

I would like to mention one more positive benefit to this type of education. I often discuss, quiz, and give lecture to Mitchell while using the amenities at our complex (pool, jacuzzi, etc.) or in public areas, like Miss Frizzle on The Magic School Bus. I often draw an audience, even if it is one or two others. I regularly get adults asking questions and stating that they learned something. I offer them resources that I access and they use them to pursue interests long ingrained or newly sparked. Things they forgot were taught to them or in greater detail then was presented to them while they were busy memorizing dates and names they vaguely remember now. Eagles Peak demands a well rounded education, but provides the freedom to speak to weaknesses, inspire the mind, and delve into areas of interest more fully. It also helps square pegs fill their holes instead of fruitlessly trying to fit into the round holes. My son has many, many friends and better interaction because it is monitored by the parents who know their children.

I would like to say more, but I hope I did touch on some of the unique benefits. I know that I have educated graduate students, freshmen, children, and parents, but any parent who learns along with their child has more to offer society.
This testimonial was written in less then a day, with no research or deep examination. If I gave it more thought, the length might exceed Thomas Paine’s published works. A little founding father humor, and forgive the pun, but fostering this type of education to augment (possibly never to replace) public and private learning institutions, is common sense.

NAME: Maria Barrera
GROUP: Parent (Trish Ruppel (Teacher), Bernardo Barrera, Bianca Barrera)
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Mira Loma
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

Before signing up with Dehesa Charter School my son attended kindergarten in public school for five months. For the first two months I was sitting down with my son for about fifteen minutes each day doing homework together. At our first parent teacher meeting my son's teacher had informed me that my son had a couple of areas that were below average, and that I should work with him to bring those areas above average. The first thought that came to my mind was that was her job. It was her job as a teacher to make sure my son was getting the education he needed. So after our meeting I began educating my son for about three hours each day. After the first month my sons teacher had sent a letter home stating how my son has progressed tremendously. From then on I knew that homeschooling a child benefits so much more rather then sending them to a public school. In a classroom-based public education model there is only one teacher and about twenty students. Now one teacher does not have the time and effort to sit down with every child and give them the desired education they need.

In homeschooling a child is on a one on one basis. The parent has the time and effort to sit down with their child and make sure they're getting the education needed. I've seen a couple of kids in my son's class (when he was in a public school) being neglected and not getting the education they needed. Homeschooling through Dehesa Charter has been a tremendous blessing for our family!! My son is now in second grade and my daughter is in kindergarten and they enjoy learning something new each day. They have progressed tremendously and enjoy being homeschooled. Dehesa Charter has programs such as horseback riding, art classes, golf lessons, piano lessons, etc. (Traditional) public schools don't have these programs. Kids that are homeschooled are more than likely to be more educated, more respectful, and confident. My family would not change homeschooling for a moment.

Thanks Dehesa Charter School

NAME: MARK FOSTER
GROUP: PARENT
SCHOOL: EAGLES PEAK
CITY OF RESIDENCE: WILDOMAR
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: RIVERSIDE

Our daughter has excelled by entering the program at Eagles Peak. Personalized learning has been a boost to her academic career. We highly recommend it over traditional school where our daughter was stagnating.

NAME: Laura Nobiensky
GROUP: Parent and Teacher
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Temecula
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

I am a parent of one child who attends Eagles Peak Charter School in San Diego, a personalized learning charter school. We absolutely love the parental choice and involvement encouraged by the school! It is a dream-come-true. My 1st grader was reading at the second grade reading level as a kindergartner. Why? I could purchase and use a variety of materials to advance her along in reading. She is at or a little above grade level in math because I am able to tailor her curriculum to meet her learning needs. She has had numerous learning opportunities with the “community as classroom” philosophy of Eagles Peak. She has been able to learn all kinds of things from the pros in the community: ballet, gymnastics, and agricultural science. Personalized learning charter schools are wonderful and should be encouraged, not discouraged.

I am also an Education Specialist for Eagles Peak and I can vouch that this kind of incredible learning has occurred with all the 20 students that I “oversee”. Some students are enrolled in on-line writing tutorials, writing the most sophisticated kinds of papers--book reviews, persuasive essays, research papers, short stories, and memoirs--as early as the 5th grade. Others are enrolled in Great Books tutorials where students at the high school level are reading, discussing, reflecting on, and writing about the political philosophies of the likes of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Homer, that most people just read synopses on, and those, in college. Some have pursued learning art or music classes from the experts in their fields. I love what goes on here: studious, dedicated students and parents engaged in all kinds of rich learning experiences and loving them!

We have benefited greatly from personalized learning programs. The "design efforts" of parents and students to create solid and global learning programs are impressive. Repeatedly, I have witnessed kids working beyond the conventional textbook and worksheet approaches--doing higher level thinking by working with interactive computer software (like Riverdeep) taking science and mathematics at the levels all teachers dream of taking their students to, but rarely have the time to do . Moms and their students have dissected all kinds of animals in their kitchens, employing the expertise of books and human specialists to inform their students. After learning phonics, little children are reading real, living books to practice their reading proficiency instead of the boring textbook fare or readers that the classrooms need to use for manageability's sake. Moms can listen to their little ones practice reading for hours--and can easily identify recurring errors to be addressed. How many errors are caught at this level!

Just as the free market allows for flexibility and ingenuity in providing goods and services, so do the personalized learning charter schools. If charter schools become compelled to look and behave just like the conventional schools, we would squelch the American spirit of ingenuity and creativity.

Personalized instructional approaches--the classical method, the Charlotte Mason method, the Unschooling of John Holt, the Montessori method, the Unit Studies, and Apprenticeships--are alive and flourishing in personalized learning charter schools. These are good for kids. Educators know that vast learning is accomplished by tailoring education to student needs and interests. It is not logistically possible to do that in the classroom. Personalized learning charter schools provide that unique opportunity.

It is wonderful to be able to return to the methods of learning that Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson used. Perhaps we will return to their greater level of thinking and creating! We can't go wrong continuing the pursuit of personalized learning. It is so worth it, for students, families, and the community at large.

NAME: Angela Holloway
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagle's Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

I have two children enrolled in Eagle's Peak. My oldest is very gifted. He has a tested IQ of approximately 145. Because we live in a lower socio-economic neighborhood, the elementary schools did not offer an adequate GATE program for him. What they did offer was a pull-out program where he could go with older children for part of the day and work. However, he was required to make up any work he missed in his regular kindergarten class, Can you imagine, my 5 year old son had 2-3 hours of homework a night--because he is gifted? Further, because my son is shy and quite small for his age, being around the older children was very overwhelming. He shut down and withdrew at school completely. He wasn't even learning anything. So I pulled him from regular public school and began to homeschool him.

HE LOVES IT! He learns appropriate to his academic and developmental level--something the public school was not able to do for him. He especially loves being at Eagle's Peak because of their co-op option. He goes to classes 2 days a week. There he can socialize with other children his age and take enrichment classes not available at the local public school; classes like sign-language, Spanish, Karate, and "Hands on Science and Math." He is happy and growing, and I am appreciative.

I have another son, now finishing Kindergarten. When it came time to choose a school for him, I knew Eagle's Peak was the right choice. My younger son is just as bright as his brother, but has a pervasive language delay. He is also very kinesthetic and has a brief attention span. By personalizing his learning, I am able to capitalize on his strengths and help him develop those areas of weakness. Looking back over this last year, I am certain that had I enrolled him in a regular public school setting, he would have suffered greatly. There is no way he could have kept up with the language arts portion of the curriculum. He would have felt so inadequate, and his behavior would have reflected that. He too loves the co-op experience combined with homeschooling.

There are so many reasons why Eagle's Peak has been valuable--many of those are listed above. However, I GREATLY appreciate that it is affordable. Before Eagle's Peak, I considered private school. However, there is no way on our income we could have afforded it. Charter Schools afford everybody the opportunity to give their children a good education, appropriate to each individual child's academic and developmental ability--regardless of income, neighborhood, or other constraints.

I love Eagle's Peak Charter School.

NAME: Denise Ellis Stewart
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Temecula
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

I would like to commend the state of California for making personalized learning a viable option for its families. Our family is part of the Eagle's Peak Charter and we are thrilled to be able to take part in this program. It has given us the opportunity to homeschool with the support of an educational specialist who is highly trained to give us any needed guidance.

I have three children ages 6, 8, and 12. My oldest attended a magnet program for the fine arts in Tennessee for 2 1/2 years and public school in California for 1 1/2 years. In his last year of public school here, which was third grade, he was doing the same work he had already completed in first grade in Tennessee. Even though he loved school and got along well socially, he was bored academically. Since starting homeschool in the fourth grade, we have been able to allow him to work at his level which tends to be one or two grades ahead of his age in every subject.

With my second child, I realized early that he was not a traditional learner. He likes to do his work standing up and asks thousands of questions on a regular basis. He's quite sensitive and needs a lot of extra love and emotional support. He also pushes boundaries as far as he can. These are things a public school teacher doesn't have the time to deal. At home, I can give him a safe, structured environment. I can help him find answers to his questions. I let him stand at his desk. He's bright and happy and doing well.

My youngest is a motivated learner. She insisted on doing kindergarten with her older brother and is one or two grades ahead of her age in every subject. She's loves being with her family and really pushes herself to keep up with her big brothers.

The other reason we love home school is the time we can devote to additional subjects and extracurricular activities. My children do all the subjects covered in our local public school and as I stated earlier are ahead of their grade level in every subject area. In addition, we are able to add many subjects not covered in the public schools. All three of my children study Latin, ancient history, and creative writing. We've spent many hours studying art and music history. All three are learning to play the piano. All 3 take weekly art lessons. Two take ballet. One takes tae kwon do. Two take gymnastics. All three have been involved in local theater. One is learning to do magic from a local magician. All three run cross country and have played soccer. All three attend church youth groups at least one night weekly. All things we couldn't do when my son was in 3rd grade and bringing home 1-2 hours of homework nightly.

Because of personalized learning, we go on field trips 2-3 times a month instead of the 1 or 2 field trips a year the public schools are able to do. We have visited every California mission within three hours of our home. We go to the San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park, and Sea World once or twice a year. We go to Balboa Park on free Tuesdays and visit the museums there. We've been to the Getty museum, the Temecula museum, and the La Brea Tar Pits. We go to the Santa Rosa Plateau, Lake Poway and Lake Hodges to hike and explore. We've been on factory tours and tours of local businesses. We've been to our fire station. This is the short list.

I know that this style of learning is not for everyone. A majority of the parents in California are very happy with the public schools. We just wanted a little more for our three. We love our children and really value the time our personalized learning plan affords us to be with them. It gives us the best of both worlds. We can do so much more with our ratio of one to three. Personalized learning is a win - win for everyone. The state of California gets the funding for my children without us putting any strain on the local physical resources. We get great quality time with our kids.

NAME: Cynthia M Markham
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Wildomar
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

Dear Friends,
When my children were born, we struggled for a long time before selecting a well-regarded private school to educate our children. We were convinced that their education would be enhanced by the rigor of a private education, and that their talents would be developed. We pulled the girls out in 3rd grade when we realized that private just meant you paid for a one-size-fits-all education as opposed to getting a state financed one.

After home-schooling for several years on our own, Eagles Peak opened in our county and we were among the first group of parents that inaugural year to begin using the personalized model of parental choice to school our children, supplemented with the funding to expand what we had already put into place. Through Eagles Peak, the children were able to develop their interests because we were able to purchase with State funds the necessary equipment and supplies to really give them a top-notch, personalized education. They were also able to take small group classes in areas such as Spanish, math, science, and art to supplement the areas I could not teach well enough as their abilities and thirst for information began to outstrip my ability to keep pace. Eagles Peak supplied a tutor for my daughter when she began advanced math at the community college level, allowing her to take college calculus and physics at age 16, something I again could not have done alone. We were encouraged to avail ourselves of all the community resources, so one daughter took ceramics at one school and art welding at another. Both enrolled in the local community college and completed 36 semester units of college level work during their junior and senior years of high school, giving them the ability to explore many areas of interest before enrolling in a 4 year university, as well as completing a major portion of their freshman requirements in general education areas.

Through careful planning, both girls took standardized tests at appropriate times, such as the PSAT, SAT, ACT, SAT II, and the annual STAR tests. One daughter obtained a Governor's Scholarship through her test scores on the STAR. Both girls were accepted at numerous UC campuses as well as private universities, and this year one is enrolled at UC Riverside pursuing a BA in English with a plan to obtain a dual Masters in English and secondary teaching credential, and the other is at Gonzaga University in Spokane, pursuing mechanical engineering with a biomedical emphasis, planning to do research in prosthetics. We believe that their education through Eagles Peak opened these doors to our children in a way that a site based high school could not.

We will be forever thankful that the State of California understands that not all California children do well in a large institutional high school, and allows parents the choice of personalized education, delivered by parents and supervised by credentialed teachers. Children like ours are our future, and nurturing the talents of young people should be at the top of any list of "school reform"!

NAME: Anonymous
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Romoland
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

For the first eight years of homeschooling on my own, I was always looking for a "cover school" or program that would fit our family. I couldn't find the help that I needed and sometimes felt lost. Eagles Peak has that guidance and accountability I was looking for. I love all the resources available through this program that I didn't previously have access to. The last two years with Eagles Peak has been so beneficial to our family. Each of my four children has his own learning style/level and through this program they are better able to flourish.

NAME: Beth Kurtz
GROUP: Teacher (Education Specialist) and Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

As an educator and a parent I have seen and experienced the value of personalized learning in education. Five years ago my oldest son was struggling to keep up with his peers. Actually he was fine it was I who was struggling with the possibility that a child of mine could be a late bloomer. Even with two years of preschool my son who seemed so well rounded just could not make out the letters and numbers he was being taught in kindergarten. As he entered first grade though he made great strives and was beginning to "get it". He was finally able to tell me the names of the letters and the sounds. I was quite impressed but his first grade teacher was not. She said my son was almost a year behind the rest of her first graders.

Well, after much discussion my husband and I decided to homeschool to help him catch up and save his self esteem. I resigned from my teaching job and became a stay at home mom. We didn't know about personalized learning at the time and ended up with an independent study program at the local elementary. After this year of homeschooling my son returned to public school happy and adjusted. I was contemplating the idea of going back to school full time as my son was in school and my daughter would be in Kindergarten that fall. With a six month old baby I was not very eager nor excited about going back to full time teaching. Then my neighbor who had just began homeschooling her daughter told me about a charter school that offered personalized learning. She described how a facilitator visited her monthly and provided resources that fit her child's learning style and personality. As it turned out I inquired about a teaching position with this charter school. With my own experience as both a credentialed teacher and a previous homeschooling parent I was hired. This new career allowed for flexibility for a working mom. I have worked with numerous students who have been very successful students because of personalized learning. I truly believe that that one year of homeschooling my son gave him the confidence he needed. He actually gets excited about school projects and enjoys school.

NAME: Amy Vahid
GROUP: Teacher and Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Corona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

I serve as both a teacher with Eagles Peak Charter School and I myself home educate my three children, so I can see the benefits from both sides. As a parent, I see the tremendous benefits of one on one education, from being able to focus on the strengths of my children while at the same time, help them excel at their own pace. My 7th grader is taking two high school level courses, which he would not be able to in a traditional setting. Why hold him back if he is ready to excel. Children do not fit in a "one size fits all" box. Why should their education be any different?

As a teacher I have seen the benefits of personalized education. Many students who were "labeled" at their traditional schools with ADD or other disabilities, and many times are falling behind in school, leave their schools and come to ours. As soon as they receive the one on one education from their parents, not only do they suddenly excel, by not only catching up, but also exceed their previous school's grade requirement, but also their falsely diagnosed problems simply go away.

As a society of consumers we demand choices. Shouldn't this be true of our children's education? Education will not improve unless choices are offered. If there is a monopoly, there is no incentive to improve, but if choices are allowed, not only will our families be free to decide how their children will be educated, but our existing system will improve. Many families like the traditional school setting. Many families prefer home education. Many families prefer a combination of both. Why not offer all of the above? We can only hurt our society by maintaining an educational monopoly, but we have much to gain by allowing the freedom of choice for all those involved. Who is this really about--politics, or our children. We must always keep this in the forefront of our minds.

NAME: Monique Zarcone
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Menifee
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

With four beautiful children, I could sit here and write success story after success story about why Personalized Learning is such a huge benefit to them. To summarize my feelings as a parent who is deeply involved in my children's education I would start off by saying this: No matter how many years of education, no matter how high the credentials or how many years of experience or even how much a teacher makes known their love of children and the profession that they chose; no one can exceed the commitment and attention to the ever changing needs of each individual child in a "classroom" like a parent can, and no one can pour the same kind of love into teaching each individual child the way that a parent can.

Too many times have we seen students who were labeled "incompetent" and yet perfectly capable of so much more than anyone would ever know because the appropriate outlets were not available to the student. How much greater the opportunity is for a child who has a loving parent on their side accommodating their needs and helping that child to investigate and develop their interests. Sadly, there isn't that kind of time in the public "classroom."

Additionally, my children can enjoy extracurricular activities like piano lessons, field trips to museums and zoos, art lessons, gymnastics or whatever their interests are for that year without the time strain that so many students face after an already long day away from home. We can change our schedule to accommodate experiential learning opportunities without adding more hours to our work for the week. We just vary what we do and keep it interesting. I truly believe that the flexibility to add or subtract or vary what we do each week keeps them truly learning rather than sitting in the same room every day and completing ditto sheets and regurgitating thoughts and concepts without applying them in real life circumstances.

I wish that every child could enjoy the benefits of a Personalized education. I believe that we would see huge societal benefits as well as higher rates of literacy and lower percentages of dropouts with more students seeking to move on to college. Learning would be a joyful process because the students wouldn't feel so "processed."

NAME: Katherine Rogers
GROUP: Parent and Teacher
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

My name is Katherine Rogers. I have been a teacher for 10 years. I have taught in the public and private sector. When it came time for my oldest daughter to attend school, I debated over many possibilities. She is a very bright child and I was afraid that she would be bored in public kindergarten. However, she is very social and I didn't want her to miss out on the valuable experience of making friends and learning how to behave in a classroom setting. Private school was too expensive. I had a friend who went through Eagles Peak Charter School. I researched it and found that it met my daughter's needs perfectly. She was able to be challenged with material that was appropriate for her. She was able to succeed at her own pace. She was able to pursue the subjects that specifically interested her. She was also able to attend a co-op with other children who had a personalized learning system. She loves it and looks forward to learning each day.

Once I became an advocate for the school and personalized learning, I wanted to contribute to it. I decided to become a teacher with the school. This has been absolutely wonderful. I am able to stay at home with my children, teach my children, and help other moms to feel like they can do it, too! I feel that my most important roles are to help educate parents on curriculum, keep them informed on any new information that arises, and to encourage them along the way. I feel like I have the best of both worlds and that my children greatly benefit because of it.

NAME: Maria Egbert
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

The public elementary school near our house where our boys attended had some great teachers. But they fully admitted that our children were so advanced, nothing could be done to keep them challenged. That is the reason we decided it would be best to have our children taught on an individual basis, according to their level, needs, and especially interests. If all children could have individualized teaching according to their likes and interests and level, this country could become an even greater nation.

NAME: Veronica M Gibbons
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Corona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: County of Riverside

Our personalized learning has been a huge success for our family. My daughter has excelled in all areas of learning because of this. She is now back in grade level math and reading. She was below grade level two short years ago. My younger Son is also doing very well thanks to this personalized way of learning. It is an excellent way to learn for our Family. Thank you.

NAME: Donna
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Corona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County
I had my daughter in "Private School" for 2 years. When I was looking for "Private High School" to put her in they wanted to do testing, which I felt was fine. She would do great. After all she was in "Private School" and they really pay attention to their students. After testing two different times, I was told that she was pretty far behind and that she was not ready for High School. Actually, she was only testing in the 6th and 7th grade level. Well, what a shock for me and my husband. After all, we paid a lot of money for her to go to school.

After getting over the shock of it all my girlfriend, Bless her heart, talked to us about Home School. She had been teaching her children for 2 years and things were going great. They were learning more than they would in "Private or Public" school. They were learning compassion, life skills, special interests, etc. WOW! I wanted my daughter in that program and so did she. We immediately pulled her from her "Private School" and started home schooling her the next day. And, thanks to the help from my girlfriend and her family my daughter is on her way to a better school and personal life. I know that she will grow up feeling that we gave her the best school years she could ask for. After all, she gets to spend most of her time with her home school friends and her family. What more could she ask for! :)

NAME: Nancy Branchaud
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Corona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

A well-rounded education seems to be a thing of the past in the traditional public school system. Reading, writing and arithmetic are still available, but what happened to music, art and drama? Like many courses, if they exist, they are watered down, and the students do not get complete training. That is not so with our personalized learning charter school.

My children have been able to explore their interests in-depth, and their education is more than complete and well-rounded. They have been enrolled in theatre programs, music and voice lessons, career exploration, a quilting class and even gymnastics through our school. All of this, in addition to the wonderful opportunities they have had to work with parents and teachers who are experts in various areas, has provided them with more than the local public schools ever did.

The academic advice from our education specialist has been invaluable, and my children have received an education that I feel to be superior, even to the honors courses offered at the local public schools. With their high school years drawing to a close my daughters have been well prepared for the strenuous work that college will demand, through not only their home study courses, but also through the classes they attended at co-op programs. They have made friends for a lifetime through Eagles Peak, and have a variety of teacher/mentors who will continue to provide an awesome support network.

NAME: Bart Gibbons
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Corona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County
Personalized education has benefited my family in several ways. It has given my kids confidence in subjects that before would only frustrate them. This is primarily due to the curriculum and personal attention given to the subjects that are most needed and then allowing advancement in the subjects that are not challenging to our children. This is the only way for our children to learn and grow at a pace that is personalized to them.

NAME: Elizabeth M. Beck
GROUP: Parent, teacher
SCHOOL: Eagle's Peak Riverside Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
Because of the personalized learning opportunity, my sons have been able to work ahead in many subjects, and not be held back by a broad median group of students, which can slow down a whole classroom. They have also had opportunity to participate in a broad spectrum of activities, including sports, drama and music. Their communication skills have been developed largely at home, and therefore they are comfortable conversing with all ages, including adults other than their parents, as well as peers and even much younger children. They have traveled internationally, and learned about other cultures without worrying about the pressures of a limited time frame to complete make up work. One son has completed his Political Science major course work with all A's; another carries an A average in Dance and Musical Theatre. The third, in 5th grade, is an excellent baseball player and reader, as well. All three are pianists and singers. The opportunity to personalize learning has greatly benefited them and our family, in that every experience in life and home becomes our "classroom."

NAME: Christina Moss
GROUP: Parent (Home school mom)
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County
I'm grateful to be able to home school. I home school for different reasons. I have three children and they learn differently. Where one might excel in one area another may feel a failure, henceforth the reason to home school. Different children, different curriculum. It works!

NAME: DeeAnn Czuczka
GROUP: Parent (student: Casey 6th grade)
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Murrieta
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County
I have a 6th grader who was in public school up until this year. When I brought him home to study in the fall he read at about a 3rd grade level. He is now reading at about 4.6 grade level and is doing Algebra I already. I am able to teach at his level in each subject area and focus more on needed areas. I can't wait to see the improvement on his standardized testing scores this year compared to last year. I just brought my daughter home in February from private kindergarten and she is reading at 1.8 grade level. We are moving along so quickly in math that I'm amazed. I owe much thanks to the public school system and Eagles Peak for making it possible to teach at home.

NAME: Shelley Clow
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County
As we are currently finishing up our second year in personalized learning at home, we often view our successes in terms that cannot be measured. Though we spend a great deal of time on academics, the time we are able to spend on character development has been most rewarding. Since we are able to accomplish great strides through curriculum in a shorter amount of time than a typical classroom, we are able to spend our extra time educating through life experiences. Daily work on attitudes, caring, sharing, and respect has helped shape our children's personalities and perspectives toward the world for the better.

NAME: Kari Gillette
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles' Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
My husband and I are both credentialed teachers with 13 and 10 years of teaching experience, respectively. I quit my full time position, this fall, to stay home with our four children and to homeschool our oldest daughter, a young but very bright 5 year old. It has been a challenge but such a blessing to be her teachers. We have been able to tailor her education to fit her learning styles and to move at her pace. She may have struggled if she had been placed in a traditional school setting, as sitting quietly is difficult, but she has thrived at home. She flew through all Kindergarten state standards and is now working on First Grade standards and excelling. We love that we can use manipulatives and play games to learn all sorts of Math concepts. We love that I can see immediately if she gets it and needs more help. We love that we are able to explore areas of interest and her natural curiosity as deeply as we want to go while not being limited the way time limits a traditional teacher. We have loved having hands-on exposure and experiments in real life situations. We love that we can do school in a variety of locations and love the flexibility this has given our family. We look forward to many more rewarding homeschool experiences.

NAME: Michael and Robin Scott
GROUP: teacher and parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Corona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
We have implemented personalized learning for our 8 children over the last 17 years. I believe that is partially responsible for not only our children's academic success, but also their healthy self-esteem, social maturity, strong work ethic and resistance to negative peer pressure. They all are active in many activities outside the home such as scouting, musical dramatic productions, sports, church activities, volunteer work, field trips and more. My oldest two, now 19 and 21 are both at a private university on academic scholarships and in a highly competitive honor program for which they were selected. They were entirely home-educated and even made time to start their own business, which is still flourishing. The oldest confided to me that she felt ahead of her peers in so many ways upon entering college, and plans to home-educate her own children, because it was such a positive experience. Among other activities, and while working also, both were chosen to mentor and plan activities for incoming freshmen and my daughter was a dorm counselor.

The third child, now 17, did attend public high school last year to take part in Madrigals and immediately went to the top of her honors classes, usually with the highest grades in the class. She finished with 4.33 grade point and wanted to come back to individualized instruction because she felt she accomplishes more academically and can allow more time to pursue drama (she has leads in two musicals), work, and preparing for college. When her friends chided her for choosing to go back to home-education for her Jr. year, telling her "she wouldn't have a life," she told them that they might not understand home-education, because she feels he has even more of "a life."

My fourth (15), after exclusively being home-educated to this point, attended a private school this year to play basketball and not only was the only freshman to make Varsity, but also was inducted into Honor Society which required a high grade point as well as selection by his teachers for good character.

Sounds like I'm bragging, but I give much credit to God and the support of many I've networked with through this educational option, for blessing the choice we made. Our younger children are thriving also and learning that education is lifelong, and that they can take the initiative, and not have to be "spoon fed." There are unlimited resources for education, and they realize I am not their only "teacher."

In the ERIC study of thousands of homeschool families, it was discovered that students averaged approximately 30 percentile points higher in all areas of standardized testing when compared with their public-schooled counterparts, regardless of parents' income level, educational level, or ethnicity. It would be the greatest detriment to our culture to fight this effective model, because of personal bias, fear of the demise of traditional public education, shift of ADA monies. I'm convinced that those who lobby against personalized study, may not truly have quality education as the goal for EVERY student.

NAME: Lisa Manley
GROUP: parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Temecula
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County
We are completely thrilled with Eagles Peak Charter School. We have been able to accomplish tremendous educational goals in our family with their support. We are free to provide our children with the education that we never received in the public school classroom. Our children are thriving! My oldest child was accepted to the college of his choice at sixteen years of age. My children, upon choosing to attend public high school have been able to skip eighth grade to do so. All this because of the strong foundation we have been able to lay under them through schooling them our way at home. We are so grateful for our association with Eagles Peak. Their support has been invaluable. Finally, a program that honors the values our country stands on: FREEDOM OF CHOICE. Sincerely, Mark and Lisa Manley

NAME: Cindy Johns
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Palm Springs
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside
My boys have ADD and dysgraphia. School has been a struggle always. Our experiences with California schools in Chula Vista and Palm Springs were not good. Legally the school has to provide a 504 plan for the learning disabilities. In Chula Vista this was carried out by giving me the work the week ahead of time and me doing it at home with the boys. (Almost independent study). Then in Palm Springs the accommodations were a special education class where the work was modified for slow learners. One teacher, one aide and 15 students. My boys all test gifted but need the way they do the work modified.

Home school charters have provided a much needed opportunity to be flexible. One son complete high school last year with the charter. He only did his senior year this way. We should have changed him years ago. My twins graduated a year early this year with a high GPA. They not only kept up with studies under the charter, but surpassed what was necessary.

When I had my boys evaluated for learning disabilities, the doctor told me that they could survive school and not be destroyed by their teachers. They would be okay.

They have not been destroyed. I needed the back up of being accountable for their work. I would not have home schooled on my own. Actually a public school counselor pushed us into home schooling. She told me I was doing it anyway with the way the Chula Vista school accommodated the 504 plan. Getting the texts, doing the work and turning it in was really not much different from what the Chula Vista school was doing with us anyway. We just had more flexibility.

I have watched several of my boys' friends drop out of school with similar problems at school. They didn't drop out really, they were pushed out by school that did not take the time to find out how the boys learned. I know many who dropped out of school when I was in school. The same story

NAME: Brandie Andregg
GROUP: parent
SCHOOL: Eagle's Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Sun City
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

Home-schooling through Eagle's Peak Charter School has given my family so many amazing experiences. The family closeness, quality time together, and the learning that occurs all around us, are some of the important reasons I have chosen to home-school my children. I will forever be grateful to Eagle's Peak Charter School for allowing my family the freedom to grow, to learn, and to be together. These advantages have been made possible through the beliefs, policies, support, and services that Eagle's Peak provides.

I choose to home-school my children through Eagle's Peak so that I could be with them every day. To bond with them in a very natural way and to ensure that our family has a strong foundation. The closeness we feel is incredible. The amount of quality time we are able to spend teaching, loving, and guiding our children wouldn't be possible without the ability to home-school through Eagle's Peak. I love to watch my children open their minds to new concepts and ideas, and still get to see the wonderful look on their faces when they have an "ah ha" moment. The dynamics of our family would be so different and more difficult without the ability to home-school.

Eagle's Peak has provided an integral part of this journey by assigning an Educational Specialist to oversee and assist with my children's education. Through our helpful and hard working Educational Specialist, our family has been able to experience field trips, play dates, park days, and access to a wealth of information. These advantages are so important to providing a well-rounded and fulfilling learning environment. The support given to us by Eagle's Peak has made this adventure so much more then I expected. In short, my family's day to day life has been greatly affected by Eagle's Peak Charter School. We have so much closeness, quality time, and bonding. I feel that the great things Eagle's Peak has to offer will always be an important part of our lives.

NAME: Nerni Miller
GROUP: parent and teaching facilitator
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Temecula
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

We began homeschooling our seven year old son in Kindergarten. Though we are both involved in public education, we felt strongly about homeschooling our own children. At first we were a bit concerned that they get enough interaction with other children, but as we have found out, home learners can sometimes get so busy with activities that we have to limit what we do. The opportunities out there are limitless. We have learned how to balance an approach to learning that is academically challenging and child friendly. Our son is a gifted student in science. He is very inquisitive and always, without exception, asks the next question in a string of science concepts. He quickly figures out the main point and is ready for in-depth study of a concept. We've allowed him to explore whatever area of science he finds interesting. It would be a waste of his time to be in a class with other first graders learning that plants need light, water and soil to grow. We've already gone through how plants make food, hybrid plants, plant structure for various habitats and biomes etc. On the other end of the spectrum, he has really struggled with reading. By teaching him at home, he has continued to grow as a scientist, but have also been able to provide much needed one on one instruction in reading. He has blossomed in both areas as a result. We look forward to adding our second son next year. He will be in Kindergarten and will join us in all of our science and history journeys, while learning the basics in math and language.

As a teaching facilitator with Julian Charter School, I have seen so many students, who would have been left behind in a traditional classroom setting, emerge as solid capable students, once given an opportunity to learn in an environment that is conducive to their style of learning. One of my students has severe diagnosed ADD. So bad is his attention that he can only concentrate on one subject for about 15 minutes before losing focus. As an eighth grader that would have been immediate failure in a traditional classroom. He did indeed fail all of his classes in sixth grade before coming to Julian. As an independent study student he has learned how to better focus his attention and to accomplish what must be done within a short period of time. In addition it has given him time to pursue Tae Kwon Do. This sport has been proven to help ADD kids focus. He has received the level of Jr. Black belt with in 2 years. He would never have been able to accomplish this with hours of undone homework. Personalized Learning has certainly worked for him.

NAME: Karin Knutson
GROUP: Parent and teacher
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Cathedral City
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

Several years ago my family had an opportunity to go to Europe for the month of May. We knew that schools and teachers would have a hard time with that much time out from the classroom so we decided to home school our four children grades K, 4, 6, and 8th. We found that each child had various weaknesses that we wanted to target and we desired to prepare them for the trips...(we included a two week trip in the Fall to Washington, D.C. and area).

Our fabulous year proved to be a experiential learning and family bonding opportunity. My oldest followed the year with summer school in Algebra (we wanted him to get high school credit..and be sure he had no holes in his learning). He experienced being a tutor to the other students in the class. He went on to reg. public high school and ended with a 3.98 and was a freshman at UCSD 2002-2003.

We continued to teach our middle two sons at home because they both struggled in reading and writing. With the help of the charter home school we were able to continue to personalize their education and focus on these targeted areas. I was grateful for the group of middle school students that were also needing to personalize their learning. My sons did go back into the regular public schools and are still outstanding students who know how to work independently and take charge of their own load.

Presently, I have been with the charter program for six years with only one year not home schooling my own children. I am approaching my third year with my youngest child..a 6th grader in the fall. She needed the individualized attention because she is a social butterfly that was only catching a portion of what a classroom teacher was teaching. She is learning how to focus and give more time to each subject. She is reading above grade level now and will target her writing skills next year. She is looking forward to the large group of middle school students that are part of my roster for next year. She is strong soccer player, ballet student, participates in youth group activities and is playing piano for the fourth year. She has time for being a well rounded child by having a personalized educational program.

Personalized learning is an opportunity for students to focus and for them to reduce the stress that comes from classroom learning situations. They learn how to take charge of their education. I am thankful for the results and the time I have had with my children I would not have changed it for all the tea in China.

NAME: Julia Larsen
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Temecula
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

We originally signed up with our local school district's home school program. Maiya learned a lot, but she also spent hours completing assignments based on material and subjects that she had already mastered. She would get confused with the simplistic questions in the textbooks and was being trained to seek out the answer the book wanted. She was getting worn down.

When we decided the busywork was getting excessive and switched to Dehesa's program, Maiya was so excited and said she just wanted to learn all about the world. Now she loves studying and learning about different countries and ancient cultures. She is excited to read and discover new things each day.

NAME: Shelly Allen
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Canyon Lake
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside County

I really love the fact that we have so much freedom with Personalized Learning. I chose a program this year for math (Math U See). Prior to that we were doing traditional worksheets and my kids absolutely hated it! After switching to Math U See they are both advancing very quickly and are very enthusiastic about learning new concepts! I suppose in a traditional classroom setting, they would have had to do whatever was required! Personalized Learning is definitely beneficial to me and my children!

NAME: Kelly Fitzpatrick
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Temecula
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Riverside

I like our Charter school….because I get to hang out with my terrific kids on day! ( -and-) enjoy working w/the professional team of educators at TCA because they have…two wonderful Wendies! Wendy Moen and Wendy Garrett are both helpful, cheerful, and faithful. They go the extra mile to make teaching at home possible for me! Thanks gals!!

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Sacramento County

NAME: Lisa Miller
GROUP: parent
SCHOOL: Antelope View Home Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Antelope
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Sacramento

As we end this school year (my first year), I wanted to take time to tell share my experience so far with Antelope View's Charter School Program. After I decided that our previous school program would not work for us, I set out to see if there was a Charter program that was more suited for Alexay's educational needs. I called the California Department of Education to obtain a listing of Charter schools. I had listed certain criteria that I felt would help Alexay meet his education plans, including: science or math centered (Alexay was interested in Science), individual education plans that would meet the child at their level, access to high quality electives, optional on-site program for home school students, above average test scores, good relationship with the public school district, etc. Antelope View met and/or exceeded to meet them all. Alexay has an excellent teacher who works tirelessly with him to ensure he understands his lessons. She does not just pass him for the sake of the school's record but pushes him to pass. I really appreciate all that Ms. Nisson does to ensure Alexay learns what he needs to get him to college. I feel she goes above and beyond the call of duty--which makes for an exceptional teacher. Your staff is wonderful and has been responsive whenever I have called the school with a need. Thank you, Miss Nisson, and office staff! Kudos to Antelope View Charter School Program!

NAME: Melanie Newbold
GROUP: parent
SCHOOL: Antelope View Home Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Antelope
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Sacramento

I would just like to say a word of thanks to the office staff at the school and a very special thanks to Mary Nisson for making such an impact on my son's life. Mike has not been up to the campus much but when he has, the staff has been very friendly and helpful. He commented on how nice people were to him and he appreciated it.

I wish that there were more teachers like Mary Nisson. She has accomplished something with Mike that I thought would never happen...he actually likes school!!! Mary is like the teachers I had in school, she actually cares about her students in a way that I haven't seen much of in today's school system. She cares about what she is teaching them and makes them care too. One day Mike said to me, "Why do I have to do history, what good does it do me in my life"? I tried to explain how we all need to know what has gone on before. He didn't get it until Mary and Mike were having a discussion about a particular historical period. After she left, Mike came to me and said, "I get it mom, I really like history now". You can't begin to imagine what that meant to me. Mary is one of those rare teachers that pulls the information from the student without them really realizing that they have really learned what they set! out to learn. Mere words cannot come close to explaining what Mary has done for my son for the two years that she has been his teacher. She is not only an exceptional teacher but she is also a kind and compassionate person.
So...thank you again for your staff on campus, please let them know that through their kindness they have had a positive impact on one student and thank you for having Mary on your staff, she is a rare gem that you are lucky to have, as are we.

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San Bernardino County

NAME: Margaret R. Gilmore
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Phelan
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
My son Shaun is a senior, this is his third year at Excelsior. Prior to attending Excelsior Shaun was attending a traditional high school in Apple Valley. Shaun was not grasping the information at the same pace as other students and rapidly fell behind. This made Shaun be teased about not doing as well and he refused to go to school. Shaun will be graduating in May with a 3.29GPA. He is the Commissioner of Athletics, and is actively involved in many campus activities! I strongly feel Shaun is so successful now because of Excelsior’s design to personalize each student’s curriculum to meet his/her needs!

NAME: Robin Millanponce
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
I never really understood how an independent study school worked. After approximately 2 months, I then realized the importance of the parent being the teacher. When my daughter attended a local high school, I inquired as to what did she do in school today, and of course, she’d respond with very vague answers. Now that I am the teacher, I do get to see the work my child has done. Now I know what is accomplished since I grade it. I understand so much more and I am really pleased.

NAME: Lori Johnson
GROUP: Parent and Reading Lab Technician
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Apple Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
When my daughter started attending Excelsior Education Center she was a struggling reader. Working in the regular Language Arts books proved frustrating for her on many levels. My daughter and her facilitator came up with a program reading core literature books and doing various types of reports. I am happy to say that as a result of this program her reading level has improved 4 grade levels and she now reads for pleasure. That is something that I thought I would never see.

NAME: Terry Bates
GROUP: Parent and Teacher
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
My son was not performing to his potential at the traditional high school. When his teacher failed to respond to his needs, I put him in Excelsior where he got the personalized attention he needed to be successful in school. The combination of independent study and personal assistance he got from his facilitator enabled him to learn according to his way.

NAME: Lisa Lopez
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Apple Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
This school has allowed my kids to make up lost credits at their own pace. They have been removed from negative peer influences which harmed them academically. They are now enrolling in college and will finish high school early with prerequisites completed for their college certificate program.

NAME: Mrs. Nikki McCuin
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
I have been home schooling my children since 1999. My main reason for doing this was to give them one-on-one attention in all academic areas and remove them from those things that interfere with their success.

Unfortunately, public school did not offer individual options for my sons, nor did they provide adequate playground coverage.

I believe a child's education should be a parent's only focus as they grow and mature. Choosing the right charter school provides the focus required to help them succeed in school as well as adulthood.

Excelsior Education Center is providing every option I need to keep my focus. Previous charter schools were good, but Excelsior is exceptional. Our facilitator goes the extra mile by giving my sons the personal attention they deserve. He also provides me with the tools I need to keep them on a course for success.

Thank you, Excelsior, for helping me help them.

NAME: Kathy Thomas
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
Working with Gwen (facilitator), myself and my daughter (student) my daughter went from being a straight F student to a straight A student, which got her an award last year for 'Most Improved Student'.

NAME: Cheryl Thomson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Apple Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
Excelsior has been a wonderful opportunity for us. Learning has been fun and workshops exciting. Tailoring my student’s education to his talents, interests, and needs has taken the frustration out of education.

Thank you to all the teachers and staff who make Excelsior Education Center work so well.

NAME: Terry Bates
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
My son started at Excelsior in 1995 as a junior in high school. We were looking for a school that would be willing to work with us to help John. In the traditional school, I tried contacting his teachers, but met with very limited success. In frustration, we considered home schooling, but needed structure and curriculum.

We found Excelsior through word of mouth. John was assessed and given curriculum according to his abilities. Working at home on his own schedule, with immediate feedback from his mom and dad and a facilitator/teacher that he could relate to made all the difference to his education! He went from a minimal student who was in danger of not graduating, to getting higher grades and a sense of self-esteem. He did miss the back rubs from the girl behind him in his English class, but, oh well...

The individual attention that John received from his facilitator, Peter Wright, made the difference. I could now see how he was doing and made adjustments as necessary, and relied on the help of Mr. Wright to facilitate (literally) John's education.

Excelsior was a good choice for my son.

NAME: Jennifer Clark
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Phelan
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior has brought me closer to my daughter and her progress in school. She can work at her own pace and she gets more attention from her teacher and her facilitator.

NAME: Christian Gaylord
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior is an excellent school! My son has done very well since he started going here. His GPA is higher and his desire to learn has improved. The flexibility from the teaching staff, one-on-one when needed and small class sizes are great.

NAME: Stephanie Rivers (Michael Rivers)
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center (Marilyn Dufrense)
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I think the A plus (Personalized Learning) system is a great system. When my son started at Excelsior he was very low in reading and comprehension. When he was tested last week he went from and 1.0 to 8.5 which is above his grade level. He now enjoys reading alot and will continue to read over the summer. Along with the wonderful program, Marilyn Dufrense, the instructional associate in the reading lab, is a wonderful person that my son enjoys working with. I think this program would work in a lot of the schools because the students like working on the computers. Thanks again for such a wonderful program.

NAME: Susan Benavidez
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I, Susan the mother of Ginger Mata, have enjoyed having Ginger here in Excelsior. She has learned more and now enjoys doing her work. Leti Gutierrez has helped us a lot.

NAME: Joyce White
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
From personal experience, my daughter was having problems socially at another school so that it interfered with academics. Now that we have a customized academic plan, she has learned to be self disciplined. She is one grade ahead, and will graduate early. She maintains straight “A’s”. It is better for her and me as we can work around my schedule. I am so thankful for a school that can accommodate my child and myself both academically and schedule-wise.

NAME: Scott, Julie, and Kohl Linden
GROUP: Parents and student
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Our son Kohl has struggled with reading since before he started school. We literally tried everything to help Kohl progress in reading. With each method we applied, we saw some improvement, but nothing remarkable.

To give you an idea of what we tried:

In Kindergarten he was taken out of class for special testing and special one-on-one tutoring.

We tried Hooked On Phonics. Little result.

We then took him out of public school and put him in a private school for dyslexics. She helped him develop decent penmanship, but not much progress in reading.

While in the school above, we took him to an eye specialist who made special colored glasses and eye exercises.

We tried other public school programs - most notably a program of timed reading of short stories (with little result).

We took him to another dyslexic expert in Puget Sound. This method included making clay figures and another set of eye exercises.

We read about crawling (the theory is that dyslexic children didn't get to crawl enough. This was true with Kohl as we had a Mexican nanny when he was very young and the culture doesn't let children crawl). Kohl DID crawl at age 16 for about 10 minutes a day (desperate for anything that might work). There was some improvement with the crawling, but nothing to 'write home about'.

Finally, Excelsior, Marilyn Dufresne, Lori Johnson and the computerized reading lab program shocked us with a break-through that was REAL, progressive and permanent!! We feel that a major reason for the program working was the 'one-line-at-a-time' system. Never before had Kohl used anything like it.

We are thrilled parents and most importantly, Kohl is thrilled! Kohl was evaluated at second grade reading ability at the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year. Just nine months later he's reading at grade level 9.5 AND with comprehension of 10.5! Excelsior has been more than a good thing for Kohl - it's been a life saver! Because of his reading ability Kohl has the confidence to (and plans to) attend junior college classes.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

NAME: Terry Olivares
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I believe strongly regarding personalized learning. It has allowed my son the freedom to excel in subjects he does well in and enjoys, an it has allowed us to slow down the school work pace in areas that need reinforcing and extra time to learn a subject matter better. This type of learning is flexible and allows the student to become responsible for his/her own learning My son works best at night. He can accomplish more school that way. Personalized learning allows him to go at his own pace and therefore he isn’t held to a strict schedule or has to slow down for his peers like in a regular setting. He has been able to arrange his school schedule to allow room for college classes. He has matured as a student, and takes pride in his grades. Personalized learning helps meet his needs, his interests, and helps to overcome some of his weaknesses without instructor or peer pressure. I, as a parent, get the benefits of knowing how my son learns best, his strengths and weaknesses, so I can teach him what he lacks, reinforce what he already knows, or pursue what he is good at. This all creates a positive school experience.

NAME: Laura MacLeach
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Moreno Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior Education Center offers a combination of features that meet the needs of my child. The textbooks are those used in the traditional schools. The independent study arrangement allows him to study without the distractions of negative social influences and obstructive bureaucracy. His facilitator is professional, businesslike, approachable, and flexible. Her willingness and ability to come to Moreno Valley for meetings is a major benefit of the program. We would not be able to be a part of Excelsior without this “substation” arrangement.

NAME: Jeremy Kermott
GROUP: Spouse
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior’s independent study program made it possible for my wife to get her high school diploma at her own pace. When she was done, her feeling of accomplishment made her one of the biggest advocates of schools I’ve ever met.

NAME: Kathy Walsh (parent), Sean Walsh (student)
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior in Victorville, CA
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Wrightwood
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
My son had always done well in school until he entered high school. The number of students and the crowded classrooms, with constant substitute teachers, topped off by hours of homework, made it difficult for him to even want to attend school. We discovered Excelsior in Victorville, a 7-12 Home Study Personalized Learning School. I was a little wary at first, since I am not a teacher and wasn't sure if I'd be able to help him. But our facilitator set us up with the appropriate classes and materials, and off we went. My son completed more units than he ever would have at his regular school, in less time. He is now planning on graduating a full year early. The community service requirements are great, because it provides the opportunity for your child to get involved in real world working situations and build references for future resumes. My son has assisted in a kindergarten class at a local charter school, and also produced a promotional video for the school. Excelsior was the answer for us!

NAME: Gary Pearce (Gary Pearce, Alice Parks, James Pearce)
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
The regular public school system was not providing my son the kind of education at the pace he needed to graduate early and move on to junior college. Since enrolling at Excelsior his grades have come up considerably, he feels more in control and is well on his way to graduating high school early. I want to take this time to thank Alice Parks for the outstanding job that she has done. She gave us a lot of insight and help along the way to making James' schooling a success. I have three sons and I plan on enrolling all of them in this program. I would recommend it to everyone who is truly interested in their child being the best that they can be.

NAME: Dorothy Dubose
GROUP: Parent and Staff
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
My name is Dorothy Dubose. I am a parent of Excelsior Education Center also I am an employee. I really enjoy the Excelsior setup. Both of my kids who went here graduated early from Excelsior. My oldest son was on the 1st basketball team that Excelsior ever had. He was one of the best players. That motivated him and also gave him a lot of self esteem. As an employee here I enjoy what I do. I love working with the students.

NAME: Robin Milanponce
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
My daughter went to a local high school and on her testing she received a 255 in Language Arts, she never took the math portion. This year her results for the California Exit Exam for Language Arts was 366 - that’s a 111 point improvement and on her Algebra (she never took this) she scored 315, she needed 350 to pass, but to me scoring 315 was wonderful! She has always struggled in math, but I am honestly happy with the 315 score. Since she has been at Excelsior - she has had to be accountable for her work - independent study works for her, but then I will give myself some credit too for being there to be her teacher.

NAME: Kathy Wood
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
It took Jennifer a long time to realize that she needed a high school and college education. It took Jennifer a while to stop being a free spirit. The facilitators at Excelsior are great. If I could not answer Jennifer’s questions, the facilitators were always available. Jennifer is proud to be a 2003 graduate.

NAME: Tracy Dykstra
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I am pleased with the results of my son’s progress, he is almost a year ahead of schedule. His facilitator is great because she makes him responsible for his homework results.

NAME: Janice Cameron
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I feel that Excelsior offers students the opportunity to excel more than the regular programs. They are able to work at their own pace and achieve more. My daughter will graduate with a good foundation in the profession that she intends to go into after graduation.

NAME: Debbie Porto
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I am very thankful for Excelsior because it helped my daughter get on the right track for her education. I don’t feel she would be where she is at today if it weren’t for this school. I would highly recommend it to anyone. My daughter has learned more at this school and enjoys attending. We have seen a tremendous difference in her since she began attending 2 year ago.

NAME: Jim and Levonne Harris
GROUP: Parents
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
My wife and I had to make a very difficult decision towards the end of 2002. Our son was having difficulty concentrating on his schoolwork at Hesperia High School due to many factors. While trying to decide whether to transfer him to another school or not, we heard about Excelsior Education Center. After attending an informational meeting, we decided that enrolling our son would be the best for all of us. We knew that getting started mid year was going to be very difficult, but with the help of his facilitator, Alice Parks, we managed to set up a very good schedule for him. Immediately we noticed tremendous improvements in his study habits and grades. The help that we have received from EEC with the course work and supplies went a long way in us helping him continue his education process. Although at times it has been rough on us, (being out of school for two decades) we are completely satisfied with our decision. With the success he has had this semester, we look forward to him attending EEC for his senior year of High School, and getting his High School diploma from EEC.

NAME: Angela Figueroa
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior has been in my opinion a great accomplishment for myself and my son. He has excelled and is becoming extremely interested in completing and enjoying his studies. He has learned responsibility and self discipline. He has become determined and has a greater outlook on his education and future. I also have another child attending and I have seen the same qualities in her improve also. I appreciate that we have this alternative choice for education in our family and our life. It makes me proud to say they attend EEC.

NAME: Susan Isaacs
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
We love Excelsior! We love Toni Munoz very much. My son has done better here than at any school he has been in. I think this campus is better for kids due to less pressure (peer), personal attention as in work progress and in general overall interest in the students as people not as numbers as in other schools.

NAME: Carol Dunkerley
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior has allowed my daughter to complete three years of classes in only 2 years. She has grown as a person because she is in control of her future at this young age. Because she has a medical problem and was not challenged at traditional high school, she is thrilled to find Excelsior because it is a perfect “fit” for her needs and intellect.

NAME: Linda Neal
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
My child works better on her own, she can concentrate better. There is no pressure from teachers or peers. Thank you for accepting her this year.

NAME: Mr. Irizarry
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I like Excelsior because I find the open environment easy to adapt to. The facilitators show a higher level of respect towards the students and parents. Excelsior forces students to develop their independence and to become more responsible.

NAME: Judy Golden
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I feel my daughter works much better on her own, and Excelsior gives that chance. Se is doing very well.

NAME: Candace Londo
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I like Excelsior because we do things differently. Almost everyone gets along. Traditional schools are harsher and the students don’t have relationships with the students like Excelsior.

NAME: Majorie Barkley
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
The best thing I like about Excelsior is the fact that my child has excelled in all areas, he has participated in 2 sports programs and loved it. The facilitators are wonderful, they take their time and work on an individual basis. There is nothing that I don’t like about this school.

NAME: Laura Henry-John
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior is a great school where students are able to work at their pace and exceed in their studies at a rapid rate if they so desire. In addition the quality of teachers (facilitators) and overall staff is super! Parents and students are treated with respect and are encouraged as they become partners in studying with their children. At Excelsior students learn to use time wisely and given the opportunity to explore new ventures in life. Thank you Excelsior staff for all you do for our kids to make sure they succeed in life.

NAME: Crystal Winget
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Helendale
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I like Excelsior Education Center because my student has excelled in his school work and the reason I think Excelsior is better over traditional school is the student is taught responsibility and learns to work independently.

NAME: Susan Rowland
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior has helped my daughter alot. I think it is a lot less pressure than traditional school. She is able to put more into her work. She has enjoyed it more than traditional school.

NAME: Dennis Gonzales
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I like the staff and students, people are kind. I find more respect here than at traditional school. It may also be because it’s smaller, so that’s why I like it even more!

NAME: Jill Hanson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I like Excelsior because of all the benefits that you get, like the field trips, smaller classes (more one on one) and the classes that help you go anywhere you want in careers. The thing about EEC is that if you have something urgent, like a family emergency, you can leave, and make up work easily. Thank you staff at EEC. It’s been a wonderful experience.

NAME: Carl Alvarado
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Phelan
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior was good in that my student could work ahead and make up credits. Also she did not have the distractions of a class of peers.

NAME: Wendy Bemy
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
EEC gives students a wider variety of options to complete state standards, and gives students a chance to prepare for their career goals. EEC is better than traditional schools because of the comfortable, friendly atmosphere. EEC staff is better because they focus on each individual's needs and helps them achieve their academic and career goals.

NAME: Marilee Bravo
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Apple Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I think, now more than ever, that Excelsior is truly the school of choice for anyone that wishes to fulfill their educational goals and strive for success. Excelsior provides a wonderful learning program, in which, you actually gain the skills necessary to succeed in this fast paced society. It also helps you develop excellent organizational skills and further teaches the value and importance of good study habits, a learning plan, and being responsible it offers you a challenge encouraging one to strive for the best. The stuff is extremely helpful, and facilitators truly offer the necessary attention, coaching you and encouraging you to attain your goals. So in summary, all this makes Excelsior such a great school, even better than our traditional institutions for it not only tells you what goals to attain, but helps you trace a clear path to reach them and helps you reach them by offering many remarkable opportunities to take advantage of.

NAME: Beverly Lynn Ray-Goforth
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior really works great. My daughter started in December 2002 with grades mostly D’s and F’s. In 5 months she’s brought grades up to A’s and B’s and her credits up to 10th grade level (where she is supposed to be). She is proof that the school program really works!!!!

NAME: Jeff & Diane Davis
GROUP: Parents
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Our children have gained a great deal in being at Excelsior. They have had the opportunities to learn at their individual rates which accelerated their required learning. The teachers and staff are helpful and go far in helping each of them as necessary to meet the needs. The smaller, more controlled environment has allowed the girls to learn without the same distractions; learning refined! Our thanks to all who have helped to make this year very good and great hopes for the coming years!

NAME: Terry Goss
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
As my daughter has only attended Excelsior Education Center there is little basis for comparison, but it has remained the best choice in view of the troubled times that other schools have found themselves in. Drugs, gangs, crime, lowered standards, and of course administrations and their almighty funding have taken their toll on education statewide. It is my hope that Excelsior Education Center will be able to avoid such complications now and in the future.

NAME: Mrs. Debbie Goss
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
The reason my daughter has been attending Excelsior since 7th grade is because I felt that the public schools had too much drugs and violence on campus. I felt that by keeping her in home school she would grow up to be a decent person. With all the problems in public school, Excelsior offers a better choice.

NAME: Louise Strand
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Apple Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
My daughter has been enrolled at Excelsior since August 2002. Even though the time frame is short, she has experienced much positive assistance regarding her education. From the beginning I have found the staff to be attentive and accommodating towards the success of their students’ education, as well as my needs as a parent/educator. I know others who share this same feelings toward their child’s education. I have always sensed a spirit of friendliness among the staff, security, and the faculty, who would answer my questions willingly and without annoyance of their time being taken up. My daughter enjoys attending workshops on campus, as it gives her a classroom environment with other peers as they learn to work and study together. It is my belief that this school can succeed as an academic learning center for all students. Being a charter school, parents are strongly advised of their duties to participate in the education of their students, as they are the primary teachers. To meet the individual student’s needs resources are always made available to the parent at any time. From my observations of Excelsior Education Center, as clearly stated above is relatively positive; however, I must include an area of needed improvement. I believe that the staff and administration should provide an example of professionalism in their daily activities on campus. As the students look up to their instructors, and imitate what they see, I do not believe it is at all professional to chew gum while teaching or talking with parents. Another area is the Head Administrator should greet and shake the hand of a parent before proceeding with a meeting where the parent is present. This person should try to converse with the parent as well instead of just sitting with a smile on like a fixture as this does not make the outside party feel welcome. If the school wants those parents who obey the school rules, they then must make their presence know which leaves a positive atmosphere. Dress code should also be enforced. Some students, boys and girls, that walk the campus are embarrassing to look at as they reveal too much.

NAME: Joyce Bryant
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
My son will be graduating from Excelsior this year. This event may not have occurred without the availability of Excelsior. Besides having a structured program and the resources available, I have also benefited greatly from this program due to one on one with my son. Communication with the school and my son has helped both of us understand his needs and feelings regarding higher education and have helped direct his future. It is with a great deal of gratitude that we are now facing a positive future.

NAME: Nancy Baker
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Moreno Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
My husband and I have always felt that the education of our children (we have two) is one of the most important things that we can help our children with so they can achieve things in life that they feel good about. I wouldn’t feel that I was doing my job as a parent, and neither would my husband if we didn’t do everything possible to help them get a good education. I help my son as much as I possibly can. It is important to me as a parent to be available if they ask for help. If they have trouble understanding what I am trying to teach them then I’ll look at my materials again and try explaining the materials to him again. I also know when to call our wonderful facilitator (Sarah Schiller) to see if she has any other suggestions in getting the correct information. I also will make sure that he has a fairly consistent schedule for his subjects as he did in high school. It helps him in completing his schoolwork more efficiently and he does get it done with time left over, so he can spend time with his friends. I also realize that I must not be afraid to ask for help if I need it. I realize that my child can’t be expected to ask for help if the parent is too afraid to ask himself. I also believe that it can bring students and parents closer to each other. It also helps with communication skills, and that too is very important in family life and also in jobs. Home schooling is one of the most beneficial things we have started. My son is going to graduate high school most likely with honors. He still doesn’t care for school too much, but at least he is completing his subjects and turning them in on time. Thank you so much for your time and patience with us.

NAME: Mr. McDaniel
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
I’m a parent of (4) four children, (5) nephews, and (7) seven of these children were educated at Excelsior Education Center. Excelsior Education Center is a cut above all the schools where my children attended. Excelsior is in an historic class and I write these praises for one reason, our family lived and was educated by this education system. We have two (2) children who graduated with an Associate Degree, at Victor Valley College, before they graduated High School, and one will receive her Bachelors Degree this year at the age of eighteen. The other, at the age of twenty, and because of Excelsior, the others were afforded the opportunity to graduate on time and early. With our family, we were so blessed to have children and nephews from the High Scholastic reader ad they challenged. The high achievers ad they challenged was able to ingress their scholastics without restrictions or restraints. A parent's views ad position about Excelsior the time period was over five (5) years. We enjoyed these scholastic challenges of this excellent school system. Therefore, upon being asked to write anything. “Yes!” I’m pleased to be asked and extremely grateful to write plausibly about this excellent school system, Excelsior Education Center.

NAME: Carolyn Dunkerley
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
Unfortunately, our daughter suffers from Meneire's. This is a condition that most people don't know about, and something that is more known to afflict adults. Meneire's is characterized by ringing or humming of the ears, dizzy spells that can include black outs, equilibrium problems and hearing loss.

Our daughter had surgery in the summer before 9th grade, and the Meneire's condition occurred in the following months. This was the same time she began high school. The local high school was alerted to her medical condition and basically advised us that they were not willing or able to handle her on their campus. Alternative education was suggested. We began with full home schooling, and then changed to Excelsior because of the wonderful curriculum offered. She not only found a way to complete her education, but an environment that worked with her medical problem and her desire to learn.

Our daughter, Susanne, has been at Excelsior for two years. During that time, she has completed 9th, 10th and 11th grade credits. She has been on field trips and done seat classes, and even took a class at the local college. Because of Excelsior, she has discovered she has a talent for art. Through exploring this talent, she began private instruction, and this led to her first job working as an art aid at summer camp this past summer. Her world has expanded from once thinking she was trapped by what most would consider a handicap but one she sees as a medical problem and a challenge.

Where traditional schooling totally failed her, Excelsior Education Center not only kept her in school, but has given her hope for a wonderful future. She plans on attending junior college when she graduates for about a year just to ensure she can deal with a college campus, then she wants to transfer to a university to complete her studies in ecology, wildlife studies, and forestry. She is applying to Humboldt as well as several universities in Alaska toward this goal.

Thank you charter schools for being there for special and exceptional young adults like our Susanne, Carol Dunkerley, proud parent.

NAME: Sami Parra
GROUP: parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Victorville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
Excelsior Education Center has provided an exceptional learning experience for our son Johnathan. He has been a student since the 7th grade. He is in the 10th grade now. Being at this place of learning has helped him become more outgoing. He is confident academically. As a family we appreciate that the mission of the school has not faltered. The next three years of our child's education is something we gladly look forward to.

NAME: Jerrilyn Pike
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Hesperia
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino
We didn’t have good experiences at regular public schools. From kindergarten through 6th grade, there were a couple of good teachers, but mostly we had some pretty negative experiences. My son’s 6th grade teacher seemed to take delight in belittling students in front of the rest of the class. When I said something about it to the Principal, her reply was - "But I've heard nice things about this teacher from other parents, and besides your student isn't being belittled, why do you want to get involved?" I replied, "All of the students have to experience it, and I didn't want my son hearing or seeing it. I wanted the best for my son. The day that a substitute teacher smashed a rat with his shoe, and then passed it around the classroom, for all to see, I felt that we had had enough. I asked the Principal to call the other student's one by one to her office to ask what went on in that classroom. Thank Heaven she did, and she heard an earful. I'd like to think that things changed. I told her that I didn’t think that my son was going to be prepared for Jr. High if he stayed at that school. I was polite, but we had had enough. My normally bright child had a hard time going at the pace the regular classroom went at, as did several other students -it was even suggested that my son should have a "Student Site Counsel Meeting." I feel that it was wrong to put all of the children into one category, and expect them all to learn the same thing at the same speed. In regular public schools if a child can't keep up - there must be something wrong with the child - not the method of teaching, or the environment, just the child.

Excelsior seems to understand, that each student is different, each one has their own way of learning. We feel so blessed that we found Excelsior. They want the students to succeed. They have wonderful opportunities for the students. They have the Math Lab, the Reading Lab, one on one tutoring, and Great Facilitators. My son is skipping 11th grade. He got straight A's last Semester. This will be his last year at Excelsior. We have so much to be thankful for because of this great "Learning Center." When he walks up to get his diploma next June, I will feel like it was a shared experience.

I am taking him to get his Class Ring this next week. He is proud to have Excelsior on it.

NAME: Donell Thomas
GROUP: parent
SCHOOL: Excelsior Education Center, Victorville CA 92392
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Oak Hills
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Bernardino County
Excelsior's homeschooling program mixed with workshops to support learning gives me the chance to give my child an excellent education that is on par with private schools. I went to a private Catholic prep school in Pasadena, CA where I received an excellent overall education. The education I can provide my child through Excelsior Education Center is clearly superior to the overcrowded learning institutions in the high desert. Security is also top notch.

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San Diego County

NAME: Rochelle Miller
GROUP: Teacher and Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Mission Bay
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
As both a teacher and parent who has been involved in Personalized Learning for the past 6 years, I have observed that it is a must! Every student learns differently, at different paces, and better in different environments. Within a classroom (only) how can Personalized Learning take place? It doesn't! With an average classroom ratio of 30 to 1 how can a teacher possibly meet each student at his/her own level and hold every student's attention and meet each student's needs? I have seen with a Personalized Learning approach where a student may study specific areas or interest while still adhering to the California State Standards and will then retain the learning that was taught. The student is then the one who benefits from his/her education.

NAME: Terry Lewis
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chula Vista
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
Mike was a focused and capable student but was failing to thrive in a standard public high school. He was continually frustrated by the slow pace of instruction, the quality of assignments, and the disciplinary chaos of his classes. We moved him to Dehesa Public Charter School and tailored a program for his needs. Currently he takes his math and science classes at a local junior college. He has an intern-based English course and is pursuing A+ certification in computer repair. Adding some home-based curriculum fills out his schedule. His GPA went from 2.0 to 4.0 and he is excited about pursuing an education rather than waiting for school to be over. His emotional well-being has also improved. The opportunity to personalize his education has made all of this possible.

NAME: Darcy Deyling
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Lakeside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
All three of my children (aged 12, 10 and 8, one girl and two boys) are excellent readers who enjoy exploring the past and applying its wisdom to the present and future. My 10 year old teaches me how to use the new scanner for our Mac OSX. He wanted to use it, got out the directions and read them. Many adults dread reading directions. My daughter is writing her own novel similar in theme to "Gone With the Wind". My second grader has run out of books to read and reads with appropriate emphasis.

I am convinced that this is because they have been receiving personal instruction from a caring teacher and tutor who has the time to spend on individuals and to be creative without the fuss of paperwork and parent night, etc. That teacher is me. I am able to listen and hear questions. I love learning and it rubs off on the kids. I love knowing what they know and what remains to be given them. I have full responsibility for the education of my three and I appreciate the support afforded me in this charter school situation.

Whatever I need to compliment my instruction is provided by the charter school, like a guitar for music lessons. My daughter is going to take it to convalescent homes with a group of youth. These guys are learning from caring and committed parents and guardians who have the time and motivation to see each as they are uniquely equipped and to fill their days (and nights) with learning.

Thank you for the charter opportunity and may it only get better.

NAME: Lynette Renner
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Cardiff by the Sea
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego County
My four daughters have been homeschooled for four years and have been enrolled in a charter school for the past three of those years. Before that, they were in a conventional public school. We decided to homeschool because the public school system could not adequately meet their needs (all four were very early readers, and were already young for their grades, so they could not be moved ahead--they spent much classroom time reading while the other children were being instructed).

Personalized learning has allowed them to move ahead of grade level very easily when they have needed or wanted to do so. They also can take extra time on subjects that are difficult for them without shame or penalty; they don't receive low grades if they don't understand a concept in math, for example--they simply continue to work on it until they do comprehend it. Although we did not always use grade-specific curricula, they averaged in the 90th percentiles on their STAR tests last year. Every year that they were tested for Presidential Physical Fitness Awards, they made the highest category. Receiving charter school funding has made it possible for us to offer our children what we believe to be the finest education possible at this time in their lives, and we are very grateful for it.

NAME: Maria Kirkbride
GROUP: Teacher/Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Vista
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego County
My name is Maria Kirkbride. I have worked for Eagles Peak Charter School for 2 1/2 years. I believe that this program is extremely beneficial. I have witnessed students who have had little success in a large classroom setting begin to thrive and grow in their home school education. There is a student who I worked with who loved to play hockey. He is on a national traveling team. Because he is not confined to one location to attend school he was able to play with his team and excel in the sport. He would take his homework with him as he and his family traveled from city to city and state to state. This student was also able to have personalized tutoring with a learning center to help him in the academic areas where he was deficient.

I have also had the pleasure of educating my daughter through this program last school year. It was a wonderful experience for the two of us. She excelled in math, writing and reading. Her vocabulary skills improved greatly as well as her ability to speak to adults in a clear and focused manner. If I had the flexibility in my life I would continue to home school her through Eagles Peak Charter School.

NAME: Jennifer Morrow
GROUP: Teacher and Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Carlsbad
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I have taught in the public schools for 8 years, teaching as many as 200 students each day. Now, I use my experience and knowledge to work with 20 students and their families. Each of these students has a unique, personalized learning plan that enables them to self-pace and self-manage their learning. The parents and students who chose to enjoy a personalized education can experience what none of my 200 students could. They have one-on-one time with their teacher, a course load that is academically appropriate and challenging, and real-world experiences that grow them toward adulthood. These families have a credentialed teacher available (me) for record-keeping, guidance, and encouragement and a charter school that offers them freedom to create the most excellent educational plan for their children.

Each time I meet with a child I am impressed by the learning that has taken place. Here's a small sample of activities my students enjoy: Socratic On-Line Discussion Groups, Community Service, Volunteer Community Theater Dance Captain, Creating a Medieval Castle, Horseback Riding, Building a Compost Bin, Planting a Bulb Garden, Piano, Violin, Flute, Helping the Elderly, Pre-Calculus, Community College Chemistry Course, Graphic Arts, Digital Photography, Knitting, UCSD "Show-Me-Geology" Class, Web-Page Design, Archery, Soccer, Basketball, Building an Egyptian Pyramid, Historical Time Lines, Writing Their Own Stories and Novels, Lots and Lots of Reading.

I myself began homeschooling my 8 year old this January. Personalized Learning has enabled him to go forward with his academic strengths and spend extra time on those areas that are more difficult. He is excited about learning again! He was bored and unhappy in the public school he attended. Being allowed to personalize his education has made a huge difference in his attitude toward learning and his behavior. He has planted a garden, experimented with magnets, read myths of Ancient Crete and Greece, drawn maps, discussed the history of aviation, finished his second grade math book, played Rummy Roots to learn Latin, memorized poetry, and attended a Brazilian dance performance and "Peter and the Wolf" (just to name a few). Personalized Learning has been a fun and fabulous learning experience for both myself and my son.

As an educator and a parent I have seen personalized learning work and I respect it as a valid educational choice in California. Charter school like Eagles Peak and many others are offering students and parents an option to make learning personal, challenging, and meaningful.

NAME: Marguerite Hull
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We have been having a wonderful time with personalized learning. My daughter who is in second grade is a very intelligent, inquisitive and eager learner. She is always anxious to learn, discover and investigate new things. We like to take many field trips to visit museums, parks, recreation centers and places of business. We do a lot of arts and crafts, which she really excels at. She uses all her skills of reading, math and science in our activities, such as cooking, sewing, and computer programs. She is always busy and has lots of fun. This is an excellent way to learn and build confidence in children.

NAME: Elaine Stover
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
My three children thrive being connected with our charter school. Having experienced private, public, and charter schools, I feel the charter school has allowed flexibility in challenging my children. I am able to teach them in a safe environment. They are able to learn in depth and breadth. We support charter schools 100%!

NAME: Jade Stacey (Mr. and Mrs. James Stacey and family)
GROUP: Parent/Teacher
SCHOOL: Eagle's Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Oceanside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We have always used charter schools. They are our best bet for: experienced educational staff, comfort and freedom in choosing curricula, one-on-one education opportunities for my children. We home educate our special needs child as well. His needs would not be met at a conventional public school without Special Day Class instruction. Being at home has afforded us the blessing of being at home with him and watching him excel at his own pace. Truly this has motivated him to move past where he thought he might be.

Our middle daughter has advanced academically and socially in our home school. What a true gem to have a child who obeys and is eager to start school everyday. She is a very independent learner . She is given her assignments and she only comes to ask help occasionally. She prefers to try to figure it out for herself. Certainly she would not be able to conduct her education in that fashion in a conventional public school.

Our youngest son has just entered our home school. He is an eager little boy who is saddened that there is not more "school" for him to do. I have never witnessed such enthusiasm in the children of my friends who attend conventional school. These children are the future of our society, not those educated in a failing school system. Home education is the wave of the future. We are excited and grateful that we have had the opportunity to witness such greatness firsthand. I recommend our charter to anyone looking for true parental choice in education.

NAME: Laurie Diaz (Patricia Diaz, daughter)
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Fallbrook
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego County
We have been homeschooling since 1995. In the beginning, we were enrolled in a public school home education department. When my oldest daughter graduated from 8th grade, there was no homeschool alternative in that program. She then spent 3 years in a public school setting. However, when she wanted to graduate early, but still desired a diploma, we transferred to Eagles Peak Charter School. By doing this, Louisa was able to work full time in the professional world, yet continue to study to accomplish her goal. She studied Shakespeare, Economics and Government, and also used her job to complete the life skills and computer requirements. AT 18, she has been working more than 2 years and is an analyst with an insurance benefits company. Next year she will attend college and be able to pay for half of all 4 years of a private school! Eagles Peak and Amy Podratz were a huge help in making it possible for us to allow Louisa the freedom of finishing her education in the way she wanted to. She completed her state requirements by taking the California Proficiency exam, but was able to obtain a diploma by finishing the requirements set by Eagles Peak. I am still homeschooling my 12 year-old, and we plan to make use of Eagles Peak's "Personalized Learning" approach to begin gathering high school credits for her next year in Algebra and English. That way, she can get to the subjects that are really important to her - teaching violin, playing the violin, and training horses. Eagles Peak helps us direct our children according to their natural giftedness. Amy has helped me set and evaluate my goals, and pick materials that make reaching those goals easier. Thank you, Laurie Diaz

NAME: Lesa Wilmington
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Spring Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: east county
Hello. I am the mother of a 15-year-old daughter who is now at the end of her freshman year. My Nicole has been in home school since the 6th grade. This is our fourth choice of schooling. The first three I just didn't feel like she was getting what she needed to expand her bright and starving brain, that is until we learned of this home school. Nicole has a rare scalp disease that makes her bald from time to time. She has been bald this time for almost two years. Her exact words were," I'd rather die than to have to go back to public school." She has more time to do research on any subject she needs help on. She looks forward to getting her diploma and getting right into college majoring in Psychology, in which she has already begun her studies. If it were not for this particular school she would still be covering her head not wanting to speak with anyone, but now she can hold her head high and give testimony about how this school made it possible for her to continue her dream of helping others. We pray daily that you will not take her dreams away and put her back in the closet. Thank you, Sincerely, Lesa and Nicole.

NAME: Charlotte Marshall-Potts
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Spring Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego County
After spending thousands upon thousands of hard earned dollars on trying to get the school district to provide my daughter with the education she has a right to receive, I finally had to try Home Schooling. There was just not a school in our district who could meet all the needs of my child. We tried the concessions that the public school was willing to make to accommodate her but all we succeeded in doing was driving down her self-esteem to the point where she did not want to try anymore. She was willing to just give up and believe that she was "just too dumb". It broke my heart to see how hard she tried and how much of what was promised in the way of "help" fell short and left her willing to give up.

She has a "normal IQ" but suffered from visual and sensory depravation that did not allow her to hear or see what the "normal" child could see and hear. She has motor skills that, while improving, are not the greatest. While the district promised her help, it was never really forthcoming. I enrolled her in a Charter school that promised a new way of educating the children of today. This school lasted one year and was out of business because they could not meet the state requirements to stay open. It had been a great experience for her because there were very few students per classroom instead of the "normal" 30-40 student classrooms in the public schools.

Next I discovered the "Julian Charter School" and enrolled her in their program so that I could home school her. She went from a 7th grade non-reader to an almost fully proficient 9th grader in a year and a half. I am thrilled at her progress in all her subjects and most of all, I am thrilled that my lovely, little girl can now say "I can do it all now, Mom". As a parent there is nothing greater than hearing those words from a child who a year or so ago was willing to accept that she was "too dumb". My child now has a chance to go on with an education after high school where before we were thinking we would have to look into vocational schools that might be able to get her to the point where she could make a living for herself. Now, I have every hope that she will decide to continue her education after high school and I know that she will be able to feel confident in herself and her abilities.

I hear all the negatives that are being bantered around about Home Schools not being a viable alternative to the public school system but I for one know what can be and is being accomplished with Home Schooling. I hope that whoever reads this will feel free to contact me if they care to do so. Charlotte Marshall-Potts, mtgrossmt@aol.com, 619-460-7619.

NAME: Beth Prinz
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ramona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego Co
We have home schooled our 2 children, now ages 10 and 12, since they were toddlers. We have been educating our children for 7 years now, and can envision no other way because the combination of individualized attention/tutoring is ideal.

Using Julian Charter School (a Personalized Learning public charter school) has helped us tremendously. Being able to obtain top quality curriculum and music lessons has been a blessing. The plethora of material available in every subject enhances their interests and once we are done with the curriculum or book, it enters a library/warehouse where other families have access to the information. We similarly have access to this "stash", in addition to the curriculum we are allowed to order for each child. Some of our children's most favorite books have been purchases through JCS, and we have been able to share good book/curriculum discoveries with other JCS families.

Jennifer Cauzza, in particular, has been visionary in her leadership. She has impressed me on more than one occasion by her interactions with the students- amazingly remembering their interests, what grade they are in, and what they are learning. I barely can keep track of that for my own two children! This, in addition to the multitudinous tasks from getting contracts for learning sites to gaining WASC accreditation. She is a rare gem.

Since it would be impossible to conceive that everyone learns exactly the same way at the same rate at the same time, home schooling is a long-term answer to meeting the goal of "no child left behind." With school overcrowding, teacher lay-offs and more budget cuts looming on the horizon, home schooling is looking more and more attractive to many parents. And one can only assume the local school district breathing a sigh of relief that the hundreds of home schooled children in each district are not adding to the already over-burdened system.

Home schooling is here to stay, and we are grateful we live in an era and climate where it is acknowledged and encouraged. Even during casual contacts with the public, our family receives nothing but "thumbs up" encouragement from people who know and see the beneficial outcomes of home schooling.

NAME: Lorinda Sevenans
GROUP: Teacher/parent
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ramona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego County
I have taught in both traditional public and private schools before coming to Julian Charter School in August 2001. I have also homeschooled my own children (7) for the past 21 years, with 6 more years to go! I have taught in Montessori schools (both public and private) and my master's thesis was on multi-age education. I find that as a teacher, and a parent, I believe that Julian Charter is the best of all worlds. Each student's education plan is individualized for optimum education. Large families can adapt the same science and social studies subjects to fit all their children and still have mom be able to keep her sanity by not having to oversee and teach 5 different sciences/social studies. Something I have noted over the years is that by the time most homeschooled children reach high school age they are very independent learners and need only guidance from mom and their educational facilitator. They have learned how to learn! (One of my personal goals for my children.)

As our school continues to expand we are able to offer more group classes and activities and thus create a community for our families. One of my students who attended sixth grade camp this year has made a new friend and they continue to meet both online and in person. The organized field trips have been enjoyed by whole families, thus bringing the children and parents into fellowship with people from different geographical areas and cultures.

The families enjoy having the freedom to personalize their students' education while at the same time knowing that there is professional assistance when needed. They appreciate the accountability they have to our school and know that is helping to keep their child on track with his/her education. They also value that accredited high school diploma when college application time begins!

As a teacher, I have found that the personal relationship I develop with the parents and all the siblings helps both me and the family to create a learning environment for the student. I know what is going on "at home" with a child and how that might affect his/her educational experience. I come to know the weaknesses and strengths of my families and that allows me to better serve the student. I know which families need more attention, encouragement, and time from me to keep them on track. Personally, I enjoy working with the parents and helping them become better educators of their own children. No one will ever care more about a child than the parents and I believe that our school helps the parents, not only to teach their children, but also to keep a strong, united family, something needed in our current society.

I plan to continue teaching with Julian Charter as long as they will have me. I believe I have found the best setting for my professional career and my child's education.

NAME: Amy Wilhite
GROUP: Parent/teacher
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We have just completed our second year with Julian Charter School. Julian provides a unique opportunity for our family to educate our 6 year old at home. My husband and I feel strongly about the importance of "book learning" and "life learning". Julian Charter provides this for us. It affords us the ability to provide a strong educational environment for our son while maintaining our strong family base. We have been supported in our desire to educate using The Well Trained Mind, a classical educational approach.

Julian Charter School has assigned a wonderful Education Facilitator (EF) to oversee our son's education. Our EF is there to offer suggestions, answer questions, and marvel in the learning that takes place on so many different levels when done in the safety and comfort of a home environment. Our EF has become a welcomed friend within our family. We look forward to his monthly visits.

Being able to select our own curriculum for our son's use is a highlight of Julian Charter School's program for our family. It has given us an opportunity to use traditional textbooks, workbooks, and more hands-on learning tools (history treasure chests, butterfly pavilion, Root Vue garden). We have the ability to fine tune our son's education based upon his particular needs or interests. Our son has excelled in the Julian Charter School program and is experiencing the joys of learning. He is not confined to a 8 am - 2 pm learning environment. He learns all day long, seven days a week.

We are grateful for Julian Charter School and the opportunities we have been afforded with their program.

NAME: Anonymous
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Julian Charter School (JCS)
CITY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
My child was failing in high school. Because of the crowded environment, my child was not getting needed attention.
I'm so proud of the change after being with JCS. What a relief for me and my child!

NAME: Angela Brown
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
Continued academic progress was made as well as personal physical progress due to the extracurricular classes that were made possible by the school's funds for my child.

NAME: Rebecca Byers
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Lakeside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
Dehesa's program has helped me better understand my children's learning needs and become closer to them. It has allowed a flexible class time which freed up our schedule for more field trips and more hands-on learning. My children love home school and dread the thought of going back to traditional school.

NAME: Debbie Schwendinger
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: El Cajon
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I am the mother of seven homeschooled children, all with very diverse learning styles. Thanks to the personalized learning available through our charter school, I have been able to address each individual learning style and meet their educational needs and interests. My oldest son was ready for a challenge, so he was able to take dual enrollment classes at a Jr. College. This June he graduated from high school a year ahead of schedule and with 17 college credits. My 12 year old daughter works fast, but can sometimes make many careless errors. We found courses on CD Rom which she enjoys, but which will only accept exact answers. Her work is now more careful and precise. My 14 year old son doesn't really enjoy doing his work on a computer, but we found an Algebra Course on video that he understands and enjoys. My seven year old daughter loves to read and do "hands-on" projects. Next year we will be using a literature based unit study she is already excited about!

I have five year old twins that will be starting kindergarten at home in the Fall. They are as different as night and day, but with personalized learning, I am confident that their learning needs (along with the future needs of their two year old brother) will be met.

NAME: Marie Autrey
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Alpine
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
Brooke's personalized educational experience has been extremely successful. When Brooke excels in one area, she can move quickly, seeking challenges which engage her and allow her to explore above grade-level concepts without having to stop for classmates who might not be able to maintain the same pace.

Conversely, when she runs into subjects which confuse or slow her down, she has the freedom to practice the new concepts until she has mastered them, never having to feel as if she's behind. Thus, both her self-confidence as a learner and her skills are stronger.

NAME: Diana Petersen
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chula Vista
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I love the Personalized Learning model of education so that my children and I can choose something that interests them. My charter school backs me up with resources to help us meet our needs. This is the best way to go!

NAME: Brenda Thomas
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Lemon Grove
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
Dehesa Charter School and my educational facilitator, Charles Schector, are a godsend to my third-grader and me. They have allowed me to educate my son at his own pace and through educational vehicles (subjects) that interest and challenge him. He is doing a tremendous job!

NAME: Erica Sanchez
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Dehesa Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: La Mesa
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
Choosing curriculum and literature that interest my children, changing teaching styles and methods to meet individual needs, and spending consistent one-on-one time with each child to monitor progress are just a few of the many benefits of Personalized Learning. My older daughter is more self-directed and will finish a chapter book in a few days and announce, "mom I just read Heidi" (condensed version!). She is in 2nd grade--and then we do a book report or project on that particular book. My younger daughter needs more direction and freedom--to stand if she is fidgety, or stop a subject if she is tired, etc.

A large part of our learning occurs in the car or around the lunch/dinner table or just sitting in the backyard when all the children (toddlers included) feel free to ask questions about a whole range of topics! Homeschooling--because of the sheer amount of time we spend together as a family--allows us to answer those questions!! Talk about "personalized" learning!!

NAME: Deborah Woo-Ming
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
The Classical Academy is one place that I feel that I can personally be involved in his education. I am able to see what he is learning as well as how well he is learning it.

NAME: Aloha Fontanilla
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We are truly Blessed to have found Classical Academy when we moved to Escondido last May. Not working full time gave me a chance to realize that we can be a part of our children’s education. I believe that the Classical Academy provides personalized learning opportunity for my student and give me the freedom to guide, learn and warm, fun and flexibility. Education is an important part of our lives that makes our future leaders. Thank you Classical Academy for being part of our children’s education!

NAME: Abby Fischbeck
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I came to the Classical Academy because I wanted to be more involved in my children’s education. I am able to work alongside the teachers in the classroom and am still able to have freedom to work at our own pace. My children love being at home three days of the week in a comfortable environment at home with mom.

NAME: Cyndie Jackson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I came to the Classical Academy because I needed accountability. Someone to tell me what I am doing right or wrong. When it needs to be done by. Provide the right curriculum for each of my children. To also have the extra time to work on behavior, attitude and how to be a child that shows kindness and love to their peers. The staff and leaders have a heart and passion for each student and the education that they give to them.

NAME: Anonymous
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
After home schooling my children, one for six years, I’ve found the Classical Academy a welcome change. It provided the kind of flexibility and structure that were important to me. I’ve found the program user-friendly and all of the “extras” such as Friday labs have truly been a blessing.

NAME: Sabrina Gese
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I needed to try something new. The Classical Academy allows me to teach my children with flexibility and structure. This should be a model for every other school on our area! The staff has always been encouraging and extremely helpful with every challenge along the way.

NAME: Tom Jakovac
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I am a very happy parent of a first grader (our second year at T.C.A.) here at the Classical Academy. I have no complaints whatsoever and have all praise for a school that approximates the disciplines, academics, and courtesies of schools in my day.

NAME: Sako & Alberta Agyan
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
T.C.A. has offered us strong academics, character development, and accountability with our home school choice. We deeply appreciate the quality curriculum and arts used at T.C.A., not to mention the teaching staff is resourceful, encouraging, and kind. At T.C.A. we have the best of both worlds, close involvement with our children at home and with the community at T.C.A.

NAME: Ann & Qi As
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We have been with several homeschool supporting programs before we found TCA. TCA is the best charter school which fits our needs. First of all, TCA provided an excellent program, a strong support, and a great flexibility for both home school teachers and home school students. Secondly, TCA offers a wonderful school life for home school students. Finally, TCA allows parents to combine their philosophy with the TCA’s. We really love TCA. Our kids also love TCA so much.

NAME: Christine Lyster (Santos)
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I am extremely pleased with the program at The Classical Academy. The combination of workshop and home time is ideal. As a parent, I am able to work closely with my child 3 days per week, instilling our family values. He also gets exposure to a structured learning environment on workshop days. His teacher appears aware of his strengths and weaknesses and he has responded very positively to her guidance. The personalized learning ha his charter school makes possible is invaluable for my child. My son has been at other schools and nothing compares to this type of program.

NAME: Athena McGinn Runner
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Carlsbad
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We chose The Classical Academy’s Charter School for our 5th grade son in order to provide a challenging curriculum for him. We are able to adjust the lessons to meet his high academic needs. He’s doing 7th grade math and pulling straight A’s. We couldn’t be more thrilled with TCA.

NAME: Lee Threlkeld
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Vista
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We chose The Classical Academy because we were hopeful our children would receive a better education in a safe environment. This program has exceeded our expectations- the teachers, the administration, the curriculum, the extra-curricular activities are all high quality. We believe our children’s educational experience at TCA will benefit them for years to come. We appreciate the effort by all the school staff in providing an alternative, improved educational program.

NAME: Cathy Mitchell
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Valley Center
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I like the Classical Academy and charter schools because the curriculum is organized and sequential. The teachers assess the students and know exactly which level work my child should have. I also like the fact that there are different levels of expectations according to each child’s abilities-I love knowing exactly what my child is to learn in each packet. The objectives are communicated clearly. I can say that teachers here are concerned regarding character development as well as academics-

NAME: Harvey Mitchell
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Valley Center
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I like Charter Schools because they provide a quality program that allows my student to excel without distractions of a regular public school. The educators are dedicated to their work and appear to take an interest in all the children. Parents are allowed to participate in their child’s education without criticism from the professionals.

NAME: Paul & Mutsuko Robinson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
The Classical Academy offers a wide variety of enrichment classes that we as home school parents could not offer our children. Most charter school parents are serious about their children getting a good education and send them to school with a proper learning attitude. Thus, less discipline and more learning takes place. We are able to concentrate on academics one-to-one with each child at home. The state legislators should figure out a way to reward charter schools that produce such fine results and scores instead of penalizing them because of a few fraudulent charter schools. TCA has exceeded our expectations in providing a quality enrichment program to enhance our home school efforts.

NAME: Cathy Nelson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ramona
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I came to Classical Academy because of high recommendations from friends. We have particularly benefited from the labs and the funds given us for extra curricular activities. These have enabled our kids to be involved in musical theatre, choir, art classes and athletics. Between the well organized curriculum and these wonderful extras we feel our kids are receiving a top-notch education.

NAME: Mo Johnson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Carlsbad
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I came to TCA because I wanted to stay home with my kids and I wanted a quality education for them. When I compare TCA curriculum with Vista public schools (1st grade), I am amazed what my daughter is learning and retaining. Our neighbor kids aren’t even exposed to Ancient Civilization or the depth of language comprehension that my daughter(s) are experiencing. Thank you TCA!

NAME: Michelle Stanley
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Vista
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I believe the Classical Academy provides personal learning opportunities for my child. It allows me the time to pursue interests and talents we might not have time to otherwise explore, such as guitar, sign language, theatre and science. I enjoy the ability to challenge my child academically, as well as the flexibility of flowing her curiosities. The staff at TCA is so supportive and enthusiastic. I really wouldn’t choose another school.

NAME: Bob Goode
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Oceanside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
The Classical Academy is a quality program & I believe T.C.A. provides personalized learning opportunities for my children & gives me the freedom to enjoy working with the professional team of educators to enhance the quality of my educating skills at home & outside of school.

NAME: Susan O’Donnell
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I believe the Classical Academy provides a personalized leaning opportunity for my children and gives me the freedom to alter the curriculum according to the needs of each child I teach. I’ve enjoyed the Classical Academy’s teachers who have directed our studies by answering questions and giving creative tools for my teaching.

NAME: Valine Jaurezui
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We came to The Classical Academy because we wanted a classical homeschool education. I had homeschooled on my own with great success in some areas and holes in others. I love the structure, the high academic standards and the balance TCA provides. We are so happy here. We have been here since the beginning and we plan to stay. We are very grateful for TCA!

NAME: Naomi Kerr
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I needed to see improvement with my daughter’s education. She needed one on one that public schools didn’t provide. I like the school's personalized learning program because it gives my daughter the opportunity to be at ease and take things at her own pace. This program gives me the freedom to always know what she’s doing. It gives me the freedom to spend more quality time with her. If you want your child to get personalized help this is the way to go. The staff at TCA makes me feel extremely confident in all they believe in and teach.

NAME: Sandra A Coleman
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
Our family wanted the flexibility of a blended classroom and home school environment for our child. TCA offers a wider variety of curriculum choices, and families are wonderfully involved in their children’s education. FREEDOM of choice is important to us. We are able to tailor curriculum to maximize the learning potential of my child in areas of his strengths and spend more time on challenging areas. TCA demonstrates a sincere concern about meeting the needs of my child.

NAME: Diana Teas
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
The Classical Academy has allowed us to be in full contact with our son’s education. My husband and I both contribute what we excel in. He has had excellent teachers, especially Ms. Coe, whom have guided us in the areas we need assistance in. The curriculum is well planned and flexible for personal needs. The Friday labs have been an added enrichment time.

NAME: Richard Starr
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
The Classical Academy offers our children the best of both worlds. They are taught by experienced, knowledgeable and well-trained professional educators. These teachers are expert at utilizing both their own classroom skills and the intensive, one-on-one training that only a parent can provide.

NAME: Kim and Dave Schall
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: San Marcos
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
My daughter’s first comment about TCA was this: “Mom, I think homeschoolers are nicer than regular kids!” My daughter learns more in less time. She has time for her brothers and sisters. We (mom and daughter) have “our time,” a special gift.

I wanted a safe, warm environment for my middle school aged daughter to learn in. TCA's program gives structure and wonderful alternatives to the status quo in education. I am able to teach and instill fundamentals in education with my child, and TCA's personalized learning approach is changing my daughter’s life in a wonderful way. TCA staff has helped provide the curriculum that I want for my daughter.

NAME: Krista Webster
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Carlsbad
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I came to the Classical Academy because the evidence is in the performance of the students and the dedication of the staff. My son has been challenged and it is wonderful to see him rise to meet his learning experience with confidence.

NAME: Tracy Qua
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Valley Center
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I like charter schools because it gives me the freedom to home school and also have my child attend classes twice a week. I enjoy having a large part in my child’s education and the Classical Academy gives me that freedom.

NAME: Melissa Garza-Vansant
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Oceanside
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I came to the Classical Academy because a mother of three who had been a part of several home school programs throughout the county in her 10 years as a home schooler recommended it highly. I stayed for the past two years because the curriculum is of a superior standard yet flexible enough for individualism. Another reason for staying is that even as a “Track-C” family, the interaction with the Classical Academy Staff is extremely personal and family friendly. I can’t imagine schooling without this fantastic system!

NAME: Gerard Tanksley
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Encinitas
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
We drive thirty minutes each way to take our children to (The Classical Academy) charter school. Not because our local public school is bad but because the Classical Academy is that good. We really appreciate the values, commitment and professionalism of the educators and staff, the quality and breathy of the education, the freedom and creativity and the diversity of the children and families, our partners in the education of our children together.

NAME: Patti Strout
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
I love the flexibility of C track which enables me to choose curriculum geared to address the specific weak areas or strong interests of my child. He enjoys being treated as a unique individual instead of one of a large group of students that the teachers must engage in specific curriculum steps irrespective of each one’s readiness or lack thereof. I am also very impressed with every staff member I have met, whether teacher or support personnel.

NAME: Charleen Miller
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
The Classical Academy fulfilled my needs for a strong academic curriculum with flexibility in working ahead in math and language. Two of my children have attended for 4 years and we are extremely pleased with the educational excellence of the school.

NAME: Diana Abamowski
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
Prior to TCA opening I had decided to home school. Yet I wasn’t looking forward to the isolation I thought would come with that decision. I hoped and prayed for another alternative. TCA fit the bill. It gave us the best of both worlds. We have been with TCA since the beginning and have felt confident in referring many others. Others who have (ineligible)-are now with TCA. What a wonderful testimony-everyone working together. It works.

NAME: Paula Lamey
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: The Classical Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Escondido
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: San Diego
The Classical Academy, with its professional team of educators, offers a rare, quality program for my child. I also have the utmost respect for the executive and administrative teams for putting it all together for us. TCA offers the best of both worlds! With two workshop days and three “at home” days, my child’s academic, teamwork, and social needs are exceeded. It is beyond my wildest dreams to have and enjoy the flexible programs with added enrichment and parent trainings that allow us to give our children a first rate education.

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Santa Cruz County

NAME: Denise Anderson (12th grade son)
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
The reason why I chose Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School for my son is because of its' location and unique environment that offers on-site workshops / classes, independent study, and home school components. Because of these components Coast Redwood continues to stay small enough for better one-on-one teaching and learning ratio.

My son was lost in a large comprehensive / traditional school which affected his whole-being. Coast Redwood has allowed him to find new ways in which to learn. He is now accepting of his differences as well as those around him. The most important aspect of Coast Redwood is its' on-site classes. This track has provided my son with an education, wonderful guidance and on-site instruction that fit his unique learning style. He would not have received such care in a traditional system anywhere else.

Because of the caring teachers and unique program my son will finish high school and graduate with a diploma. If it had not been for Kay Mendoza, my son would have quit school all together. We are very thankful and grateful for all the staff at Coast Redwood. Their complete acceptance of teens who don't fit in the "box" and their ever upbeat "you can do this" attitude, as well as their incredible teaching theories are and will be essential for years to come. Thank you!

NAME: Linda Perkins
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ben Lomond
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
I chose SLVUSD because of the philosophy and the caring teachers. The classes available to the students are incredible and probably one of the most important aspects for our family. These classes and activities allow the students to learn wonderful new things and in most cases inspire them to become more interested in the world around them. These classes focus on things that we parents can teach them!

My 3 children have all grown tremendously over the 5 years we've been homeschooling with this program. My children have learned things I would never have been able to teach them myself. Most importantly they all feel like they belong and have so many great friends. I couldn't ask for more. The fact that my children are different and unique is valued and nourished, not restricted and forced to change to fit in!

NAME: Susan Fair
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Scotts Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
For our family, the primary purpose of schooling at home is to allow us maximum flexibility in meeting the intellectual, emotional, and social needs of our children. Our choice to join the Charter 25 program came as our oldest son, then eight years old expressed a desire to begin taking classes, especially if he could do that with friends of his who were already in the program. Since then, we have opted to remain in the program as he has continued to enjoy the educational and social aspects of his involvement in the program. Last year, when our younger son became Kindergarten age, he too wished to begin taking classes. This he has done with relish. The variety in types of classes, groups, activities, and field trips offered by this program is just right for our family. Each of our children has found classes and activities, which are richly educational and compelling, to them. They respect, enjoy, and are attached to their teachers. They love the program, look forward to new blocks of classes through the year, and wait anxiously hoping they will get in to their top choices.

The classes are the most essential part of the program for us. Second to these are teacher support and group activities. The specific format of this program provides our children with educational activities that are intellectually stimulating and skill building. Through participating in a variety of offered classes, they have been able to explore possible interests, interact with different groups of students (of a range of ages, which we also highly value) in a structured setting, meet and learn from teachers who have different styles and demonstrate expertise in many areas. Through this participation, they have learned and continue to learn about themselves, about their strengths and weaknesses, about their interests and special abilities. They are also inspired to expand on what they learn in classes, to work on related academic skills, and to find new ways to form friendships. If this program did not exist we would withdraw our children from the district and pursue other means of providing learning experiences tailored to the needs of our sons.

NAME: Trudi James
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ben Lomond
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
I chose SLVUSD charter school because it offers independently structured curriculum, a more forgiving social environment, and incredible flexibility for life's curves. My child feels encouraged and supported in her detailed studies which follow her interests and therefore have a more lasting impact on her growth. My child has an easier time learning in small groups. If this program did not exist I might finally give up on trying to support our public school system.

NAME: Karen Bleasdale
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Boulder Creek
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz

I chose SLVUSD charter school because of its mission statement. My children have teachers that believe in them and their ability to learn in their own unique way. They are learning freedom and responsibility first hand, and are exposed to a variety of adults sharing their passions.

NAME: Linda Fish
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD is the only program of its kind for all ages, including high school. It is essential to provide a structure which allows the student to be motivated to learn, intrinsically. We searched for over a year for a program like this, before we were able to finally join this program. Having a teacher who will conference in our home, who is supportive and interested in our student, as well as having classes, social events, and field trips available to broaden our student's experience in the community are essential components of this program. Our teacher supports our family (as well as my son) in our choice to educate at home. Having an alternative to the mainstream public school has given our son confidence, and grace, and a setting in which to learn complex ideas and skills that would have been out of his reach in a regular classroom setting. Teacher visits help our son to continue to grow and to reach for new levels of expertise.

NAME: Tiffany Salinas
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ben Lomond
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD gives us the freedom to follow my children's interests at their own pace. My children are able to select the activities they want to be involved in and can count on the teachers and other students to be attentive and respectful.

NAME: Laurie Mass
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Boulder Creek
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
We chose SLVUSD because of the classes, activities, and field trips. I get to homeschool my son, and he gets positive interactions with his peers in all of these wonderful education related activities.

NAME: Gail Helms
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Boulder Creek
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
I chose SLVUSD as an alternative to independent homeschooling. SLVUSD allows my son to enroll in classes and activities that are an integral part of his homeschool education. We could not afford these classes and activities on our own. The variety of classes/activities to choose from allows our homeschool experience to be about learning, growing, and trying new things. Rogan, at 11, has opportunities to connect with other homeschoolers in our own community. Also, as a boy entering puberty, classes like Judo provide him with the experience to center in his body, to think, to focus, and to have invaluable male role models in his life.

NAME: Becky Frybarger
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ben Lomond
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD allows us to be able to be more involved in educating our child by homeschooling, with the advantage of teachers support, activities and classes that we can not provide ourselves, and access to borrowing supplies, etc. It also provides us with the benefit for our child to be with children who have better social skills than the typical classroom. My child is free to study as his interests direct him and learn more happily the things he desires and the exposure to try other things that are not available through the traditional classrooms.

NAME: Lisa Arthur
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Scotts Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD provides support of homeschooled, community-based education, and a trust of our children's unfoldment. Our children are exposed to areas of education otherwise unavailable or unaffordable, and SLVUSD provides well rounded activities for balanced education. This program also provides us with the opportunity to meet and socialize with other homeschool families.

NAME: Jeanne Hatch
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ben Lomond
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD has managed to create a community of interactive, intelligent and supportive families; an almost idyllic update of a small town and a one-room schoolhouse. It is an environment in which our myriad of children are all respected, encouraged and can all find reward. The incredible depth and breadth of SLVUSD educators is a resource beyond measure.

For our family, SLVUSD provides incredible enrichment to the routine, skill-building we provide at home. We learn so much more by going, seeing and doing things than we do in a classroom with walls! My three enrolled children are different from each other in all ways but one--they are all very bright. SLVUSD's community patterned organization allows each child to grow, learn and build skills without the pressure, "tracking" and administrative emphasis which afflicts many public school programs.

NAME: Susan Harter
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
I chose SLVUSD's program for the classes and activities available for my children and the teacher support. SLVUSD provides my children with the opportunity to interact with others. It also provides them with the opportunity to learn and do things that I can't supply at home.

NAME: Jan Sturdivant
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD provides an environment that supports our kid's learning and socialization skills and interests, and also supports our family unit. Our children are able to hone their skills, learn new ones, and have a variety of forums to interact with others while learning new things. The regular public school system is not an option for my son.

NAME: Cindy Ferguson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
Through SLVUSD my children have an opportunity to learn from adults in the community who are willing to share their passion and expertise. They can study with a chess master, working artists or with an organic farming pioneer. These class offerings by SLVUSD are a fantastic incentive.

NAME: Vicki Jensen
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Lompico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD gives us the freedom to choose our level of participation and the opportunity to bond with whole families over many years. It is small enough to be personal. SLVUSD provides a tension-free way for my girls to learn and have a great deal of fun doing it. We like the small groups and individual attention. My girls have benefited by not being segregated by age. They have depended on the Fun Runs and Capture the Flag for great social play time!

NAME: Darlene Johnson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
I've been at SLVUSD since 1989. Five older children of mine have already passed through this school. I am familiar with the teachers, site administrator, secretary, and librarian. I like the choices of classes, activities, and enjoy the new classes added from time to time. I enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere than a traditional classroom-oriented school.

The fact that my children have time is one of the essential components of this program. They have time to 'think up' a project, whether it be an art project, play, a dance routine, a science project, or a math problem. They're not rushed from one subject to the next day after day. Consequently they are much less frustrated than many classroom-based children are. They also get to explore ideas and experiences not readily available to classroom-based students. They get to associate with many different ages of children. They aren't forced to hang out only with people their ages. They experience the consequences of their own motivations when they think up something to do with other children, both homeschoolers and traditional schoolers-and bring it to fruition.

NAME: Brenda Leach
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Boulder Creek
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
We really appreciate the deep philosophy of trust inherent in every aspect of SLVUSD's homeschool program. The teachers are deeply supportive of our philosophy. We find that in this community of respect, great relationships can grow, and exploring different interests is promoted. Since our premise is to follow our children's interests, it is essential that they have choice in the agenda of their education, and having many choices is extremely important to us.

NAME: Heather Fraser
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Boulder Creek
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
We chose SLVUSD's program for the flexibility to choose classes that are of interest to my child. The children can choose what they are interested in, which is the best way for them to learn. The teachers are always available for as much guidance as you want! Having classes to supplement and inspire my children's learning is an essential component of this program. My children are inspired and love to learn!

NAME: Ellen Fraser
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ben Lomond
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
My children have blossomed through SLVUSD's program! There is a beautiful social atmosphere for my children to grow and learn, and there are wonderful teachers and classes.

NAME: Valri Castleman
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Boulder Creek
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD enables my son to choose his activities and my resource teacher provides great input for our home curriculum. There is a wide variety of choices of classes and the number and diversity of activities that add much needed social time to our homeschooling regime. Our lives have been enriched by this program. Kendall loves homeschooling and it works for our family.

NAME: Karen McCormick
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Lompico
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
We've been involved in SLVUSD for many years, starting with our older kids. The classes and activities are very important for Ashoka. They are great! They give Ashoka constant involvement with the other kids, as well as learning unique skills that we can't teach him.

NAME: Stacey Hart
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Boulder Creek
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD is friendly to newcomers, structured in a more homeschool tradition, and offers excellent educational opportunities like Archery and Sewing that I wouldn't be able to offer on my own. The library has great resources, and the teachers help me to figure out what and how to teach my child.

NAME: Susan Morin
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Soquel
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
The teacher's wisdom at SLVUSD is phenomenal! The kids love the classes. Their interest and enthusiasm for homeschool in this program is exceptionally high. We have interviewed 20 programs and picked this one for the teachers, classes, and activities. My children have benefited with high self-esteem, are self-secure, independent, and able to take on their own studies. Children have space and support by parents and teachers to have time to work out conflicts and have positive results.

NAME: Sherry Carlsen
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
This charter school program was a blessing for us, an opportunity for Terryk to be a success instead of a problem child both for other kids and the teachers. Terryk has had many problems in public school since kindergarten. He was overwhelmed by the big classes, the strict structures, and required much more attention than the public school could offer. Because of this fact he was considered more of a problem for students and teachers. His self-esteem, emotional health, and physical health was greatly affected. The charter school has offered him a chance to shine, to feel good about himself, and be a success!

The smaller classes, the hands-on learning, and flexibility to cater to each child's personal needs from the standpoint of where each child is in their own growth has been essential and made a huge difference in how Terryk feels about himself and his excitement about true learning. The personal attention, the one on one contact both at school and home with teachers who have the time and really care has also been essential, and well as the mix of ages of kids, the variety of creative classes, and the excitement of learning.

Terryk's health has improved so much since he has been out of public school and feels better about himself. He loves school now instead of always being sick or in trouble. He has found his strong points and has been able to pursue his incredible musical and artistic talents. He is able to feel part of a community that accepts him and encourages him to be the best person that he can.

NAME: Judy Paulson
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD offers exactly what my child needs--flexibility to enjoy numerous activities and classes while being able to engage in activities at home and in the community. All this without the requirement of being in a site classroom at a specific time for a certain number of hours. The ability to choose from a wide array of activities meets our family's needs. Our daughter has developed a wide spectrum of interests as a result of the classes and activities offered through SLVUSD. The variety of students within each given class/activity keeps interest levels high as the opportunity exists to meet new people all the time.

NAME: Anne-Marie Kaelin
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Scotts Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
We chose SLVUSD because we wanted to homeschool our children and had heard from reliable sources that this was the best homeschool program in the area. We have continued in this charter school because of the fabulous results we are seeing. We are convinced it is the best program for our children. Curriculum is enriched by classes, activities, etc., that we might not be able to do on our own. Teacher-family relationships provide support, guidance and reinforcement.

NAME: Leisl Herle
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ben Lomond
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
SLVUSD is well-run, organized, requires minimal paperwork, has a friendly staff, and a close-by facility. It offers our favorite classes: Camp Joy, swimming, climbing, clay, and Spanish. Our children have benefited through broadening their kindergarten experiences, learning to work in a group, meeting and interacting with other children, and learning new skills and languages.

NAME: Susan Kipping
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
We chose SLVUSD because of community, and because I want my child to be educated! Through SLVUSD my daughter is healthy, growing, free, and with a true grasp of her visions and thoughts.

NAME: Myra Angel
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
The flexibility provided by SLVUSD is extremely important. Our charter school has four excellent teachers who are supportive of my daughter's academic choices. The quality of outside instructors who teach in their areas of expertise is also very high. The variety of classes offered is very important as well. Teachers are responsive to student and parent input. My daughter's stress level has decreased significantly since leaving the traditional classroom environment. She's a much happier person and her creativity is nurtured.

NAME: Kim Meier
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
I chose SLVUSD because of the loving staff and faculty. We find that our relationship to Tom, our teacher, is the pivotal part of our experience at SLVUSD. What support, interest, and concerns he brings to us to help to shape our non-traditional learning life! I can't begin to measure the benefits! Tom is one of the primary adult men who help shape the boys' lives.

NAME: Ruth Cross
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
I was very drawn to the amount and quality of classes offered through SLVUSD. Also, my friend was so enthusiastic about her first year with SLVUSD that I was sold on trying it for our family. The classes offer a wonderful (much needed) opportunity for socialization and specialized learning. Fred (our teacher) has been an outstanding support and source of information.

NAME: Walda Green
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: SLVUSD Homeschool Program Title 1
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Ben Lomond
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz
I chose SLVUSD because of the teacher support and classes and activities available. The teacher/family connection helps build confidence and a comfortable outlook towards our task of educating. My children have benefited from the classes and activities. These provide a positive atmosphere for learning and socializing. They have made long-term friendships with families with our same hopes and ideas for our children.

NAME: Joni Bella
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
Our charter school is of value to our family because we are part of a group of people that the standard comprehensive high school, with its time structure and curriculum structure, does not work for our children. Without this charter program, our teenage children would have become a drop-out statistic. Coast Redwood High School, a site-based, independent contract study and home school program allows for our children to become successful high school graduates. Because Coast Redwood sits on the San Lorenzo Valley High School (SLVHS) campus, (a school within a school), Coast Redwood has tremendous value to SLVHS. Coast Redwood maintains a relationship by which students may mainstream back to the comprehensive high school if and when they are ready, or given the choice to stay in alternative education. The relationship also allows for alternative education students to maintain their friendships with mainstream friends. No labels are attached. Our community also benefits when seeing how well two programs ,differing in philosophies can work so well in producing healthy, intelligent and competent individuals who will contribute to their community positively.

Coast Redwood has been of immense help to my teenage son and daughter. Our children being enrolled in this Personalized Learning Program, has brought stability to our family and home. Our children have discovered how they learn best and now are enrolling in community college courses. Both our son and daughter now understand the purpose of an education.

NAME: Kathy Kumamoto
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School offers an opportunity to learn in an environment that respects each child's individuality. The teachers allow each child to learn at their pace, in a way that is most effective for them. Coast Redwood offers flexibility in learning that is not present in the public comprehensive school system in our area. The teachers instill respect between student and teacher, student and student, and student to community that I just haven't seen in the comprehensive system. I believe that is a direct result of the large classroom atmosphere comprehensive schools are faced with. I also believe the respect comes from the acknowledgment that we all learn differently. Stepping out of the "box" is very healthy.

Coast Redwood High School, like every high school, has a variety of kids who embrace certain lifestyles. Excusing the "labels", there are the "cowboys," "Goths," "computer geeks," "artists," "athletes," "introverts," "extroverts," etc. The wonderful component of Coast Redwood High School is that all these kids get to know each other. There are no "cliques" at Coast Redwood. The teens learn respect of lifestyles, learning abilities and of personality differences. Many of these teens wouldn't be caught dead seen with each other on a comprehensive high school campus because their peers would ostracize them. Bottom line, Coast Redwood High School teaches among many outstanding topics, acceptance and tolerance. A valuable lesson.

NAME: Carolee Cole
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School / SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
Coast Redwood High School has put back the sanity into our daughter's life. The teachers honestly and compassionately care about their students as individuals and work closely with each to bring out their best efforts. What I like as a parent is Coast Redwood's "thinking outside of the box." Many kids need to be their authentic self and Coast Redwood's style of Personalized Learning helps each student to achieve this goal. Our community and society as a whole need children with their spirits intact, to be ready to help our world become a loving and caring universe. With the charter school program in place in our community and great teachers at Coast Redwood High School in place, we have a chance for a more understanding and fair world. Personalized Learning rocks!

NAME: Mary
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
The value of Coast Redwood High School to SLVUSD is that it keeps students in school and in the district. As a former superintendent told me many times, "Not everyone fits into a box in a box." Choices are always a good thing as long as the alternate choice "works" and Coast Redwood High School "works." This program allows students and their families some control over their education yet keeps them working toward the ultimate goal of earning a diploma. Every student enrolled in the program has a different reason for being there but the same goal - a quality education. However, one thing is absolutely clear. If Coast Redwood High School did not exist, all of these students would be in a private school, a different district, or at home on a R-4. All of these choices lead to lost revenue for the district.

NAME: Debbie
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School / SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
I don't know what I would do if it weren't for the teachers and Coast Redwood High School. Even though my daughter hasn't attended any of the on-site workshops and is on the Independent Study Contract track, she feels she has a school she can call "hers" even though she has her own personalized learning plan which she works on at home. My daughter has suffered from agoraphobia for years. This has hindered her from acquiring an education that is meaningful. While she is working on all of her typical 10th grade requirements, she is also found learning the Hawaiian language and culture incredibly interesting. If it weren't for the teachers at Coast Redwood and their insight into individualized learning, my daughter would have dropped out of school. No other district had a program that allowed for home school opportunities. She is reading so much more than she ever did before. Prior to enrolling at Coast Redwood High School, we had transferred her to two other districts who simply explained to us that if she didn't attend, she would fail. The SLVUSD Charter Program supports our daughter, recognizes our daughter's medical phobia and her learning style. She is finally flourishing in her education.

UPDATE:

My daughter, currently an 11th grader, has continued the process and healing to overcome her agoraphobia, audits two courses at the comprehensive high school, attends high school student activities, and is progressing towards graduating on time through Coast Redwood High School. Thanks you to all the teachers and to the SLVUSD Charter School for providing a Personalized Learning Program to our children.

NAME: Jennifer
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
Last year we enrolled our 14 year old son in Coast Redwood High School as a freshman. Coast Redwood has been a very good placement for our son. He would not have faired well in a comprehensive high school. With his sensitivity and shyness in addition to his learning challenges, he would have had a very hard time in mainstream school. Yet at Coast Redwood High School with his high intelligence and learning challenges, he can work at his rate of speed on projects. He is given plenty of latitude of how he accomplishes his projects. My son may charge ahead in the areas he is strong in and obtain valuable help in the areas he is weak in without standing out. The teachers at Coast Redwood High School provide a safe, nurturing and a comfortable learning environment with the support needed for these very talented and extraordinary teens. Coast Redwood High School is a valuable asset to the SLV Unified School District.

UPDATE:

Our son is a sophomore and is learning so much! He attends both Japanese, Inquiry Science and Essay Writing Skills in addition to several independent study contracts to round out his 10th grade learning plan. We are soon leaving for a two month work trip to New Zealand where my son and our daughter will be immersing themselves in a rich culture. We look forward to his project presentation he will come home with. Without Coast Redwood, this opportunity would never been a reality for my son and for our family.

Hurray for Personalized Learning!

NAME: Laurie
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
Coast Redwood has been a safe, intellectually stimulating, eye opening, culturally diverse, warm, challenging and comfortable placement for my teenagers to continue with their studies as they entered their high school years. I think education as a gift we need to take hold of wherever we are, whether in school or not, for the good and the bad, positively and negatively. The more worldly and community-based possible, the better it prepares our children for the "real world" we hear so much about today.

I appreciate Coast Redwood challenging my children's safety nets, exposing them to the reality of mainstream high school, both socially and academically; and at the same time allowing them to continue and expand their own individual talents and visions, without the constraint of too many preset parameters.

This district is very unique in its population, geographical setting, and its forever-constant budget woes. Not all of our children fit into specific guidelines for learning. This is where Personalized Learning is such a concept and for us, a reality. We, as a society, desperately needs to preserve that by providing alternative opportunities for them to grow and expand into even more wonderful and productive members of our community. Without Coast Redwood High School, I don't know where our kids could have attended, still staying in the San Lorenzo Valley, without becoming bored, restless, and unchallenged. There are not a lot of alternatives for our teens in our area. Coast Redwood High School fills that void with an excellent personalized learning program.

NAME: W & J Tyler
GROUP: Parents
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
It is both a privilege and an honor to be able to express our feelings regarding the unique and outstanding program offered by Coast Redwood High School / SLVUSD Charter School. Our daughter is a sophomore at this school, and has benefited greatly from it. She was at serious risk of not pursuing her high school education.

At the time that we learned of Coast Redwood High School, we were contemplating a home school program for her, though it would have had a number of shortcomings. Because of Coast Redwood, we have been able to implement the home-based program with strong leadership, individualized as well as personalized instruction, and student-based pacing provided by experienced professional educators. Kay Mendoza, in particular, has acted as our daughter's educational counselor, career counselor, instructor, parent educator, parent liaison, and advocate. We are deeply grateful for the opportunities and strong support provided by Coast Redwood High School and its talented staff.

We are not alone. So many families are desperately seeking for high-quality alternatives for their teens/students who are for whatever reason, not fitting into a traditional high school format. We feel that this program is so important that the district should be making every effort to increase parental awareness of it. We have talked with numerous other families in situations similar to ours, and who are eager to involve their students in this type of program. Without Coast Redwood, our alternative would have a private (R-4) home school situation, without school district affiliation. With Coast Redwood, our daughter is
receiving a better education, in a format that promotes her success.

NAME: Dani
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
Each school district is encumbered with meeting a large number of expectations and goals. The San Lorenzo Valley, however, is an area unlike city or rural school districts because it is a bedroom community to Silicon Valley and an isolated valley. This makes it a mix of the extremes of society. It is a mix of technically oriented students whose parents contribute to the largest technology pool in the world, Silicon Valley. Then there are those students, whose parents are "jack-of-all-trades," who are barely getting by in these hard economic times. Many of these kids from these varying sides of life have difficulty fitting into the mold of public schooling and require more attention than available by these traditional methods. They may require more flexibility or simply less structured academia to spark their interest. Coast Redwood high School serves and supports these kids....the ones that can't quite buy into the ritual of "public school" but are not "disciplinary challenges" as those who are in need of a continuation high school atmosphere. Home school students can get what they need to begin their lives as young adults from the guiding hands of parents and the Coast Redwood High School Personalized Learning program teachers, and mentors. Without this alternative, it is my opinion that many students would be drifting in and out of high school. We value our
alternative education models we are fortunate to have in San Lorenzo Valley. We are no longer losing students in our Valley but gaining productive teens who learn to value their educational choices and learn to understand the purpose of an education. Personalized learning opens up these avenues.

NAME: M & C Simmons
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
Our son is a junior at Coast Redwood High School. We are strong believers in freedom of choice in education. Our son has been home schooled or attended alternative schools all his life. There are very few alternatives at the high school level. Coast Redwood has been a very good choice for him. As a district, San Lorenzo Valley shows great wisdom in supporting the alternatives and allowing people more choices.

Our son works on some subjects at home and he also attends workshops at Coast Redwood High School. He has received quality one-on-one and small group guidance and instruction from the teachers. The teachers and students are kind and respectful of each other. This only happens in a small group setting, where each student's unique gifts and talents can be honored and nurtured. The personalized learning model allows teens to grow as a human, emotionally and intellectually. Thank you Coast Redwood High School teachers, Kay Mendoza and Rina Natkin.

NAME: James Roel
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Coast Redwood High School - SLVUSD Charter School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Felton
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Santa Cruz County
For us, the alternative to the "cookie cutter" routine of public school, is, in and of itself, invaluable and priceless to say the least. The staff at Coast Redwood High School embraced the personalized learning philosophy and has made a program so helpful to students who think and learn outside of the box.

The very fact that each student is seen as an individual and draws attention individually for assistance amazes our family. Each students educational needs are addressed daily. For our son, his educational needs is and has been exact and obtainable.

It takes special educators who trust and have vision to recognize the special needs of so many students and Coast Redwood seems to meet that need in the San Lorenzo Valley. In addition, the staff has met my needs as a parent with their parent education piece and as a parent of a child who learns best in an alternative setting. These settings include home school, on-site workshops, and distance learning, all of which can be incorporated into my son's personalized learning plan. Bravo!

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Shasta County

NAME: Nicole Routon
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Shasta Home School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Millville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Shasta

I have witnessed unbelievable changes in my daughter and her academic abilities. We attended the (Shasta) homeschool program because my daughter was not doing well in conventional schools. She is now doing very well and currently has a GPA of 3.8, and we couldn't be happier. The entire staff and the Director have all worked with us and have shown that they care about their student's education. They're excellent with all of their students and we greatly appreciate their efforts. I can't reiterate enough how this program has changed my daughter's life and her academic goals.

NAME: April Talbott
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Shasta Secondary Home School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Redding
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Shasta

Since Kelly has started home school her study skills have improved. The amount of school work she actually completes has gone up. Her Star Test results were increased. Her overall attitude and outlook on school work is better. She is more focused and I have noticed this filter over into other areas of her life.

NAME: Audra Lane
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Shasta Secondary Home School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Redding
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Shasta

I enjoy being able to use our own curriculum for my daughter's education, having a classroom biology class, and her being able to take college classes concurrently.

NAME: France Cogle
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Shasta Home School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Anderson
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Shasta
My son, Hunter Cogle, was struggling as a Freshman. His grades were D's and F's. He hated school, yet he had been such a bright student, a voracious reader, in the G.A.T.E. class and smart as a whip. He had given up, dreaded classes, did not turn in work, lost all motivation and was so unhappy. He begged me to allow him to home school, however, we had reservations. We did enroll Hunter his Sophomore year with the understanding that he would go right back to his prior school if he did not hold up his end, complete assignments and improve his grades. Well, Hunter just graduated as a senior with 2 B's and the rest A's. Not only did he turn in all assignments, he excelled. He is happy, confident and shows responsibility and initiative. He has gotten great grades, learned so much in new areas, expanded his horizons and grown in maturity. This last year I barely monitored his work, he did all his own typing, research, is a whiz getting around the internet, his typing speed has gone from peck to about 55 wpm. Shasta Home school provided us a tremendous opportunity to let him shine, be nurtured, turn him from a square peg in a round hole into someone who fits in and is comfortable with his own self. The was just the grandest thing and we feel so very, very fortunate to have had this opportunity. While it might not be for everyone, it is awesome for others. Our facilitators and staff are warm and caring. Thank you for Personalized Learning Home Schools.

NAME: Pamela
GROUP: Parent/Relative
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Redding
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Shasta

Robert's reading tutor has helped him to reach beyond our expectations, rapidly.

NAME: Carrie
GROUP: Parent/Relative
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Redding
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Shasta

We absolutely love this program!!  The teachers get to know your child academically which helps when choosing proper curriculum.

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Sutter County
NAME: Jon and Belinda Chamness
GROUP: Parents
SCHOOL: CORE@ the Camptonville Academy
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Sutter

We have been homeschooling for six years now. This year we had the pleasure of watching our oldest daughter move on to the Marysville Academy of Performing Arts. She is taking Latin, Algebra 1, Physical Science, English, Ballet, Drama, History, and Native American History. In all of these classes she maintains an A. I know that this is a direct result of her homeschooling and the programs provided by Camptonville Academy. Samuel Krouse (our Education Facilitator) has been a major part of her success. We still have two children that are homeschooling and are looking forward to watching them succeed just as their sister has. Thank you!

NAME: Debbie Cunningham
GROUP: Parent and Teacher
SCHOOL: CORE@The Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Yuba City
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Sutter
Three years we decided that our son would be more successful academically at home than he was in a traditional classroom setting. It was a hard decision but the best decision we could have made. Our son struggled in school and had a hard time staying focused. Having him come home where there were less distractions and teaching him according to his learning style has made an incredible difference. Socially he has not wanted for anything. He has more time now than ever because he gets his work done during school and doesn't have to do homework all afternoon. I am thankful that not only can I be a parent of this wonderful model of teaching but also a teacher. I have seen students who were struggling surpass academic challenges they thought they never would achieve. On the other side of the coin I've seen students who excel be able to be challenged and move at a faster pace because they aren't being held back by others. Personalized learning is a wonderful alternative to the traditional classroom where students who would not have a chance to flourish otherwise, are given wings to fly in every developmental way.

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Tehama County

NAME: Bret and Terrie Runolfson
GROUP: Parents
SCHOOL: Shasta Home School
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Cottonwood
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Tehama

We have been involved with Shasta Secondary homeschool since it's conception.  This Charter has done a wonderful job at creating an education for children pertaining to their personal interest.  My daughter for example wanted to learn America Sign Language, a subject not offered through our public school district. She also wanted to move through school at a much faster pace than the rest of her class.  Shasta Secondary homeschool provided these and many other opportunities for her and our family.

Shasta Secondary homeschool has the state of the art facility, science lab, math lab and computer lab to foster your child's gifts, talent and personal interests. When we enrolled with Shasta Secondary homeschool, the whole family felt welcome to participate in choosing activities and learning opportunities.  Parents are actually part of the planning process and can help create the curriculum that will be best for your child.

Our daughter was able to graduate at sixteen and now we have a son enrolled.  He also has some personal learning objectives that the charter has been able to accommodate him with.

The decision to homeschool was a hard one for our family to make, but being involved with Shasta Secondary homeschool made it easy and gave us a sense of confidence that would have taken years to obtain.

Because of this type of education, my children enjoy learning.  I have seen my children make better choices because the choice was theirs; they have actually chosen to learn rather than being sent to an institution and being told they will.

We offer our accolades to Lynn Peebles for his vision and dream of creating this program in our community.  His has created an environment friendly for children so they can learn and achieve their dreams someday.

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Ventura County

NAME: Adelina M. Friedeborn
GROUP: Parent (Grandmother)
SCHOOL: On behalf of Eagles Peak
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Simi Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Ventura County
Dear Friends:

I am a proud grandmother of four bright and talented grandchildren. My daughter is a hard working home schooling mom, and she has done such a wonderful job in educating the children. I have seen for myself, the intellectual growth and maturity that has occurred from day one, when she first started the home schooling program with the children. I also have had a few opportunities to spend some time in helping them with their homework assignments when they have come to my home to visit with grandma and grandpa. I have noticed their attention to detail in completing their work and their concentration levels have improved greatly. They enjoy the challenges of learning and discovering the different ways of approaching and solving an answer in whatever subject they are studying. I have attended some of their field trips with them, whether it be a Museum, a zoo, or an art gallery, etc. I have enjoyed watching their eager curiosity in learning about many different subjects.

Because of this personalized home schooling method the children have gained much more insight to learning than they would otherwise in a classroom environment. I feel that the overcrowded school classroom environments are a setback and a disadvantage for the child's intellectual growth and development to learn. There is also too much stress that is placed on the child in hurrying them along to learn, because there are so many children for one teacher to have to contend with on a day to day basis. I feel that home schooling offers more to the child, educational-wise, builds a stronger character, gives the child more confidence and helps them to keep their self-esteem. I commend my daughter for her commitment and unselfishness in working so hard to offer the best education she can to her children. Our grandchildren are very happy that they have this opportunity to learn at home and they will benefit much from this experience in the future. I would recommend any parent who has the time and is willing to commit themselves whole heartedly to educating their children at home, to please try to do so, it is so very important, and it is so worth the effort. Sincerely, a very proud grandmother

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Yuba County

NAME: Julie M. Rohan
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Marysville
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Yuba County
I have a 12 year old that has been home schooled most of his life. I had him in public school for approximately one season and he experienced such things that should not be discussed from other children in his classes. Well, we have made much progress with personalized learning. He shows so much more interest in his school work. I am pleased as his teacher and parent with his scores that he receives. I see him trying to graduate early, and he can do that in this program without any trouble. His school work is so advanced for his age too, and he has no problems with dealing with it, and when he does, he has me right there one on one to deal with it together.

The school system is way too crowded and these poor children don't get any individualized attention and they need that for their own sake of moving onto the higher grades. I am very thankful that there is this program available for us so that we can make sure that our children aren't slipping through the cracks as they say today. I know for a fact that my child can read and write well and I also know that he is not going to be one that doesn't understand his work and have no one there to help him through it. I appreciate personalized learning.

NAME: Christine Sween
GROUP: parent and independent study teacher
SCHOOL: Camptonville Academy
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Browns Valley
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Yuba County
I have a unique role as a home schooling parent, I am also an independent study teacher with a Personalized Learning School. As a home schooling parent I know how important it is for me to have choices and flexibility to be able to do what is best for my children and as a teacher I have seen that flexibility and choice is important to other home schooling families as well.

I taught in traditional public school for eight years and decided when my oldest child was in kindergarten to bring her home and school her myself. It was the best decision that was ever made for my family. As a result of that decision, all of our children are currently schooling at home where they are thriving. Because of the various educational needs of my children and their different learning styles, we are able to tailor curriculum to what they specifically need to flourish academically.

I am so thankful that we, as Californians, still have the ability to choose what is best for our kids, but we need to ensure that we continue to have this most important freedom.

NAME: Susan Flemin
GROUP: Parent
SCHOOL: Camptonville
CITY OF RESIDENCE: Oregon House
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE: Yuba

My children are getting the best of both worlds through personalized instruction.  They have individual attention through through academic lessons and are able to speed ahead in all the subject areas with hours and hours of "play" time outside.  I place play in quotations because this time is also learning time.  They spend a great deal of time on our four acres building their tree fort and other contraptions.  Several times a week we attend classes at the resource center on subjects ranging from penmanship to P.E.  Here they are able to interact with other kids and a teacher who is not a relative;  they learn classroom skills.  In many ways I can already see my oldest (a first grader) catching up to his female cousin who is three years older.  She is a bright girl but doesn't have the advantage of all the learning opportunities of my children.