[Generic] Science Academy -
Copy, Paste, Fill in the Blank
November 19, 2010 last updated June 18, 2011
by C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S. - Citizens Against Special Interest Lobbying in Public Schools
When charter schools were first proposed, part of their appeal was the prospect of a system that would be more flexible, innovative, and responsive to local needs. Yet the network of Gulen charter schools, a de facto nationwide district, seems to based on little more than the continued replication of a template. Evidence is presented here that elements of a "Generic Science Academy" charter application are essentially being copied and pasted over and over across the country.
The first example below is a page that appears at the beginning of a student handbook. In the first picture, the page was copied from the elementary school handbook of Harmony Science Academy in Laredo, Texas. Notice how in two places the words "[School Name]" have not even been replaced with "Harmony Science Academy". The letter is signed by Omer Ozmeral. In the second picture, the page was copied from the student handbook of Lisa Academy in Arkansas. Again, the letter is signed by Omer Ozmeral, who served as Superintendent in both the Lisa and Harmony school chains, having dutifully performed the Gulenist "hijrah" (migration). In the third picture, the page has been copied from the charter application for Knoxville Charter Academy, a proposed Tennessee school. The remaining three pictures are copies from the student handbooks for Fulton Science Academy in Georgia, and two Illinois schools, the Chicago Math and Science Academy and Quest Charter Academy in Peoria. Notice how in all six cases, the phrasing is nearly identical.
Additional schools that used this exact same letter from the principal on the second page of their student handbook are:
- Nil Academy (private Gulen school in Toronto, Canada)
- Sweetwater Branch Academy (Gulen charter school in Florida)
- Dove Science Academy Tulsa (Gulen charter school in Oklahoma)
- Pioneer Academy of Science (private Gulen school in Chicago)
- Horizon Science Academy Denison (Gulen charter school in Ohio)
- School of Science and Technology Alamo (Gulen charter school in Texas)
- Brookside Frontier Math And Science School (Gulen charter school in Missouri) in their August 2009 newsletter
- Dushanbe International School (private Gulen school in Tajikistan) on school website
Harmony Science Academy Laredo - student handbook excerpt
Lisa Academy, Arkansas - student handbook excerpt
Knoxville Charter Academy, Tennessee - student handbook excerpt
Fulton Science Academy, Georgia - student handbook excerpt
Chicago Math and Science Academy - student handbook excerpt
Quest Charter Academy, Peoria, Illinois - student handbook excerpt
From east to west: another example
Another example of phrasing so similar it cannot be coincidental is provided by the following text pertaining to home visits:
From charter application for Hampden Charter School of Science, Massachusetts:
"During home visits, teachers will discuss student progress, programs, and planning; parents will provide priceless feedback and input and students, as a result, will improve both academically and socially"
From charter application for Pioneer Charter School of Science, Massachusetts:
"During home visits, teachers will discuss the student’s progress, programs, and planning; parents will provide priceless feedback and input, and students, as a result, will improve both academically and socially."
From charter application for Albuquerque School of Excellence, New Mexico:
"During home visits, teachers discuss student progress, school programs and planning; and parents provide invaluable feedback and input; thus students improve both academically and socially."
From charter application for Hampden Charter School of Science, Massachusetts:
"During home visits, teachers will discuss student progress, programs, and planning; parents will provide priceless feedback and input and students, as a result, will improve both academically and socially"
From charter application for Pioneer Charter School of Science, Massachusetts:
"During home visits, teachers will discuss the student’s progress, programs, and planning; parents will provide priceless feedback and input, and students, as a result, will improve both academically and socially."
From charter application for Albuquerque School of Excellence, New Mexico:
"During home visits, teachers discuss student progress, school programs and planning; and parents provide invaluable feedback and input; thus students improve both academically and socially."
California, Oregon, Colorado: more copy-paste
Nearly identical text pertaining to home visits appears in the charter applications for one of the Magnolia Science Academy schools, a Pacific Technology School, the attempted replication of Lotus School for Excellence in Longmont, Colorado, and a proposed Pioneer Technology Charter School in Oregon.
Magnolia Science Academy, California
"A. Home Visits
"Research has shown that one of the keys to successful teaching and schooling is creating personal connections with students inside and outside of school. Knowing the students' outside interests, families, and home routines, and then using this information to connect in meaningful, individualized ways can have huge rewards in helping to create happier, healthier, and smarter kids. Recognizing these facts, MSE made “Home Visits” as one of the important features of its education program to not only improve student and school performance, but also to identify and intervene early with low-achieving students.
"MSE teachers will visit students at their homes to enhance student learning and involvement. Family visits offer invaluable insights about students. They can provide new understanding about students' learning styles. Visits might also reveal the emotional and social needs and behaviors of students. It is helpful to know if they react to problems with tears, anger, or withdrawal, and how they socialize with peers. Through family visits, teachers can identify students' latest interests or concerns, such as a new hobby, an upcoming trip, or a change in the family. Teachers conducted more than 76% homes visits during 2008-2009 academic year at the existing Magnolia"
Pacific Technology School, California (application denied)
"C. Home Visits
"Research has shown that one of the keys to successful teaching and schooling is creating personal connections with students inside and outside of school. Knowing the students' outside interests, families, and home routines, and then using this information to connect in meaningful, individualized ways can have huge rewards in helping to create happier, healthier, and smarter kids. Recognizing these facts, PacTech made “Home Visits” as one of the important features of its education program to not only improve student and school performance, but also to identify and intervene early with low-achieving students.
"PacTech teachers will visit students at their homes to enhance student learning and involvement. Family visits offer invaluable insights about students. They can provide new understanding about students' learning styles. Visits might also reveal the emotional and social needs and behaviors of students. It is helpful to know if they react to problems with tears, anger, or withdrawal, and how they socialize with peers. Through family visits, teachers can identify students' latest interests or concerns, such as a new hobby, an upcoming trip, or a change in the family. More than 450 visits to student homes by teachers were conducted during 2007-08 academic year at the existing three Magnolia schools (total number of student homes is 550 and the total student population at three schools is 720). 225 of 276 student homes were visited at MSA-Reseda, some were visited twice."
Lotus School for Excellence at Longmont, Colorado (application denied)
"6.4.3. Home Visits
"Research has shown that one of the keys to successful teaching and schooling is creating
personal connections with students inside and outside of the school. Knowing the students' outside interests, families, and home routines, and then using this information to connect in meaningful ways can have huge rewards in helping to create happier, healthier, and smarter kids. Recognizing these facts, LSE at Longmont makes “Home Visits” as one of the important features of its education program to not only improve student and school performance, but also to identify and provide early intervention for low-achieving students.
"LSE at Longmont teachers will visit students at their homes to enhance student learning and
involvement. Family visits offer invaluable insights about students. They can provide new
understanding about students' learning styles. Visits might also reveal the emotional and social needs and behaviors of students. It is helpful to know if they react to problems with tears, anger, or withdrawal, and how they socialize with peers. Through family visits, teachers can identify students' latest interests or concerns, such as a new hobby, an upcoming trip, or a change in the family.
"These visits also benefit the parents since they will gain a better idea about the school's
educational policy. Through these meetings, closer cooperation between home and school can be achieved. Therefore, LSE at Longmont teachers will each be assigned a group of students. They will be responsible for following up with parents regarding their involvement with their students’ academic progress. They will arrange one visit to each student’s home and at least two extra meetings at school during the school year to discuss their students’ academic achievements. We believe that the parent-student-teacher triad will narrow the achievement gap between at-risk students and those who succeed by the current standard of assessments."
Pioneer Technology Charter School, Oregon (application denied)
"Home Visits
"Research has shown that one of the keys to successful teaching and schooling is creating personal connections with students inside and outside of school. Knowing the students' outside interests, families, and home routines, and then using this information to connect in meaningful ways can have huge rewards in helping to create happier, healthier, and smarter kids. Recognizing these facts, Pioneer made “Home Visits” as one of the important features of its education program for not only improve student and school performance, but also identify and early intervene low-achieving students.
"Pioneer teachers will visit students at their homes to enhance student learning and involvement. Family visits offer invaluable insights about students. They can provide new understanding about students' learning styles. Visits might also reveal the emotional and social needs and behaviors of students. It is helpful to know if they react to problems with tears, anger, or withdrawal, and how they socialize with peers. Through family visits, teachers can identify students' latest interests or concerns, such as a new hobby, an upcoming trip, or a change in the family.
"These visits also benefit the parents since they will gain a better idea about the school's educational policy. Through these meetings, closer cooperation between home and school can be achieved. Therefore, Pioneer teachers will each be assigned to a group of students. They will be responsible for following up with parents regarding their involvement with their students’ academic progress. They will arrange one visit to each student’s home and at least two extra meetings at school during the school year to discuss their students’ academic achievements. We believe that the parent-student-teacher triad will narrow the achievement gap between at-risk students and those who succeed by the current standard of assessments."
Magnolia Science Academy, California
"A. Home Visits
"Research has shown that one of the keys to successful teaching and schooling is creating personal connections with students inside and outside of school. Knowing the students' outside interests, families, and home routines, and then using this information to connect in meaningful, individualized ways can have huge rewards in helping to create happier, healthier, and smarter kids. Recognizing these facts, MSE made “Home Visits” as one of the important features of its education program to not only improve student and school performance, but also to identify and intervene early with low-achieving students.
"MSE teachers will visit students at their homes to enhance student learning and involvement. Family visits offer invaluable insights about students. They can provide new understanding about students' learning styles. Visits might also reveal the emotional and social needs and behaviors of students. It is helpful to know if they react to problems with tears, anger, or withdrawal, and how they socialize with peers. Through family visits, teachers can identify students' latest interests or concerns, such as a new hobby, an upcoming trip, or a change in the family. Teachers conducted more than 76% homes visits during 2008-2009 academic year at the existing Magnolia"
Pacific Technology School, California (application denied)
"C. Home Visits
"Research has shown that one of the keys to successful teaching and schooling is creating personal connections with students inside and outside of school. Knowing the students' outside interests, families, and home routines, and then using this information to connect in meaningful, individualized ways can have huge rewards in helping to create happier, healthier, and smarter kids. Recognizing these facts, PacTech made “Home Visits” as one of the important features of its education program to not only improve student and school performance, but also to identify and intervene early with low-achieving students.
"PacTech teachers will visit students at their homes to enhance student learning and involvement. Family visits offer invaluable insights about students. They can provide new understanding about students' learning styles. Visits might also reveal the emotional and social needs and behaviors of students. It is helpful to know if they react to problems with tears, anger, or withdrawal, and how they socialize with peers. Through family visits, teachers can identify students' latest interests or concerns, such as a new hobby, an upcoming trip, or a change in the family. More than 450 visits to student homes by teachers were conducted during 2007-08 academic year at the existing three Magnolia schools (total number of student homes is 550 and the total student population at three schools is 720). 225 of 276 student homes were visited at MSA-Reseda, some were visited twice."
Lotus School for Excellence at Longmont, Colorado (application denied)
"6.4.3. Home Visits
"Research has shown that one of the keys to successful teaching and schooling is creating
personal connections with students inside and outside of the school. Knowing the students' outside interests, families, and home routines, and then using this information to connect in meaningful ways can have huge rewards in helping to create happier, healthier, and smarter kids. Recognizing these facts, LSE at Longmont makes “Home Visits” as one of the important features of its education program to not only improve student and school performance, but also to identify and provide early intervention for low-achieving students.
"LSE at Longmont teachers will visit students at their homes to enhance student learning and
involvement. Family visits offer invaluable insights about students. They can provide new
understanding about students' learning styles. Visits might also reveal the emotional and social needs and behaviors of students. It is helpful to know if they react to problems with tears, anger, or withdrawal, and how they socialize with peers. Through family visits, teachers can identify students' latest interests or concerns, such as a new hobby, an upcoming trip, or a change in the family.
"These visits also benefit the parents since they will gain a better idea about the school's
educational policy. Through these meetings, closer cooperation between home and school can be achieved. Therefore, LSE at Longmont teachers will each be assigned a group of students. They will be responsible for following up with parents regarding their involvement with their students’ academic progress. They will arrange one visit to each student’s home and at least two extra meetings at school during the school year to discuss their students’ academic achievements. We believe that the parent-student-teacher triad will narrow the achievement gap between at-risk students and those who succeed by the current standard of assessments."
Pioneer Technology Charter School, Oregon (application denied)
"Home Visits
"Research has shown that one of the keys to successful teaching and schooling is creating personal connections with students inside and outside of school. Knowing the students' outside interests, families, and home routines, and then using this information to connect in meaningful ways can have huge rewards in helping to create happier, healthier, and smarter kids. Recognizing these facts, Pioneer made “Home Visits” as one of the important features of its education program for not only improve student and school performance, but also identify and early intervene low-achieving students.
"Pioneer teachers will visit students at their homes to enhance student learning and involvement. Family visits offer invaluable insights about students. They can provide new understanding about students' learning styles. Visits might also reveal the emotional and social needs and behaviors of students. It is helpful to know if they react to problems with tears, anger, or withdrawal, and how they socialize with peers. Through family visits, teachers can identify students' latest interests or concerns, such as a new hobby, an upcoming trip, or a change in the family.
"These visits also benefit the parents since they will gain a better idea about the school's educational policy. Through these meetings, closer cooperation between home and school can be achieved. Therefore, Pioneer teachers will each be assigned to a group of students. They will be responsible for following up with parents regarding their involvement with their students’ academic progress. They will arrange one visit to each student’s home and at least two extra meetings at school during the school year to discuss their students’ academic achievements. We believe that the parent-student-teacher triad will narrow the achievement gap between at-risk students and those who succeed by the current standard of assessments."
"Replication of the program throughout the US"
On November 16, 2007, the Committee on Charter Schools of the Board of Education, Portland Public School District 1J, Multnomah County, Oregon, had a hearing on the proposed Pioneer Technology Public Charter School. The school was openly presented as being modeled after the Magnolia Science Academy schools in California.
Present were Brad Akbas, Joseph Hurmali, Andy Jokce, and Solomon Karaman (a.k.a. Suleyman Karaman, Cem Karaman, Gem Karaman, Suleyman Cem Karaman), all affiliated with the Magnolia Science Academy chain.
Also present was Ertugrul Kosterelli, of the Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialog in Arizona, who gave a talk entitled "Gulen Movement" for the Interfaith Council of Greater Portland in 2008.
One of the most revealing lines of the meeting minutes was (our boldface):
"There was discussion of the replication of the program throughout the US."
Another line: "Mr. Hurmali, who runs the Magnolia Science Academy in LA, noted that this program is working in other places; they would like to replicate it here."
(For more on various forms of Gulenist "replication," see here and here.)
Present were Brad Akbas, Joseph Hurmali, Andy Jokce, and Solomon Karaman (a.k.a. Suleyman Karaman, Cem Karaman, Gem Karaman, Suleyman Cem Karaman), all affiliated with the Magnolia Science Academy chain.
Also present was Ertugrul Kosterelli, of the Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialog in Arizona, who gave a talk entitled "Gulen Movement" for the Interfaith Council of Greater Portland in 2008.
One of the most revealing lines of the meeting minutes was (our boldface):
"There was discussion of the replication of the program throughout the US."
Another line: "Mr. Hurmali, who runs the Magnolia Science Academy in LA, noted that this program is working in other places; they would like to replicate it here."
(For more on various forms of Gulenist "replication," see here and here.)
The Final Irony
"'We have something unique going on here,' the principal says."
- from Baltimore Sun article "Guerilla Ed," August 20, 2010. The principal is Fatih Kandil of Chesapeake Science Point, another school in the nationwide copy-paste Gulen charter chain.
- from Baltimore Sun article "Guerilla Ed," August 20, 2010. The principal is Fatih Kandil of Chesapeake Science Point, another school in the nationwide copy-paste Gulen charter chain.
