Cherokee Gets National Praise For School Choice Program

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The Cherokee County School District has once again received national recognition for its school choice program.

The district’s Cherokee Academies initiative has been named an Honorable Mention winner in the 21st annual Magna Awards program, the district said on Friday.

The program is sponsored by the National School Boards Association’s flagship magazine, American School Board Journal.

The Magna Awards recognize school districts and their leaders from across the nation for taking innovative steps to improve the lives of their students and their communities. An independent panel of school board members, administrators and other educators selected the 33 honorees from 250 submissions.

“In a time when public schools are under attack, we are pleased to showcase schools and their leaders who are dedicated to innovation and excellence,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, executive director of NSBA. “The winning programs are proof that public education is leading the way to advance student achievement.”

This year’s honorees were selected from three enrollment categories: under 5,000 students, 5,000 to 20,000 students and over 20,000 students; Cherokee County is recognized in the largest school system category. This is the second time that the district has been honored by the Magna Awards program; in 2008, the school system received the Grand Prize in the large school systems category for its non-traditional high school choice program.

The honorees will be formally recognized on Saturday, March 21 at the Best Practices for School Leaders Luncheon, which is part of NSBA’s Annual Conference that will be held in Nashville.

CCSD will be represented by school board member Mike Chapman, who in 2011 requested that Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo and his staff develop ideas as to how the district could increase academic choice within its schools. That request led to the superintendent’s proposal for Cherokee Academies.

The innovative choice initiative, which was launched in the 2012-13 school year, was designed to: offer magnet-type instruction to all students at campuses chosen for geographic location and the ability to accommodate large numbers of transfer students in all grades, with priority given to locating these programs in Title I schools; begin at the elementary school level in order to build knowledge and interest to sustain a high school model; and offer transportation options to increase opportunities for transfer participation.

“The Cherokee Academies have seen impressive success in their first three years, with more than 300 students annually choosing to transfer from their neighborhood school to attend one of these innovative programs,” Dr. Petruzielo said. “Parents have shared that this is the kind of opportunity they never thought their child would be able to access in public school. Teachers have shared that this is their dream job come true. We call it real, meaningful choice – choice that is open to every student regardless of ability, zip code or household income. And it all began with a school board member asking the superintendent a question.”

Today, the initiative includes four elementary school STEM Academies, two elementary school Fine Arts Academies, expanded STEM educational opportunities at all middle and high schools and the virtual C3 Academy for middle and high school students.

It complements the district’s existing academic choice options, which include the ACE Academy daytime alternative high school and Polaris Evening School alternative high school programs. Petruzielo’s vision for future expansion includes a “career and college academy” to be housed at the original Teasley facility, a high school for the performing and visual arts and additional advanced academics programs for all middle and high school students.

“The benefit of the Cherokee Academies has a statewide reach as well, with educators and policymakers from across Georgia visiting to learn how to replicate our successes,” the superintednent added. “The latest success in this regard has been the receipt this year of a $1.9 million U.S. Department of Education grant for our Fine Arts Academies… to expand upon and research the use of integrated arts lessons.”

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