“Parents love the idea that we believe each and every one of their students will have the opportunity to attend college, and we prepare their students not only with the skills necessary to make this happen, but also the tangible reality of what it will take for them to get there.” -- Hrag Hamalian ’05, with students at the Valor Academy charter school he founded
A Man on a Mission
BC alum Hrag Hamalian learned a lot from his Teach For America stint. Now he’s putting those lessons to work — in his own school.
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Boston College is a major contributor to the Teach for America (TFA) program, which recruits college graduates to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools. A recent study found BC is ranked eighth among the top 20 medium-sized colleges and universities sending students to TFA — including 35 members of the BC Class of 2009 starting in the program this fall.A prominent BC/TFA alumnus is Hrag Hamalian ’05, one of four TFA recruits whose experiences in a troubled inner-city Los Angeles school were chronicled in the 2008 book Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches with Teach for America by Donna Foote. After completing the program in 2007, Hamalian decided to start a charter school that would serve a similarly low-income population.
Hamalian saw the culmination of his dream — or at least the first part of it — last month with the opening of Valor Academy, a charter middle (grades 5-8) school. The school began with a fifth-grade class of 120 students and plans to add one grade a year until all four grades are in place by 2012-13.
Valor promises a school culture that, through a combination of accountability and support, “emphasizes strong character traits, self-advocacy, and a relentless drive towards college and professional careers.” It offers a longer school day, free tutoring, frequent communication with parents and an intense focus on literacy and math, as well as “a disciplined school culture that teaches self-respect.”
Hamalian recently discussed with Sean Smith of the Chronicle the idea behind Valor, and charter schools in general.
Who are the families who make up your school community?
Valor is located in Panorama City, a predominantly working-class neighborhood, and all of our students come from within a five-mile radius of the school site. Eighty-four percent of our students are Hispanic, five percent are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, five percent are white, four percent African American, and two percent American Indian, Asian, or Alaskan. Eighty-four percent are eligible for free/reduced meal programs, and 60 percent of these students fall into the category of economically disadvantaged.
How have you promoted the school to get the enrollment you’re seeking?
For the past two years my board of trustees and I have spent time making connections with local leaders, going to local events, and building partnerships with community organizations. All of our marketing was grassroots and in multiple languages, to ensure that we reached out to all members of the local community and allowed every family access to knowledge about charter schools and our specific mission at Valor. As a faculty and staff we held numerous informational meetings at the school site and at local community outposts to spread the word about the school.
What is it about that Valor that seems to resonate most with families?
A number of things: that we’re a small, safe and structured school site where they know their child is not going to run into any bullying or gang issues; the fact we expect students to dress and behave professionally; our extended hours and our focus on math and literacy, offering double the amount of time in these subjects as traditional public schools; our free after-school tutoring and enrichment program, where students study dance, art, cooking, music and more.
Parents are really intrigued by our “college prep” educational model which starts in the 5th grade. Homerooms are named after colleges, teachers constantly talk about college and their alma maters, we take college field trips, and students must fill out a complete college application prior to graduation in the 8th grade. Parents love the idea that we believe each and every one of their students will have the opportunity to attend college, and we prepare their students not only with the skills necessary to make this happen, but also the tangible reality of what it will take for them to get there. For instance, we started student saver accounts for each child and deposited $5 in each account for them to start saving for college.
You’ve heard criticisms about charter schools: that they’re selective as opposed to inclusive, and they drain resources from the public schools. How do you address those views?
Charter schools are public schools. We are authorized by the local school district, and all children are able to attend. There are absolutely no restrictions or tests for a student to qualify. All a parent/guardian has to do to enroll a child is to fill out an application form and make the choice for their child to attend. We perceive ourselves as partners of the district and no different than any other public school looking to better educate students.
The charter argument is that the money follows the student, not the school. So if a child leaves a traditional public school for a charter public school, the public charter now has the responsibility of educating that child and thus receives the funds for that student.
In the grand scope of things, charters do have to raise independent funds on their own accord, not as a luxury, but because they are not afforded a lot of the luxuries of traditional public schools. In Los Angeles, for instance, charters do not get school facilities and must locate, lease, and renovate private facilities to house their students. By law the school district must provide these spaces equally to public and charter schools but this very rarely happens. A large percentage of our budget goes to leasing and renovating our building and so we must raise money in order to pay for these costs.
The general misconception is that charters “get more money” or “steal money” from the district. The reality is that charters have fiscal
independence, and can manage their money in a much more prudent manner that directly supports student learning. There is very little room in a charter budget to make mistakes, so every cent is accounted for.
Fiscal mismanagement means death for a charter, and is in fact the number one cause of charter closings.
It’s been about a year-and-a-half since Relentless Pursuit. Any regrets about being part of it?
The book was much larger than my own personal story. It put a spotlight on urban education in Los Angeles and the United States. I have absolutely no regrets in having my first year teaching through TFA be portrayed through the lens of the author, as it has undoubtedly brought attention to one of the single most pressing issues in this country.
Sean Smith can be reached at sean.smith.1@bc.edu