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106-532: By 2005, the AIPCS students achieved test scores superior those of most public schools in the state. Its principal, Ben Chavis ( Lumbee ), a Native American educator, believed that minority students were best served by high expectations for strong attendance and discipline, as well as regular homework and summer school. Chavis was criticized for some of his methods. In 2007, AICPS became the first public school in Oakland to win

212-488: A "slut" and a "lying bitch", and threatened to kill her; and allegedly asked one of the AIPCS female students if a male student "was still trying to suck your titties", which he denied. In 2007 Chavis allegedly called a Mills College graduate student "a fucking black minority punk" after he showed up fifteen minutes late to a group visit at the school, saying that the student was a "worthless piece of (expletive) people have been making excuses for". Chavis said that he called

318-487: A "white b --" [ sic ] while in the presence of students, and the school forcing a girl to clean a boys' restroom as a punishment for bad behavior. A poster in the AIPCS hallway included a quote from Chavis, saying, "You do outstanding things here and you'll be treated outstanding. You act like a fool and you'll be treated like one." Landsberg said in 2009 that the concept was still in use at AIMS schools but had been "toned down" since Chavis' departure as head of

424-495: A $ 1,500 bonus at the end of the school year. The annual salary of an entry-level teacher in the Oakland Unified School District was $ 37,000 during that year. In the years that followed, the school's enrollment increased and test scores dramatically improved, with the school becoming one of the highest achievers in the state. During the same time period, the percentage of students identifying as American Indian at

530-461: A bachelor's degree in education; he had worked part-time as a school janitor to help pay for it. He continued to study, working on a master's degree through night classes at Northern Arizona University . Later he completed a doctorate at the University of Arizona, in education, with what he said were concentrations in philosophy and anthropology . In 1988, Chavis became a tenure-track professor in

636-578: A charter board member, among other financial issues. AIM Schools Board President Michael Stember defended AIPCS II, and Christina Chen, the charter system's new accountant, denied all charges. Given the outstanding student achievements noted in API, and numerous parents, staff, and students who spoke in support of the school, the OUSD board voted 4–3 to renew the AIPCS II charter for another five years. The board will return to

742-662: A doctorate in education from the University of Arizona , was a tenure-track professor in 1988 at San Francisco State University , and he served as the superintendent of schools at the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona before working in Oakland. Chavis was appointed as the principal of AIPCS in 2000 when the school was "among the worst middle schools in Oakland, Calif" suffering from "highest dropout rate and lowest attendance and graduation rates of any ethnic group in

848-708: A former AIPCS employee. The audit focused on the ASES grant for an after-school program, facilities lease and rent expenditures, and the Political Reform Act of 1974 regarding conflict of interest laws. Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Charter School Office Director, Gail Greely was responsible for delivering the FCMAT report and monitoring the process. She transferred to become the Director of Charter School Education for Alameda County working for Sheila Jordan. The FCMAT audit report

954-458: A former American Indian system teacher, said "I don't see it as teaching to the test. I see it as, there are certain skills and knowledge that you're supposed to impart to your students, and the test measures whether your students have acquired those skills and that knowledge." The school system only allows instruction in arts to take place after school. The AIM system schools do not have laboratory equipment for science classes. Because of this and

1060-415: A former faculty member at San Francisco State University , became the school principal and initiated numerous changes. Chavis, who had experience as a public school principal, was recruited from Arizona, where he was serving as superintendent of schools at the Fort Apache Indian Reservation . Chavis replaced most of the school's staff, eliminated bilingual education and Native American cultural content from

1166-650: A four-hour Saturday detention. Landsberg said that by the time students become eighth-graders, "discipline is not really an issue. Classes are preternaturally quiet and focused. Visitors may be startled to notice that students do not so much as glance at them. They have been told to keep their attention on their work. They do as they are told." During the Chavis era, students who repeatedly violated rules were humiliated by Chavis or by teachers. The administration often used name-calling, stereotypes, and profanities against students. Some students were forced to hold signs that insulted

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1272-521: A graduate student in 2007, OUSD officials asked the AIM governing board to direct Chavis to act in a different manner. In response, the AIM board fined Chavis $ 700. Kirsten Vital, an OUSD accountability head, said that this was not likely to correct such issues as the Mills incident. On March 15, 2007, Chavis told the AIM school board that he was leaving his post. The minutes of the board meeting said he would remain as

1378-465: A high school. The schools were recognized for academic performance, but controversy was generated by Chavis's discipline system and treatment of both students and faculty. He resigned in 2007 but retained influence at the schools. According to a California state "extraordinary audit" released in 2012, Chavis directed at least $ 3.8 million in school payments to businesses owned by him and his wife, Marsha Amador, without proper contracting. The charter board

1484-422: A lazy Mexican. You're black, they expect you to be an idiot," said Chavis in 2005, who is a blue-eyed Lumbee of mixed-race ancestry, including European American. "I use it to motivate the kids." Chavis was reported as allegedly having pushed a teacher down a flight of stairs while calling her a "fucking bitch", "stupid bitch", as she tried to retrieve her violin after he fired her; allegedly called his own niece

1590-399: A lottery because they had never had more applicants than seats. But in the same petition, AIPCS stated its primary motivation for opening an additional school was to serve the many families wishing to enroll that the existing schools could not accommodate. In 2006, an African-American parent filed a complaint stating that AIPCS told her there was no room for her son and refused to place him on

1696-462: A part-time employee. But Chavis said he would return to Arizona. Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times reported in 2009 that Chavis "remains a presence at the school." The website referred to Chavis as an "advisor emeritus." Janet Roberts, a former teacher, succeeded Chavis that year as the head of the school system. Roberts said that Chavis's resignation appeared to quiet criticisms of

1802-653: A period, the charter system's charter from the OUSD was at risk, but the school gained a court injunction in 2012, which allowed it to continue operating. With the change in management and in view of the students' achievements in academic scores, the Model School system's charter was renewed in 2013 for a 5-year term. This included an expansion to serve grades K–4 at AIPCS II. Established as a small charter school to serve Native American students in Oakland, AICPS had difficulty improving academic performance from its founding in 1996 until after 2000. That year Ben Chavis ( Lumbee ),

1908-415: A philosophy he applied as an educator. Chavis attended local segregated public schools, where he was most interested in sports. He accepted a track scholarship by Oklahoma City University . Two years in, he was offered an academic scholarship by the University of Arizona , and transferred there, majoring in education. He thought at the time that the field would offer easy conditions. Chavis graduated with

2014-521: A public hearing for February 27, 2013. On March 20, 2013, the OUSD board voted 4–3 to revoke the AIMS charter effective June 30, 2013. Supporters vowed to appeal to the county and state boards of education. During the next months, the Alameda County Board of Education and California Board of Education were expected to review the issues and decide whether to overturn the OUSD trustees' decision to revoke

2120-500: A scholar who has studied IQ testing and the author of The Bell Curve , praised AIPCS in a blog of the American Enterprise Institute . He said he would send his own children there. But, he was skeptical about AIPCS' high test scores, saying that in his experience, such dramatic score improvements seldom stood up to scholarly scrutiny. He proposed six questions to be asked, such as whether the scores had been influenced by

2226-512: A second campus located in Oakland's Chinatown. By 2012 the student population of the AIM schools had become 90% Asian American . The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) granted the charter to the school system and oversees it. The American Indian Model School system has its own school board and internal policies. Under the leadership of Ben Chavis ( Lumbee ), a Native American professor, AIPCS students made considerable progress in academic scores from 2000 to 2007, and enrollment increased at

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2332-541: A second middle school campus, AIPCS II, and a high school, the American Indian Public High School (AIPHS). In the same year, Chavis resigned as head of school after several controversies, but he was retained by the board in an executive role until January 2012. On March 20, 2013, the Oakland School Board in a 4 - 3 vote decided to revoke the three schools' charters. This included the charter for

2438-547: A violation of federal law, did not cause measurable financial losses to the United States or another identifiable victim,” though he pleaded guilty for using false information in board documents and thus was put on probation for a year and a financial fine of $ 100 was imposed. American Indian Model Schools American Indian Model Schools ( AIM Schools ) is a charter school system based in Oakland, California . Started with

2544-999: A whole generation. They've wiped out many more people than the Klan has. From 2000 to 2006, the school's Academic Performance Index (API) more than doubled. (API scores range from a minimum of 200 possible points to a maximum of 1000 possible.) In 2009, the school's 41 8th graders' had the following scores: Note: All AIPCS 8th grade students take Algebra I in the 8th grade, while many California students do not take Algebra I until their first year of high school. For comparison, test scores of nearby schools were: As of 2009 AIPHS students have also performed very well on standardized tests. Roughly 90% of AIPHS students score at proficient or advanced levels on most subjects, with lower scores in Chemistry and Earth Science. In 2009, AIPHS graduated its first senior class. All 18 graduating seniors were accepted to good four-year colleges for that fall. Charles Murray ,

2650-479: Is an American educator known for his leadership at the American Indian Public Charter School (AIPCS) in Oakland, California , and its expanded American Indian Model Schools system, serving from 2001 into 2012. He is a national leader in the education reform movement, emphasizing a conservative philosophy of discipline and accountability. From Robeson County, North Carolina , Chavis received

2756-493: Is due largely to this demographic shift and the success of its Asian student population. But the LA Times reported in 2009 that the school's Asian, African-American, and Latino students performed similarly on standardized tests. AIPCS staff says the school attracts a representative sample of students from local elementary schools. But California's Office of Charter Schools noted that AIPCS' demographics were out of line with those in

2862-465: Is intentionally minimal; the school estimates that this adds a week's worth of classroom time per year. Students are assigned at least 2 hours of homework every night. Students with incomplete work are liable for a detention after school. Struggling students who show little to no improvement over the school year may be retained; one student was held back for earning a "B" in math. All students are required to attend summer school . The student dress code

2968-502: Is khaki- or navy-colored pants and white, collared shirts. Makeup and jewelry are not permitted. The school had minimal lab equipment in 2012, and science was taught mostly through textbooks. Under Chavis, the school had no televisions, as he believed they led to mischief. The school offers music, performance art, study hall, and club activities after school. Andrew J. Coulson, Director of the Center for Educational Freedom, says that AIPCS has

3074-521: Is much to be learned from this account. It is possible to restore public education to its mission of educating the nation’s citizens. There is a message of hope and possibility in Crazy Like a Fox that we should embrace.” Chavis was among reform educators featured in the documentary Flunked (2008), directed by Corey Burres, about the failures of the United States public school systems and efforts in educational reforms. Chavis has appeared several times in

3180-604: The East Bay Express reported that the demographics had become "homogenous" and that the demographic change was "an ironic twist for a school that was originally intended to serve American Indians—and which is still thought of by many as a haven for a population that's struggled mightily with institutional oppression." Cushing said that "one prominent member of the Bay Area American-Indian community" who asked to be anonymous said that many Native Americans feel upset by

3286-420: The Los Angeles Times reported, "Five minutes per passing period might not sound like much, but over the course of a year, American Indian saves the equivalent of more than a week's worth of instruction." A middle school teacher is assigned to stay with the same class for all three years until the class graduates. However, Landsberg reported in 2009 that this policy seemed to be more theoretical than real, given

American Indian Public Charter School - Misplaced Pages Continue

3392-541: The American Indian Public Charter School (AIPCS), a middle school in the late 1990s to serve Native American students, in 2007 it expanded to include another middle school and a high school. The main campus is in the Laurel area and includes AIPCS, a middle school for grades 5–8, and American Indian Public High School (AIPHS), a high school (9–12). AIPHS students can also take select classes at Merritt College . American Indian Public Charter School II (AIPCS II) has grades K–8 at

3498-521: The Lake Merritt area. AICPS also admits students living in other areas of Oakland. The school states that it will consider the applications of students who live outside of Oakland. In 2009 Kevin Drum of Mother Jones said "[...] AIPC is a super-strict, teach-to-the-test, no-goofing-off kind of place that apparently gets good results." Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times reported in 2009 that

3604-517: The National Blue Ribbon Award . The AICPS attracted an increasingly diverse student body as enrollment increased, with higher proportions of African American, Asian and Latino students than Native Americans. By 2015, its students were overwhelmingly Asian. The American Indian Model Schools charter system developed from the AIPCS in order to expand the offerings to students. Since 2007, under new management, it has operated three schools in

3710-513: The "practice effect." He predicted that the apparent test score improvements at AIPCS under Chavis would prove much less impressive once such questions had been answered. According to 2009 reporting by the Los Angeles Times and Mother Jones , the teachers' union president said that AIPCS was known for "cherry-picking" - that is, recruiting students who would do well and dropping those students who did not perform well academically. AIPCS denied

3816-437: The 2010–2011 school year, the AIM system had more than 86% Asian American students, while the overall Oakland Unified School District was 13% Asian. In 2010-2011, the school had no Native American students. As of 2012 more than 90% of the AIPCS student body was Asian American. The next largest ethnic groups were African Americans and Hispanic Americans . In 2009, almost all of the students were low-income. Ellen Cushing of

3922-454: The AIM Schools. Columnist George Will said he favored the charter school system because its "new paternalism" could close achievement gaps between socioeconomic classes. Students are required to wear school uniforms . Students wear white shirts and dark-colored trousers. The school does not permit students to wear makeup, jewelry, or brightly colored hair accessories. From 2000 to 2012,

4028-480: The AIM governing board dated July 9, 2007, that during a visit to the AIPCS, she witnessed, in the words of Nanette Asimov of the San Francisco Chronicle , "incidents bordering on educational malpractice, and that came close to child endangerment." Vital cited Chavis using the words "darkies" and "whities" to refer to racial and ethnic backgrounds in front of students, Chavis referring to a former employee as

4134-409: The AIM students "are subject to disciplinary procedures redolent of military school ." At AIMS schools, students who are late to class, do not complete homework, or violate the dress code automatically receive detention . A student who misbehaves once a week gets one after-school detention lasting one hour. A student who misbehaves again in the same week will receive another after-school detention and

4240-493: The AIM system middle schools are required to attend four weeks of summer school each summer. In addition, AIMS students must complete a lot of homework, even on weekends and "breaks," such as summer and spring break. All AIM middle school students take Algebra I during the eighth grade. In the State of California, charter schools are required to take all students who apply to the school if they have enough capacity to house them. If

4346-718: The AIMS charter. On July 15, 2013, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo granted the Model Schools system a preliminary injunction, allowing all three campuses to continue to operate. In consideration of student scores and a change in management of the board and charter system, the AIMS charter was renewed for five years. On January 25, 2017, the OUSD Governing Board renewed the charter for another five years, from June 1, 2017, to June 30, 2022. However, due to changes in California State law, AIPCS II's charter term

American Indian Public Charter School - Misplaced Pages Continue

4452-410: The AIMS schools. All financial mismanagement charges against Chavis were dropped in 2019. AIPCS was chartered by the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) in 1996 with the mission of improving the performance of Native American students in the city. As a charter public school, AIPCS was free to students and had considerable autonomy. Once located in a converted church in Oakland's Laurel District ,

4558-471: The AIMS students were ethnic Asian. Some critics of the system attributed the high scores of the system schools to the make-up of the student body, known for a culture that demanded high performance. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called Chavis's results an “education miracle.” Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said during his visit to Chavis's school in March 2006, "I have taken

4664-463: The AIMS system, he generated considerable controversy. As reported by the LA Times in 2009, Chavis tended to call all non-Caucasian students, including African Americans, "darkies." Chavis earlier told the East Bay Express , "I use 'darkie' every day, I use it in the context that I'm Indian and I'm black. I'm a darkie." "I tell the students, if you don't do your work, people are going to call you

4770-548: The AIPCS elementary school attended by Chavis' own children. On July 15, 2013, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo granted the school system a preliminary injunction, allowing all three campuses to remain open. AIPCS employs a "back-to-basics, squared" approach to schooling. Students spend their academic school day in a self-contained classroom with one teacher. In theory, this teacher stays with these students through their three years at AIPCS, but in practice, high teacher turnover makes this impossible. AIPCS adheres to

4876-512: The AIPCS website, its students in 2007-2008 significantly outperform the Oakland Unified School District average on multiple measures of physical fitness, including aerobic capacity, flexibility, and multiple measures of strength. AIPCS disciplinary procedures are in line with the California Education Code. Students who are disruptive, submit incomplete work, or misbehave in other ways are assigned an hour of detention after school. If

4982-478: The American Indian Model (AIM), the focus of which is excellent student attendance. In keeping with this, originally AIPCS gave cash awards of up to $ 100 to students who attend every school day for a year and claims yearly attendance rates as high as 99.6%. The school day at AIPCS begins with three hours of Language Arts and Mathematics, followed by a short lunch period (twenty minutes). Time between classes

5088-551: The Mills College team, Chavis told the AIPCS board his intention to step down from his position. California charter schools are required either to accept all applicants, or, if they have more applicants than capacity, to hold a lottery to determine entrants. AIPCS has never held a lottery. The AIMS board was denied a petition to open a new school in the fall of 2008, in part because AIPCS was "unable to describe" their selection process. AIPCS staff stated they had never needed to hold

5194-464: The OUSD Office of Indian Education, recruited Ben Chavis ( Lumbee ), to serve as principal. Formerly a professor at San Francisco State College , Chavis was then teaching at the University of Arizona . Lamenti believed that he would succeed due to his background in education, interest in charter schools, and knowledge of children living in inner-city communities. In 2000, Chavis became the head of

5300-526: The OUSD board held its AIPCS II charter renewal hearing. OCS recommended denying and revoking the charter. President London of the OCS suggested OUSD could deny the charter and AIPCS II could renew with Alameda County, pending expected results of the state's FCMAT "extraordinary audit". OCS noted that Chavis had served as both lessee and lessor, that his personal car insurance was paid by the school (the school does not have any cars), and that school checks were made out to

5406-405: The Oakland School Board voted to issue a "Notice of violation to American Indian Public Charter School." School Board President Jody London, David Kakashiba, Jumoke Hodge and Gary Yee voted to issue the notice. Chris Dobbins and Alice Spearman voted against it, and Noel Gallo was absent. After issuing the notice of violation, Board Members Yee and Hodge urged concerned parents to recognize that OUSD

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5512-401: The allegations. The LA Times noted that half of the 6th-grade students performing poorly in 2007 had left the school before graduation at grade 8. Thirty-nine of the 51 students who started in 2006 completed their middle school years with AIPCS. All the students who entered below-grade level and stayed through the 8th grade did improve their standings. Charles Murray had noted in his blog that

5618-474: The board asked him to serve in an executive, consulting role, and he was active in the schools' affairs. A K-4 elementary school was added to AIPCS II in 2012. During these years, the AIM system student body had a growing proportion of African American, Asian and Latino students, with American Indians comprising a smaller percentage. Chavis resigned all ties in January 2012. By the 2012 school year, some 90 percent of

5724-520: The charter school system board between April and June. Jean Martinez was elected as President of the AIPCS Model School governing board. As reported by SF Gate, "The allegations against American Indian charter schools officials include $ 3.7 million in payments to businesses owned by founder Ben Chavis and his wife, including money for rent, storage fees, construction projects and the administration of summer school programs." On September 27, 2012,

5830-673: The charter schools in Oakland, and his allegedly misusing the money in order to make lease payments on property he owned. The charges say that he benefited by $ 1.1 million on his transactions, as the schools made payments on property he owned, in what were illegal conflict-of-interest transactions. He was arrested and taken into custody in Wilmington, North Carolina . However, as of April 2019, all financial mismanagement charges against Chavis were dropped. Chavis has pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge. The federal sentencing memo issued by U.S. District Court of Oakland said “Dr. Chavis’ conduct, while

5936-517: The city". The school made considerable improvements under Dr. Chavis and was named in 2006 as one of the top 250 schools in the US. In 2008 it ranked fifth among all the 1300 odd middle schools in California in terms of academic performance index. It then moved to the #1 position in 2010. Though the school made remarkable improvements under Chavis, at the same time this success attracted controversy primarily for

6042-467: The city, two middle schools (one had grades K-4 added in 2012), and a high school, American Indian Public High School . The charter for the AIMS schools was threatened in 2012 because of discoveries of financial mismanagement and concerns about leadership. Although the Oakland School District voted to revoke the charter, the school system gained a preliminary injunction that allowed it to operate

6148-626: The co-author of Crazy Like a Fox: One Principal's Triumph in the Inner City (2009). Born Benford Chavis, the eldest of six children in a poor Lumbee family in Robeson County, North Carolina , he was soon called "Ben," a nickname he has used all his life. He had a difficult relationship with his alcoholic father, who died when he was young. His mother remarried. None of his parents had much formal education, but Chavis said his stepfather taught him discipline, how to work hard, and to be accountable,

6254-628: The curriculum, and gave away all the school's technology equipment. Chavis focused instruction on the California Content Standards and instituted a number of unorthodox disciplinary policies. In 2005 American Indian Public Charter School had seven teachers. The student teacher ratio was 25 to one. Most of the teachers were in their twenties. During that year, Chavis said that the few teachers who were not credentialed were enrolled in credentialing programs. As of 2005 AIPCS paid each first-year teacher an annual salary of $ 42,000 and allowed for

6360-441: The demographics of the schools in this charter system changed markedly, and by 2012 served a student body that was 90% Asian American . In 2000, the small AIPCS had a 62% Native American student body. In 2001, the school increased its enrollment to about 100 students. Fifty-two percent of the students were Native American. According to Chavis, during that year, 12 to 15 percent of the children were homeless. During Chavis's tenure,

6466-575: The earliest years, the school had a larger American Indian population and smaller Asian population. In 2007 the American Indian Model Schools system opened AIPCS II, located in Oakland's Chinatown neighborhood ; 67% of its students were Asian. In 2005-2006 the entering students came to the middle school almost exclusively from the nearby public Lincoln Elementary School . Its students have had high test scores and are predominantly Asian. Critics have suggested that AIPCS' continued success

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6572-530: The effort by six board members to hire Virginia-based educator Thomas Graves. Lowry filed a lawsuit against the board charging they had violated their own hiring policy in trying to hire Graves. Chavis was indicted on March 30, 2017, by the federal government on six felony counts of money laundering and mail fraud; the case was filed in federal district court in San Francisco, California . The charges relate to his receiving federal grant money from 2006 to 2012 for

6678-438: The ethnic studies department at San Francisco State University . In 2000, he was working as superintendent of schools at the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. That year he was recruited by a representative of Oakland's Native American community for the position of principal at the struggling American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, starting in 2001. By 2005, he had succeeded in dramatically raising scores of

6784-428: The failure to take into account the attrition of poorly performing students, who have dropped out of a school, is often the most decisive indicator that a school's evaluation has been inadequate. By 2007–2008, the AIPCS student body demographics had changed. The approximately 180 students represented the following ethnic groups: Approximately 97% of AIPCS students in 2007-2008 were "socioeconomically disadvantaged" In

6890-447: The formula for maximizing academic achievement for poor minority students: [AIPCS] "instills in the school environment those cultural characteristics necessary for academic success that are missing in the home". Physical education at AIPCS was offered for forty minutes each school day, and consists of primarily calisthenics and running . Students do not play traditional games such as basketball , football or baseball . According to

6996-506: The founders of the AIPCS, said that he withdrew from the school board because it did not sufficiently emphasize basic educational skills. He said "They were doing too many fuzzy, warm things like bead-making classes and drum classes. Those are good hobbies, but our kids need to learn to read and write. I felt it was doing more harm than good." By 2001, the school was failing. Enrollment dropped to 34 and test scores were abysmal. That year, educator Ben Chavis ( Lumbee from North Carolina) and

7102-403: The grad student a "dumbass minority," and said "he was an embarrassment to his race." He saw no reason to hold his guests to a different standard than AIPCS students, who receive an hour detention if they arrive one second late to school. "He came late. White people are on time. What does he think, there's black time? Mexican time? Indian time? The clock is white." The evening of the incident with

7208-424: The habits of some of the best educators I know - a wicked sense of humor, a weakness for shocking the conventionally wise, and a deep love of children, particularly those who have had difficult lives." These comments were made in relation to the release of the 2009 book Crazy Like a Fox: One Principal's Triumph in the Inner City by Dr. Ben Chavis with Carey Blakely . The San Francisco Chronicle remarked, “There

7314-443: The high teacher turnover. Each middle school day begins with three hours of language arts and mathematics classes. For middle school students English and mathematics make up 90 minutes per day. Afterwards, students have a thirty-minute lunch period. During each day, students have 60 minutes' worth of physical education instruction. The school system has few classes that do not directly affect standardized test scores. Carey Blakely,

7420-449: The issue in two years to verify training of the AIPCS governing board and more rigorous accounting practices at the school. The approved charter allowed AIPCS II to expand to include elementary grades K–4. It became a K–12 school. See minutes. See minutes. In early June 2012, the FCMAT audit was published. Evidence of fraud was listed, with recommendations to forward the audit to the local District Attorney. Michael Stember resigned from

7526-529: The main campus of American Indian High School occupy a converted church located off MacArthur Boulevard, in the Laurel area of Oakland. AIPCS II is located on another campus in the city's Chinatown . Students at AIPHS who attend dual credit classes with Merritt College attend some classes at the Merritt campus. AICPS II shared a campus with Little Hands School. AICPS II serves students living in Chinatown and

7632-401: The methods he used on the students to keep them performing well. In 2012, Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team submitted a report alleging Chavis had been involved in mismanagement of school funds. After seven years of federal investigation, all financial mismanagement charges against Chavis were dropped in 2019. Chavis was featured in the documentary film Flunked (2008). He is

7738-697: The methods used by Chavis. Following his departure in 2012, the school administrators eliminated or toned down some of the more unorthodox disciplinary methods. We are looking for hard working people who believe in free market capitalism. . . . Multi-cultural specialists, ultra liberal zealots, and college-tainted oppression liberators need not apply. Chavis summed up his beliefs in 2007 that liberal thinkers hurt minority students: They have no standards for minorities. They're like, you know, let's let them get freedom. Let's understand their learning style. Let's give them multiculturalism. And no discipline, no structure, no game plan. So they're destroying us. They've destroyed

7844-509: The middle school students and increasing enrollment at the school. Chavis had generated considerable controversy by his methods. He was criticized by some parents and faculty for harsh treatment and verbal abuse of students and teachers. Chavis zealously mocked liberal orthodoxy and was praised by conservatives such as columnist George Will and Andrew Coulson of the Cato Institute . The school claimed to be just as intolerant of unions as it

7950-406: The needs of students. OCS noted the following strength of the model school system: AIPCS II did pursue its measurable student outcome in its current charter and met its AYP. The following challenges were noted: adherence to the proposed educational program and compliance with regulatory elements (financial audits, reporting, enrollment, admissions, Brown Act, Political Reform Act). On April 4, 2012,

8056-455: The proportion and number of Native American students in AIPCS and the new schools decreased. In 2005, twenty percent of the students were Native American. In 2006, the percentage of Native Americans was 13%. However, Mills College visitors to the school in March 2007, report that at the time of their visit, the student body of the school was "10% American Indian." By that year, the school began to receive many Asian Americans from Laurel . In

8162-523: The public Westlake Middle School. Cushing reported that "AIPCS II is mere blocks away from Lincoln, making it a defacto neighborhood school." She reported that Gary Yee, an OUSD board member and husband of a Lincoln Elementary teacher, said AICPS II had a "rigorous teaching style [...] similar to what you might find in an elite East-Asian school, perhaps making it more appealing to Lincoln's overwhelmingly Asian-American parent base." Several Chinese-American parents of AIMS students expressed support in 2012 for

8268-399: The school decreased to less than 5%, following the general trend in Oakland's public schools. Students included higher numbers of African Americans, Latino, and Asian Americans; by 2012, students in the three schools of the AIM system were 90% Asian American. In 2007, the AIPCS board expanded its operation, and founded the American Indian Model Schools system (see related article.) It opened

8374-465: The school had a high staff turnover rate and insufficient funds for textbooks and computers. In 2000 the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) considered closing the school. Nanette Asimov of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the school, which had 37 students, was "sinking fast," could not keep its students, and did not have "viable test scores." Evelyn Lamenti, an employee with

8480-466: The school moved to 171 12th Street. The high school is located at 746 Grand Avenue. Since 2007, the charter school district is known as AIMS, American Indian Model Schools . The first school had a predominantly Native American student population at its founding and it focused on Native American culture. Classes included cultural elements such as traditional bead-making and drumming . Martin Waukazoo, one of

8586-630: The school year 2006–2007, Chavis and his board founded the American Indian Model School system, adding the American Indian Charter High School at the beginning of the school year in September 2006. In 2006, AICPS became the first public school in Oakland to win the National Blue Ribbon Award . Due to complaints from parents and teachers about his treatment, and a provocative incident with Mills College faculty and

8692-556: The school's charter. After Chavis' resignation, the school appealed the revocation and struggled for the next year to keep its charter. It gained a preliminary injunction from the Superior Court of Alameda County allowing it to continue to operate the three system schools. AIMS has since received a 5-year renewal of the charter. During the next 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years, the charter school system paid Chavis an additional $ 8.6 million to lease buildings which he owned in Oakland, because it

8798-681: The school's emphasis on learning from textbooks, Landsberg said "it is hard to imagine that American Indian will turn out the next Darwin or Edison ." As of 2011 , AIM classrooms do not have computers and televisions. Additionally, AIMS lacks a playground, science lab, or any of the amenities found in a typical public school like Lincoln, just a couple blocks away. Chavis disapproved of the use of computers since he believed computers could cause students to easily access pornography. He believed they could invite theft and lead to unforeseen expenses. Students are assigned homework, so they generally have at least three hours of work to do each night. Students at

8904-430: The school's name, and "If anything, I just wish they would change their name—it's misleading, and potentially damaging to our community." In 2012, the original AICPS drew students from several elementary schools. During the same year, John Melvin, the principal of Lincoln Elementary School, a high-performing OUSD elementary school, said that 75% of his students went to nearby AICPS II, although they had previously attended

9010-658: The school's rigorous methods. As of 2009, most AIM system teachers were young, had degrees from first-rate universities, and were, in the words of Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times , "self-confident" and "mature." In the AIM middle schools, one teacher is intended to teach all of the subjects for a given class and to accompany them for all three years as part of developing a close relationship with all students. The regular teacher does not teach physical education. In most American middle schools, teachers specialize in different subjects and teach different classes, with students moving among teachers. Mitchell Landsberg of

9116-566: The school's waiting list, even while it was accepting applications from white students. Chavis allegedly told a Caucasian parent that her son would be placed at the top of the school's waiting list because there were too many "darkies" and Asians enrolled in the school. If true, AIPCS violated federal and state laws, which prohibit public schools, including charters, from discriminating by race. 37°47′37″N 122°11′58″W  /  37.79367°N 122.19939°W  / 37.79367; -122.19939 Ben Chavis (educator) Benford Chavis

9222-477: The school. He fired most of the school's employees and eliminated the Native American cultural classes. Chavis said that he recruited new teachers who had "strong" academic backgrounds and "didn't see the students as victims, even though their lives often are incredibly difficult." By 2001, he had replaced all but one teacher. By 2002, the school's enrollment tripled, and its test scores were increasing. For

9328-795: The school. As reported by Katy Murphy of the Oakland Tribune , Roberts said, "Many assumed that the academic success of the American Indian schools was personality-driven[...] but the program didn't lose its edge after Chavis left." On June 2, 2009, the first class of the high school AIPHS, consisting of 18 students, graduated. Each of the students had been admitted to a good college. In August 2011, California's Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) announced that American Indian Model Charter Schools would undergo an "extraordinary audit." Alameda County School Superintendent Sheila Jordan had recommended it based on an anonymous complaint from

9434-499: The school. The first middle school, AIPCS, received national recognition in 2007. Some of Chavis's disciplinary methods and his treatment of students and teachers generated controversy, and he resigned as principal in 2007. But the board voted to maintain him in an influential executive role at the school and with the model school system. In 2012, Chavis ended his ties with the charter system (although his children remained as students) and returned to his home state of North Carolina . For

9540-478: The student commits a second infraction in the same week, he or she will get an additional hour of detention and four hours of Saturday School. Other discipline is more unorthodox. For example, Chavis, with parental permission, shaved the head of a student who was accused of stealing, in front of the entire school. In other cases, he punished a girl by making her clean the boys' bathroom, and forced some students to wear embarrassing signs. Not all AIPCS staff adhere to

9646-404: The students. Robert Gammon of the East Bay Express reported in 2007 that "Chavis's boorish behavior has been tolerated because of his school's incredible test scores." Simone Sebastian of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that in the Chavis era, such disciplinary practices were criticized. Kirsten Vital, accountability head of the Oakland Unified School District , said in a letter to

9752-421: The surrounding Oakland Unified School District 's jurisdiction. In the total district, Asian students made up 14% of the student population, and African American and Latino students each made up 36% of the population. The differences in the AIMS schools could be the result of its recruiting practices. From 2001 to 2008, AIPCS spent under $ 8,000 per student-year, which was less than half as much per student-year as

9858-513: The surrounding Oakland Unified School District . But the school received more than $ 200,000 in 2006 from the Walton family foundation , so it was operating with more money than in the public budget. By June 2009, when public schools had a 4.5 percent funding cut, AIPCS had received additional grants of more than $ 100,000 from the Koret Foundation . When Chavis was the principal at AIPCS and head of

9964-438: The system. Under Chavis, the school system's administration opposed U.S. liberal philosophies, and it promoted free-market capitalism . Chavis opposed teacher's unions . Landsberg reported that the AIM system schools "sometimes seem like creations of television's Colbert Report " and that the AIM system schools "mock liberal orthodoxy with such zeal that it can seem like a parody." American conservatives praised Chavis and

10070-450: The television programs hosted by John Stossel . He was also a frequently seen subject of discussion in Stossel's columns. Chavis resigned all ties at the school system in January 2012 and returned to North Carolina, where he had been resident again for some time. After the results of an "extraordinary audit" by the California financial management system were released later in 2012, Chavis

10176-457: The three schools. With new leaders, it gained a 5-year renewal of its charter in 2013. Other irregularities were reported in 2012 as the result of a state "extraordinary audit" of the second middle school, AIPCS II. There were allegations of additional mismanagement and fraud. In March 2017 former principal Ben Chavis was indicted by the federal government on six felony counts for money laundering and mail fraud based on his financial activities with

10282-428: The tour [of American Indian Public Charter School], and I have to tell you from what I've seen I was really impressed. ... It is an education miracle that has happened here." "Ben Chavis, the most politically incorrect person on the planet, is also, not coincidentally, one of the people most correct about inner-city education." said George F Will . Jay Mathews of The Washington Post has commented, "[Chavis] has many of

10388-447: Was automatically extended to June 30, 2025, without requiring any action by the OUSD board. As of 2017, the system includes three schools, American Indian Public Charter School (AICPS), a middle school with grades 5–8; American Indian Public Charter School II (AIPCS II), K–8; and American Indian Public High School (AIPHS), a high school (9–12). The school system has two campuses. The original American Indian Public Charter School and

10494-501: Was criticized for allegedly receiving more than $ 3.8 million in school funds for directing school payments to his and his wife's business without authorized contracts, from 2006 to 2010. In addition, the board of the charter school system was criticized for lax accounting and financial mismanagement. Following the results of the audit and other investigations of Chavis related to treatment of students and faculty, in February 2013, OUSD revoked

10600-568: Was criticized in the audit for lax financial management and accounting. The Oakland School Board had already requested in 2011 that the California Board of Education revoke and deny renewal of American Indian Public Charter School II's (AIPCS II) charter; this action would have closed that school after the 2011–2012 academic year. The school system gained a preliminary court injunction to allow its three facilities to continue to operate. The American Indian Public Charter School opened in 1996. It

10706-529: Was expected to be released in mid-2012. During the 2012 charter renewal process for the second middle school, AIPCS II, the Oakland Office of Charter Schools (OCS) found practices in violation of the charter and applicable law. OCS also found a lack of responsible governance on the part of the AIPCS governing board, and poor financial accountability. The shortcomings of the school adversely affected parents and students; financial resources were not used to address

10812-580: Was intended to serve Native American students in the Oakland, California ; historically Native Americans had low academic performances in the public schools. Martin Waukazoo, the executive director of the Native American Health Center, was one of the founders of the school. But, shortly after the school was founded, Waukazoo withdrew his support because he believed it put too much emphasis on Native American cultural classes and not enough emphasis on basic educational skills. After its founding,

10918-544: Was not closing the school but "curing it." American Indian Public Charter School's Board sued the Oakland School Board and OUSD for what they said was an effort at a hostile takeover of the school. Gail Greely, in the OUSD Charter office, provided concerned parents with an outline of a school closure process. On January 23, 2013, the OUSD Board voted to issue a "Notice of Intent to Revoke" to the AIMS charter system and scheduled

11024-403: Was of drug dealers, and prided itself on firing under-performing teachers. He worked with the school's board in 2007 to respond to community demand for more classes, and they added another middle school, AIPCS II, and a high school, AIPHS, under a new charter organization known as the American Indian Model Schools (AIMS) system. While Chavis stepped down as head of the schools in summer 2007,

11130-467: Was recruited as principal of the school. He recruited new teachers and imposed strong discipline and study protocols. Test scores increased dramatically over the next several years and student enrollment also increased. Student demographics changed, reflecting the diverse population with more students of Asian, African American and Latino ancestry. The AIM system was established in 2007, expanding to an additional two charter schools: another middle school and

11236-523: Was unable to find other spaces for its operations. In North Carolina Chavis started a camp on his property to help students improve their math scores. It was modeled on the SAIL program used in California schools. In January 2017, he claimed to help orchestrate a change in the county's school board. He said he had encouraged the firing of Superintendent Tommy Lowray of the Public Schools of Robeson County and

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