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Home » About CCSN »
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Operating Philosophy: Our mission, purpose, and goals
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The operating philosophy of the organization is rooted in the belief that all children are capable of learning at high levels if they are taught by caring, skilled educators, challenged by an engaging curriculum, and held to ambitious standards. It is a shared expectation that each student will graduate prepared to excel in a post-secondary academic environment. This belief is realized through a solid K-12 curricular infrastructure utilizing
Core Knowledge as the foundation for K-8 and the Early College Model at the secondary level.
César Chávez Academy and Dolores Huerta offer an exceptional opportunity for Pueblo's children to excel academically and socially. It is the primary goal of the network, through the articulated K-12th grade program to dramatically increase the number of Pueblo students who complete a high school diploma program and pursue a two or four year college degree.
The mission and vision statements of CCA, and DHPH are aligned with the organization's goal of placing emphasis on the promotion of academic achievement for all students in each of the areas addressed by the Colorado Content Standards - including English, reading & language arts, writing, mathematics, science, health & fitness, world languages, art, and music. The statements are also inclusive of providing a much needed and
unique emphasis on the history, culture, and native language of Latinos as the Charter Schools Act provides for "diverse approaches to learning and education and the use of different, proven, or innovative teaching methods." This focus is integrated throughout the educational experience of the children in our current K-12th program.
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About César Chávez School Network
Organizational Information
The César Chávez School Network is currently comprised of César Chávez Academy (CCA) and Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School (DHPH). CCA is inclusive of a primary, elementary, and middle school program while DHPH provides a secondary education for students in grades 9-12. Utilizing the network framework to encompass both schools enforces the operating construct of a comprehensive and integrated K-12 program.
César Chávez Academy (CCA) and Dolores Huerta Preparatory High (DHPH) have made a significant impact on the educational landscape of Pueblo, Colorado. The students at both institutions reflect the diversity of Pueblo and have demonstrated the capacity to consistently achieve academic excellence. This is exemplified by students scoring well above the district average in all grades and in all components of the Colorado Student Assessment Program.
César Chávez School Network
- CCSN Vision - The vision of César Chávez School Network charter schools is to prepare a diverse cross-section of Pueblo’s children for success as young scholars, citizens of the world, and community leaders.
- CCSN Mission - To provide all CCSN students with an advanced and accelerated college preparatory educational program in asupportive and challenging learning environment.
CCA and DHPH operate on the principal belief that intense academic preparation, small class size, a longer school day and year, expected parental commitment, and an intense level of intrusive involvement combine to create an outstanding learning environment. In addition, following a model and belief of healthy intrusiveness, our administration, staff, and teachers, are intensely involved in the lives of all students, creating equal accountability among students and
parents. Enhanced by our Family Support Coordinator, student lives are monitored, and a “net” system essentially guarantees all students have positive interaction with administration, faculty, and staff.
In the spirit of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, CCA and DHPH focus on exceptional scholarship, leadership, and community involvement. The overarching aspiration of CCSN is that our academic program will enable all students to exhibit the following attributes of scholars, community leaders, and world citizens.
Scholars, who are thoughtful, think critically and thoroughly, and who take education seriously while sustaining an intellectual curiosity.
Community leaders, who are not afraid to be engaged in politics, realize the interconnectedness of society, and who understand the relationship between personal action and the communal environment.
World Citizens who have experienced the world outside of Pueblo, through curriculum and experiential learning.
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Foundational Pillars of the César Chávez School Network
The foundational pillars comprise the operating belief structure of César Chávez School Network schools. These pillars represent the core actions and beliefs governing our actions everyday and are described as follows:
Pillars of What We do Everyday
Create Opportunities by:
- Advocating for students
- Providing new learning experiences
- Fostering new ideas
- Providing specific and individualized guidance
Do not allow failure to be an option by:
- Ensuring there are No excuses and No surprises
- Removing barriers to student learning
- Promoting content mastery
- Providing strategies for success in the post-secondary environment
Maintain Healthy Intrusiveness by:
- Not allowing anyone to be invisible
- Engaging all students with strategies in place
- Focusing on relationships with students, parents, and colleagues
- Supporting a collaborative learning construct by emphasizing teamwork
Create our own destiny by:
- Adhering to the belief that we are responsible for our own destiny
- Providing students with choices
- Instilling the expectation that students take ownership and responsibility for their choices
- Following the principle of restorative justice versus a punitive system of discipline; restorative justice which places a focus on what needs to be learned in the wake of a wrong action.
Principal Programs: Curriculum and Instructional Design
César Chávez School Network follows a model established by CCA for grades K-8 and DHPH for grades 9-12 where the academic program is divided into three separate academies and the high school. The Core Knowledge Curriculum serving grades K-8 provides the foundation for the high school's Early College Model.
- The Primary Academy (K-2nd) focuses on accelerated reading and advanced writing skills using the "Success For All" (SFA) reading program and the Collins Writing System.
- The Elementary Academy (3rd - 5th) builds on these strong literacy skills through thematic units connecting all subject areas - a model requiring the application and demonstration of core knowledge and skills.
- The Middle School Academy (6th - 8th) utilizes a cohort model where students work in small subject area groups and undertake individual thesis work in science, math, English, the arts, and social studies under the careful supervision of their thesis advisor.
- The high school follows a early-college program through an established partnership with Pueblo Community College (PCC). The program blends high school and college into a coherent educational program where students earn both a high school diploma and credits toward an associate degree from PCC.
The Core Knowledge Program, Success for All, and the Jon Collins Writing Program are fundamental curricular components of the K-12 program. Following is a description of each, how it fits into the overall instructional design of the school, and how this curricular component supports and advances the mission of CCSN.
CCSN: A Brief History
CCA was founded by Dr. Lawrence Hernandez, Ms. Annette Hernandez, Ms. Delma Cordova, Mr. Eddie Montour, Ms. Gloria Gutierrez, and Ms. Camille Calderon. Dr. Hernandez, a graduate of Stanford University with a Doctorate of Education, left his position at Harvard University, to return to Pueblo and promote educational change. With his undying passion for education, he formed the steering committee that started CCA in 2000. After months of hard work, dedication
and in spite of numerous obstacles, they opened the CCA doors to students in the fall of 2001.
CCA opened its doors in August of 2001 with a population of 282 students. Since then the school has grown to 635 students in the K-8th grade levels. In 2004, CCA began its expansion plans and opened Dolores Huerta Preparatory High (DHPH) for 9th - 12th grade students in the fall of 2004. DHPH is currently at a student enrollment of 225 students taking total enrollment at both schools to 860 student headcount.
Cesar Chavez School Network
2500 West 18th Street » Pueblo, CO 81003
719.295.1623 | emailus@cesarchavezacademy.org
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