The innovative Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy at Camp Courage has made a big difference in the lives of many students during its first year, but not without some sizable bumps along the way.
Various issues have caused the school’s founders and the families of about 20 percent of the students involved to walk away from the new startup.
But many of the families who remain swear by the school’s project-based learning model and the natural setting that allows students in grades six through 12 to escape the confines of conventional classrooms and pursue their own interests, at their own pace, within the boundaries of state academic standards.
School board chair Jerry Sparby, a former elementary school principal in Cold Spring who now does consulting work at St. Cloud State University and around the nation, said he has mixed feelings about the school’s progress thus far.
"I did not expect miracles the first year. I think we’ve had some stresses beyond what we anticipated," he said. "But we have a staff that is extremely committed and want to make this model work."
A red flag has been the departure of founders Bob and Kathy DeBoer of Maple Lake, along with longtime school advocate and board member John Jones of Silver Creek. All three had worked for more than 10 years to lay the groundwork for the school, but departed before the end of its first academic year.
The reason for their departure included various concerns and philosophical differences with the six-member Teachers Professional Practice team at the school.
Bob had been serving along with Jones on the school’s five-member governing board, and Kathy had been working as a volunteer at the school.
A typical day at JGESA
The Academy is based out of three large cabins and an administrative building at Camp Courage. It had 114 students in the beginning, according to Bob DeBoer, and about 90 remain. Slightly less than half require some sort of special education.
The students are split with about 30 to a cabin, and each cabin is overseen by two teachers and one special education teacher, along with at least two paraprofessionals. The total staff consists of six regular teachers and three special education teachers, along with a minimum of six paras. The student to adult ratio is about 6-1.
A typical day begins with advisory meetings, which include general announcements. There are about 15 students in each advisory. That is followed by two hours of individual project time, then 45 minutes for dedicated math study, followed by a half hour for lunch. The afternoon includes two more hours of project time, followed by 45 minutes for reading and language arts.
Students have individual work areas spread through the various rooms of the cabins, and staff circulate through the building to provide aid and monitor the students. Projects are constructed through the Project Foundry software, which allows students to pursue individual interests while tying in various elements of state academic requirements.
"The ability to be flexible and adopt curriculum is a really powerful thing that we do," said teacher Craig Wignes, the first staff member hired by the DeBoers about 2.5 years ago to help get the school started. "Our thought is that learning can happen a lot of different ways. It’s not one size fits all."
Good experiences
That individual freedom has been a kickstarter for many students, who have found a new vitality in their school work.
Francine Curtis of Kimball is the mother of a seventh-grade student who has adapted well to the school’s unique format.
"She loves it! She has become much happier and so much more engaged in her learning," Curtis said. "She is now doing pre-algebra in seventh-grade, which wouldn’t have been an option at her previous school."
A recent visit to the school revealed students tapping maple trees and boiling down the sap to make syrup while learning about the physiology of trees. Others were collaborating on building a handicapped accessible slingshot, archery and tomahawk range with props to make it look like an old Western village for use by Camp Courage. Another student was using a GPS unit to map trails on the campus.
Eighth-grader Travis Brunson of St. Cloud was disassembling a go-cart engine and said he enjoyed the freedom to pursue his own interests in school.
"I like hands-on stuff," he said. "I do a lot of motor work and want to know what every part does."
At the next desk, eighth-grader Drew Brower of Kimball was crafting unique wooden chess pieces with a DC Comics vs. Marvel theme, and in the next cabin Merritt Hutton of Sauk Rapids, a sixth-grader, was busy in the kitchen pursuing her interests in science and art by making scratch-and-sniff paint with jello and Kool-Aid.
Eighth-grader Ryker Pierson of Maple Lake spends as much time outdoors as possible at the site.
"He told us about taking lake water samples earlier in the year, different frog species they found, earthworms and soil sampling," said his mother, Tonya. "During the year he built a soap box derby car, camp stove out of a coffee can, and is working on finishing a solar heater made partially from aluminum cans … These are engaging ways of learning for him, and picking him up with a smile on his face every day has been wonderful for us to see."
Kelly Korpela of South Haven said she had a student enrolled at the school earlier in the year who eventually had to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts, but her family’s impression was also favorable.
"My eighth-grader really liked the school, the hands-on projects and the freedom to help choose what he wanted to learn about," she said, adding that if schedules allowed, she would consider enrolling him again.
Travis Paulson, a paraprofessional at the school, said the format allows students to "dive deeper in" to what they are learning.
"You can’t always work at your own pace in a regular school," he said. "Here, anything you want to do, honestly, you can make it happen. You can exercise your interests."
Working outside the box
Though not by design, nearly half the students at the school require some form of special education.
"That makes it sound like the kids are broken," said Sparby. "It’s not the kids that are broken. It’s the (education) system that can’t handle the kids where they’re at. So then we disable them, or give them labels. The kids we have are great kids with unbelievable potential, but they don’t fit into the boxes that the system has created for them."
Many parents with students who struggled in traditional schools have seen them thrive at Jane Goodall. Michael and Danielle Brower of Kimball have seen their sixth-grade son working ahead in math to an eighth-grade level, while their eighth-grade son, who is on the Autism spectrum and has faced social challenges before, has advanced in that area.
"JGESA’s less structured style has required him to step out of his personal comfort zones and learn to relate in ways that were improbable in a structured school environment," they said.
Negative experiences
While many are enthusiastic about the school, not everyone has had a positive experience.
Shelly Grady of St. Michael had two students enrolled to begin the year, but felt there was far too little adult supervision and said that as a result the atmosphere in her daughter’s cabin was "toxic." Profane language, talk of substance abuse and other unhealthy practices was common, she said, and instructors did not make sure the students were on task with their online Khan Academy math curriculum.
"There was no oversight at all," she said.
Most concerning, Grady said, was that both of her children were on Individualized Education Plans, or IEPs – legal documents that stipulate what special services students might need to succeed and cannot be changed without the consent of parents and others involved in forming the plan. When she called a meeting with the school to discuss her daughter’s lack of progress she was presented with what she said was an entirely different IEP, with much of the original document deleted.
"I brought her IEP and said, ‘This is her IEP. I have no idea what this other document is sitting in front of us,’" Grady said. "They just sat and stared at us like they didn’t know what we were talking about."
The family eventually appealed to the Department of Education, which Grady said ruled on their side and issued a corrective action to the school stipulating that the original IEP had to be restored and that school staff receive training in how to properly handle an IEP. Soon afterward she pulled both students out and put them in a different school.
"We’re actually devastated," Grady said. "I’m sad for my kids. I’m sad for Kathy and Bob. And I’m sad for the kids remaining. I hope it can be fixed, but who knows? There was no interest in fixing all the issues we brought up."
Sparby acknowledged that the school’s model was likely not for everyone.
"We can’t promise it will work for every kid. No system out there does," he said, adding that he wasn’t saying any of the families that left the school were wrong to do so.
"Parents should be their kids’ advocate. I might have done the same thing. Some we just couldn’t move fast enough for," he said.
Another family that asked not to be named explained that they pulled their student out of the school because they felt the DeBoer’s original vision for the school was not being followed or respected.
Leadership turnover
So what happened to the DeBoers and Jones? Why did the school’s founders step away just months into the first year after more than a decade of work to bring the school to a reality?
Bob DeBoer and Jones said that without dragging too many details into the public eye, the short answer included safety concerns involving lack of supervision, differences over what direction the school should take from a curriculum standpoint, and perhaps a generational disconnect between longtime educators and a young and relatively inexperienced but confident staff.
Instructors at the school perform all administrative functions through their Teacher Professional Practice model. In short, different teachers handle different administrative functions and largely make their own decisions regarding the school’s operation.
The model called for the teachers to be overseen by a governing board that included Sparby, two teachers, Bob DeBoer and Jones. After the school began operations, however, DeBoer said there was friction over implementing several of the DeBoer’s initiatives developed over 35 years with their A Chance to Grow organization.
DeBoer said he was informed by one of the teachers that he and Kathy were no longer needed before the school even opened, and that the teachers could handle matters themselves going forward.
There was also disagreement with teachers when issues were discussed at the governing board level, and Jones said that he and DeBoer eventually decided that the least disruptive thing to do would be to resign their positions rather than firing teachers after the school year had already begun. Jones left first and DeBoer stayed for a while longer, hoping to provide perspective.
"People would perceive my questions or comments as being angry and hurtful. It wasn’t that. I was just trying to help them," he said. "But I see now that it had reached the point where I was probably a polarizing force, because anything I said was going to be opposed. (We left, and now) there is nobody holding anyone accountable."
Jones said that aside from the disruption that firing teachers would have caused, the positions likely would have been difficult to fill. While the school received many applications before it opened, multiple finalists ultimately turned down offers because they were in secure positions with well defined expectations, and getting the unique charter school model off the ground would require extra effort with an unclear long-term outcome.
Still, personal disagreements aside, Jones said the school currently has many high-quality staff members.
"Looking at them independently, if I were a public school administrator looking for people – you’ve got some outstanding people there," he said. "Honestly, we probably should have kept control as a board and worked with them for a year or maybe two until things got squared away. But they were pretty adamant that they were now in control and had it all figured out. It was just basically a philosophical difference."
Complications
Wignes said Jones’ and DeBoer’s empty board positions would likely be filled by parents, and while those families that remain gave the school a 4.05 on a maximum 5.0 scale in a satisfaction survey in December - before DeBoer resigned - their departure means the loss of numerous contacts at the University of Minnesota, the DNR, in local government and at other levels that were developed over the past 10 years.
Jones said the school has received correspondence that it could be ineligible to continue using the Jane Goodall name after this year due to shifts in the model.
Physical plans are also up in the air. The DeBoers own land on County Road 39 that had been earmarked for school’s future building. The Academy currently has a three-year window of time to operate at Camp Courage, but its future beyond that point is unclear. DeBoer said that while he is still open to discussing educational uses for the land, it will no longer be offered to the Academy.
"It wouldn’t make sense," said DeBoer. "I can’t recommend the school anymore."
Sparby said that to his knowledge the school was still aligned with Jane Goodall standards and that the True Friends partnership remains strong. Wignes added that staff members who remain also have strong connections to the DNR.
"We look at all of those relationships as viable and still on the table, and I hope those are relationships we can still cultivate now and in the future," he said.
Sparby added that discussions are ongoing about the school’s future location, but said it was too early to share details.
Moving forward
Through it all, and despite their differences, leaders on both sides have seen that the project-based model that gets students out of their chairs, engaging in their surroundings and pursuing their interests is worth preserving.
"From what I saw in the time I was there, I know it was totally the right approach for children," said Jones. "I obviously would like to see (the school) succeed in some fashion, but I know it’s not going to be in the fashion we had hoped."
Both Wignes and Sparby acknowledged that the absence of the DeBoers was significant.
"Absolutely. They were an integral part. Without them the school doesn’t exist," said Wignes.
"Would we benefit from Bob and Kathy being involved? Absolutely," said Sparby. "I would not in any way suggest that their expertise and experience and involvement wouldn’t help us, because it would."
Sparby added that there was no time to dwell on hard feelings, however, because the remaining students and their families were depending on quality education, and each day provides a new opportunity to meet that need and continue improving the school’s model. While several camps from elsewhere have contacted the school with questions about starting similar facilities, Sparby said the time for dispensing advice has not yet come.
"We’ve got a lot of work to do before I would even suggest replicating what we’re doing," he said.
Wignes said that progress has been made, however, and students are embracing their opportunities.
"We’ve been learning a lot as the year has gone on," he said. "As students have learned the model of schooling they’ve really hit their groove."
The Browers said that while adjustments have been made over the course of the year, having patience with the process has been worth it.
"We entered this school year fully aware that we were rolling the dice on some fresh plans and idealistic dreams," the couple said in a joint statement. "(We) think that’s allowed us to give slack in the areas (where JGESA is) still growing and figuring out some things. What we’ve seen is that the non-traditional format is, in many ways, experimental. The staff have been quick to try new things, to test out theories, and quickly learn and adjust to what is or isn’t working.
"It’s taken some small leaps of faith along the way, but (we) feel our sons are miles ahead in developing their character and the ability to think critically about what they’re learning – something we didn’t know to expect, and have been pleasantly surprised to see."