Amigos Por Vida Friends For Life Charter School

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Amigos Por Vida Friends For Life Charter School
AmigosPorVidaHouston.JPG
Address
5503 El Camino del Rey

Houston
,
Texas
77081

United States
CoordinatesCoordinates: 29°43′20″N 95°28′45″W / 29.7221°N 95.4792°W / 29.7221; -95.4792
Information
School typePublic K-8
Opened1999
GradesK-8
GenderCoed
Campus typestate charter school
Websiteamigosporvida.com

Amigos Por Vida Friends For Life Charter School ("Amigos por Vida" is "Friends for Life" in Spanish) is a state charter school located in the Sierra Vista Apartments in Gulfton, Houston.[1]

History[]

Sierra Vista Apartments

The school first opened in 1999.[2]

In 2006, due to high Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores, the school received the . In September 2007 the U.S. Department of Education gave the school an award for helping remove the achievement gap between socioeconomically wealthy students and socioeconomically poor students.[3]

As of 2007 the school had 430 students. During that year the school was located within several converted two and three bedroom apartment units in the Sierra Vista complex. A former clubhouse served as a cafeteria. Two efficiency units served as a library. A series of fences partially separated the school area from the residential area. As of 2007 the school rented 27 units and paid $33,500 per month. Jennifer Radcliffe of the Houston Chronicle said "The proximity is ideal for the impoverished immigrant community: Kids have few excuses for missing class and, when they do, teachers are a short walk from their front doors."[3] In addition, parents can easily attend school meetings and functions.[3]

As of 2007 the school had a long waiting list, and was engaging in a capital campaign to raise funds so it can move into a new building.[1] The school hoped to establish a permanent campus with science laboratory facilities and a soccer field.[3]

The lease in Sierra Vista was scheduled to expire in May 2009.[3]

Students are great! APV is run by an AP and a "coach" who has been there forever. They are in charge of every aspect of the school. The principal just makes cameos at meetings and shakes hands at dismissal. Students ARE their test scores. There is a "war room" where each student name is printed on a magnet (mult. times for each STAAR-tested subject). Faculty moves them around like game pieces to predict STAAR scores. (Imagine how teachers talk about students in this environment.) This room is not secure; I had seen multiple students in it and students had accurately reported scores they had seen in the room. There are daily FERPA violations at APV. I had two students who spoke virtually no English and were not getting any additional assistance. I was told not to “waste time” on them. Conference times are not respected-- administration and coaches often intrude. During prof. dev. days, faculty stay on campus. On one such day administration announced a “working lunch” and bought miniscule Chick-fil-A lunches for us. An administrator actually came to find me and remind me it was ��a working lunch.” On select days faculty has to give up their lunch or eat with kids; the principal says: “teachers volunteer to give up their time.” Of course this is a lie. Salary is capped at 20-years; they can’t imagine a teacher with more at APV. I was repeatedly told the salary scale was going to be re-addressed. It never was; the comptroller ignored my emails. There was a faculty meeting in which the principal said he was tired of hearing APV had no curriculum. Guess what. 7th grade science had no curriculum. No textbook, no workbook, no materials. Not a STAAR-tested subject. I was told they could learn 8th grade science and be “really prepared” for next year’s STAAR. Science Fair The 5th grade science teacher called my students’ authentic work “trash” while she submitted work plagiarized from the internet. Plagiarized work was awarded ribbons/prizes. APV had a “fashion show” -- dressed kids in garbage and paraded them around the cafeteria. With several homeless people in the area, my thoughts about a garbage fashion show being insensitive fell on deaf ears. The irony was lost on all. I used to grow my hair out to donate for cancer causes. The principal-- who is bald-- told me I would need to cut my hair if I was going to work at APV. Female teachers, of course, were not held to the same standard. Is that legal? I found myself asking that question A LOT at APV.

Curriculum[]

The school uses a dual-immersion bilingual education program, teaching students in English and Spanish. As of 2007, first and second graders alternate between English and Spanish with one half of the day dedicated to one language, and one half dedicated to the other. With third graders and higher, each week uses one language.[1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Charter School Located At Apartment Complex" (). KPRC-TV. October 10, 2007. Retrieved on January 7, 2011.
  2. ^ "About Us Archived 2011-12-08 at the Wayback Machine." Amigos Por Vida Friends For Life Charter School. Retrieved on January 7, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e Radcliffe, Jennifer. "Amigos Por Vida charter school eyes expansion." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday November 20, 2007. Retrieved on January 7, 2012.

External links[]

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