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American Indian Model Schools (AIM Schools) is a charter school system with its headquarters in Oakland, California.〔"(Family Handbook )." American Indian Public Charter School. Updated June 22, 2009. 17. Retrieved on September 9, 2011. "Mr. John Glover Director, AIM Schools 171 12th St Oakland, CA 94607"〕 The main campus is in the Laurel area and includes American Indian Public Charter School (AICPS), a 5th grade-8th grade school, 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) is a fifth grade through eighth grade school at a second campus. The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) granted the charter to the school system and oversees it. The American Indian school system has its own school board and internal policies.〔"(Family Handbook )." American Indian Public Charter School II. 4. Updated June 22, 2009. Retrieved on September 9, 2011.〕 AICPS students had poor academic performance from its founding in 1996 until 2000 when Ben Chavis became the head of school. Under his leadership, new teachers were brought in and the philosophy of the school changed. Test scores increased dramatically and enrollment picked up. Student demographics also changed. The AIM system has since opened two additional charter schools. They have been recognized for their academic performance while Chavis's discipline system has been controversial and drawn a lot of criticism. Administration of the schools includes philosophic opposition to U.S. liberal ideologies and support for free-market capitalism.〔Landsberg, Mitchell. "Spitting in the eye of mainstream education." ''Los Angeles Times''. May 31, 2009. (1 ). Retrieved on September 8, 2011.〕 Chavis and his wife, Marsha Amador, were found to have made improper payments in the amount of $1 million according to the results of an investigation released in 2012. The Oakland School Board requested the California Board of Education deny renewal of American Indian Public Charter School II's (AIPCS II) charter, which would have closed the school after the 2011-2012 academic year.〔() Oakland charter school accused of fraud may close, Jill Tucker, Monday, April 2, 2012〕 The School Board, recognizing the school's exceptional student performance, voted to approve the 5-year renewal of AIPCS II, including an expansion to serve K-4.〔http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2012/04/04/live-blog-american-indian-charter-hearing/〕 ==History== The American Indian Public Charter School opened in 1996. It was intended to help Native American students in the Oakland, California area improve their academic performance; historically Native Americans had low academic performances. Martin Waukazoo, the executive director of the Native American Health Center, was one of the founders of the school. Shortly after the establishment of the school, Waukazoo withdrew his involvement because he believed it put too much emphasis on Native American cultural classes and not enough emphasis on basic educational skills. After its founding, 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'' said that the school, which had 37 students, was "sinking fast," could not keep its students, and did not have "viable test scores."〔Asimov, Nanette. "(Charter school principal who raised scores to leave But some parents at American Indian were upset by his methods )." ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Friday July 27, 2007. B-2. Retrieved on September 9, 2011.〕 Evelyn Lamenti, an employee of the OUSD Office of Indian Education, decided to ask Ben Chavis, a Lumbee Native American,〔 to become the head of the school. At the time Chavis had an education job at the University of Arizona. Lamenti knew Chavis when he taught at San Francisco State University. Lamenti believed that he would do a good job since he had a background in education, and interest in charter schools, and a knowledge of children living in inner city American communities.〔 In 2000 Chavis became the head of the school.〔 Chavis took the job as a favor for other native Americans.〔Mathews, Jay. "(A Crazy Idea for Middle Schools )." ''The Washington Post''. October 2, 2009. Retrieved on September 8, 2011.〕 He fired most of the school's employees and eliminated the Native American cultural classes.〔Landsberg, Mitchell. "Spitting in the eye of mainstream education." ''Los Angeles Times''. May 31, 2009. (2 ). Retrieved on September 8, 2011.〕 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, only the coordinator of the "Math, Engineering, Science, and Achievement" program remained from the pre-Chavis era.〔 By 2002 the school's enrollment tripled and its test scores were increasing.〔 In September 2006 the American Indian Charter High School opened.〔 In 2007 AICPS became the first public school in Oakland to win the National Blue Ribbon Award.〔Murphy, Katy. "(Oakland public school a contender for the National Blue Ribbon )." ''Oakland Tribune''. Thursday, December 10, 2009. Retrieved on September 13, 2011.〕 In March 2007, a professor and several students from Mills College in Oakland scheduled an appointment with the administration. One student was late to the appointment,〔 by fifteen minutes. The professor, Sabrina Zirkel, and four of the graduate students accused him of calling the student who was late, 25-year-old Unity Lewis, an African-American, "a fucking black minority punk."〔Gammon, Robert. "(Too Hot for School? )" ''East Bay Express''. May 9, 2007. Retrieved on September 8, 2011.〕 They said that Chavis called the student a "worthless piece of shit" and, in the words of Robert Gammon of the ''East Bay Express'', "screamed that he was going to kick the grad student's ass."〔 Chavis said that he told Lewis that he "a dumbass minority" who was "an embarrassment to his race."〔Gammon, Robert. "(Chavis in Hot Water )." ''East Bay Express''. June 6, 2007. Retrieved on September 8, 2011.〕 Chavis said that he did not threaten to "kick" the student. He said "What I said was, 'You're going to look funny if you jump me and a sixty-year-old man kicks your ass.' " and that he did not call Lewis "a fucking black minority punk."〔 As a result of this incident and prior incidents, OUSD officials asked the AIM governing board to pressure Chavis to act in a different manner. In response, the AIM board gave Chavis a $700 dollar fine. Kirsten Vital, an OUSD accountability head, said that it was not likely to correct the issue leading to 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 stated that Chavis would remain as a part-time employee. Chavis said that he was not going to remain an employee and planned to go back to Arizona. Chavis said that he was not leaving because of the Mills incident, and that he planned to leave during that time regardless of the Mills incident.〔 Mitchell Landsberg of the ''Los Angeles Times'' said in 2009 that Chavis "remains a presence at the school."〔 The website refers to Chavis as an "advisor emeritus." Janet Roberts, a former teacher, succeeded Chavis as the head of the school system. Roberts said that once Chavis resigned, critics have not voiced objections to the school anymore. She said, in the words of Katy Murphy of the ''Oakland Tribune'', "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."〔Murphy, Katy. "(Oakland charter schools get high marks and skepticism )." ''The Oakland Tribune''. Monday November 3, 2008. Retrieved on September 11, 2011.〕 On Tuesday, June 2, 2009 the first class of AIPHS, consisting of 18 students, graduated.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「American Indian Model Schools」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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