Academy of Science and Design
Posted by Hugh Phillis
on Jan 26, 2015
On January 26th, Brian Smith, Board Chairman for the Academy of Science and Design, addressed the Rotary Club of Nashua on, “the Academy of Science and Design (ASD)”. The ASD is a Charter School. Charter Schools are public and free to students enrolled. It has a cap of 500 students from NH. Out of state student’s pay tuition if slots are available. It covers grades 6-12. If excess applications are received, a lottery is held to fill the slots.
A Charter School has a charter that speaks to its educational mission, curriculum and goals. It is a STEM school. This stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Flexible teaching methods are used that are broader than methods used in public schools. Only 50% of the teachers must be certified. The school is governed by a Board of Trustees. The school relies on both public and private funding. The Board is composed of parents, educational leaders and businesspeople.
The reason for Charter Schools is to provide students to have opportunities that they don’t find or find as early in the traditional public school. There are niche programs for some schools to provide truly unique educational experiences.
New ideas tried a Charter Schools often are presented back to public schools for implementation.
ASD started in 2007 with 40 students and now has 500 students. It is housed in an office building on Amherst Street and covers about 40,000 square feet. The mission is to provide student mastery, real-world lab experience, make students globally competitive, to provide high achievement and leadership skills. Students come from 23 communities. There is no busing except for Nashua residents. There is a high degree of parent involvement.
Academic focus areas are: Aeronautics, aviation, space and astronomy, chemistry, biomedicine, mathematics, physics, environment, global sustainability, architecture, engineering, computer science, system design and simulation. Classes are not grade focused/limited as much as interest and ability driven.
Other unique features are a requirement for community service for all students to complete 150 hours prior to graduation. Students are placed in classes based on ability/knowledge not just age. Students have an off site assignments to focus on real world applications. They have a symposium called SPARK with outside speakers on STEM topics and careers.
Charter School funding is not adequate for basic operation costs. They rely on grants, parent donation and fund-raising activities to provide additional funds. They welcome partnerships from interested businesses.