Designs for Learning: CLC Design Specifications

CLC Design Specifications

Community Learning Center sites call for sys-temic or comprehensive change, not a mere tuning-up of schools.
Each Community Learning Center site must be a charter school or contract with the district for decision authority in the areas of program, staff-ing and budget to overcome institutional barriers to change.
Community Learning Centers have well articu-lated mission and beliefs to guide their develop-ment.
Transformational outcomes determine learning experiences. Assessment is embedded into daily student work and evaluated through competency expectations and check-ed against community established standards.
Curriculum is based on achieving standards and outcomes through powerful learning experiences.
Learning experiences feature modern learning principles and are child-centered, life-center-ed and brain-based.
Each learner has an advisor and a personal learning plan for recording goals, experiences to reach goals and progress toward goals.
Resources are reallocated or redeployed. For example, more is spent on instructional materials, instructional equipment, field trips and community based learning than in most schools.
Teachers as "facilitators of learning" are provided support staff to increase productivity. Staff is compensated on the basis of responsibility, skill, productivity and other factors. Teachers agree to three fundamental roles: teaching, advising and participating in continuous improvement, both professional and school-wide.
Staff development runs 20 to 30 days a year based on individual professional development plans. Staff is accountable for results.
Maximum effective use of technology empowers learners and staff.
Students are viewed as powerful re-sources. Their active participation in decisions about the school program contributes to their development and connection.
Stakeholders make key decisions about program, staffing and budget.
The program vigorously involves parents through participating in their child's education confer-ences, sharing their skills and experiences, reinforcing learning at home and in governance.
Partnerships with other units of government, public and private agencies, early childhood pro-grams and post-secondary education integrate use of community resources and reduce fragmented services and duplication.
Program choice to students, parents and staff means no one is required to attend or work at a Community Learning Center, there-by avoiding trying to please everyone.
Community Learning Centers as headquarters for learning for the community are open year round and extended hours.
Community Learning Centers emphasize active learning environments such as media centers, production studios, discovery centers, theaters of learning, labs and community based learning. The environment is inviting and convivial.
Support mechanisms sustain ch-ange. These in-clude staff appropriateness, staff stability, assur-ance of funding, site decision making and feedback on progress for continuous improvement with rewards and recognition.