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THREE NEW LIFE SKILLS CENTERS IN COLUMBUS BEGIN ENROLLING STUDENTS
Alternative, community-based charter schools enable students to complete high school and earn a full high school diploma while fulfilling their family and work obligations
COLUMBUS, Ohio — September 09, 2002 — Life Skills Centers of Columbus today announced the opening of three new alternative Life Skills Center charter high schools located in the greater Columbus area.
The Life Skills Centers are public community schools specifically designed to accommodate students ages to 16 to 22 who have had difficulty with the routine of traditional public high schools. Accordingly, to enroll in a Life Skills Center, a student must have dropped out, or be at risk of dropping out, from a traditional high school program.
At a Life Skills Center, students have many of the same graduation requirements (including earning 21 high school credits and passing the Ohio Proficiency tests) as traditional public school students; however, unlike traditional public high schools at a Life Skills Center students are given the flexibility of selecting one of several different schedules to achieve the requisite educational credits and testing requirements so that a student may also fulfill his/her family and/or work obligations at the same time. In addition to regular academic achievement, students attending a Life Skills Center also receive job training and job placement. Graduates earn actual high school diplomas (not GEDs) that are fully recognized by colleges, universities, employers and the U.S. military.
The three new tuition-free schools are now enrolling students. The three schoolsO names, locations and phone numbers are as follows:
Life Skills Center of Southwestern Columbus, 3088 Southwest Boulevard, Grove City, 614-801-1366
Life Skills Center of Northern Columbus, 1900 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, 614-891-9041
Life Skills Center of Southeastern Columbus, 2400 South Hamilton Road, Columbus, 614-863-9175
As mentioned herein, students select one of three possible classes in which to achieve their educational requirements. The class options, which are computer-based and teacher-supported, Monday through Friday, 46 weeks per year, are 8 a.m. to noon; 10:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.; and 1:30 to 5:30. As demand warrants, a fourth session in the evening may be added.
“Where Life Skills Centers are located and the way in which they operate are very carefully aligned with our students’ needs,” said Mark Thimmig, CEO and president of White Hat Ventures LLC, parent company of Akron-based White Hat Management, LLC, the privately operated education company engaged to operate the Life Skills Centers. “Life Skills Centers are located along major lines of public transportation and offer flexible start times to enable students to pursue their education while fulfilling their work and family responsibilities. As a result, hundreds of students who cannot fit into the rigid requirements of traditional high schools will have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma, and meet their educational and career goals.”
“The Life Skills Centers are important additions to the educational system in Columbus,” said Steve Boone, president of the nonprofit school boards of Life Skills Centers of Columbus. “Unfortunately, Columbus’ traditional public high schools have one of the highest dropout rates in the country. This is unacceptable for a community with high aspirations for its residents and for the ongoing quality of life in the area. Parents and students need a high-quality alternative.”
“We chose White Hat Management, LLC to develop and operate these schools because of its proven Life Skills Center model for educating and graduating large numbers of students. With these three schools, we can address the needs of up to 2,400 at-risk students annually. White Hat’s experience and financial strength ensure that these students will have access to the best teachers, administration, technology and curriculum.”
From June 2000 to June 2002, nearly 1,500 students have received their high school diplomas from Life Skills Centers located throughout Ohio. Many graduates go on to college, trade school, the military or into a career where their earning potential is significantly greater than before.
“We really believe success in education leads to success in life,” Thimmig said. “We treat people with respect and meet them where they are in life to accommodate their needs through education. We emphasize a mix of academics, life skills and career preparation. Students are treated as individuals, who work at their own pace and level to accomplish their goals. Upon graduation, Life Skills Center graduates possess not only a state-recognized high school diploma, but also valuable work experience, life skills and the motivation to pursue their dreams.”
In addition to the three new Columbus schools, Life Skills Centers are also located in Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Elyria, Middletown, Springfield, Warren and Youngstown. Life Skills Centers will open in Phoenix, Arizona; Toledo; and Cleveland’s west side over the next several months providing Life Skills Centers with the capacity to serve more than 9,000 students annually.
About Life Skills Centers and Charter Schools
Life Skills Centers feature a proprietary curriculum that combines academics,
life skills preparation and workplace training. Much of the instruction
is computer-based, with state-certified teachers acting as facilitators
to help guide the students’ learning. Each class has a student-to-teacher
ratio of about 11:1, with additional educational assistants on hand to
provide individual attention. Life Skills Centers have full-time vocational
specialists and a family advocate, offering a full complement of counseling
and community-based referrals.
Through the computer-based instruction, students work at their own pace, with ample opportunity to review and practice what they learn, and never missing an important topic even when they are absent. Life Skills Centers do not assign grade levels to students. Upon enrollment, each student receives an Individualized Academic and Career Plan, which guide him or her through the curriculum and toward the diploma.
Life Skills Centers emphasize a safe, secure, positive learning environment. They use a systematic approach to classroom management that includes student compliance with a written code of conduct. Students are required to wear casual uniforms that consist of a school-issued polo shirt and student-provided khaki pants.
Ohio Charter schools such as the Life Skills Centers are independent public schools made possible by a 1997 Ohio law. Like all other schools in Ohio, charter schools are required to administer Ohio Proficiency tests, and adhere to local and state health and safety codes.
Charter schools are becoming increasingly popular nationwide because education professionals, parents, students and community or business leaders have flexibility in shaping the school, its curriculum, instruction, staffing, budget and internal organization. A defining aspect of charter schools is that they are attended by students by choice and staffed by educators who choose to work in them. They are separate and distinct from the local city boards of education.
About White Hat Management, LLC
The privately operated White Hat Management, LLC, founded in 1998 by Akron,
Ohio industrialist and education activist David Brennan, is among the
premier full-service education management organizations in the United
States dedicated to educating K-12 students. The Company is the largest
charter school operator in Ohio. White Hat operates three types of schools:
Life Skills Centers; HOPE Academies, which are community-based charter
public schools for kindergarten through eighth grade; and OHDELA Academy,
which provides distance education to students at their home. White Hat
currently employs more than 700 people, including more than 600 teachers,
staff and administrators in the schools it operates. For more information,
visit www.whitehatmgmt.com.