MBTA IN THE MARKET TODAY

Introduction Originally named Hawaii E-Charter, MBTA received charter status in school year 20012002. It is a blended online and on-ground school that provides standards-based instruction to students on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii. After renaming the school in August 2002, a new principal was hired, new online curriculum was secured and the school was moved into a new facility in metropolitan Honolulu. The elementary program was created in 2003 to serve students in grades K-6 and their parents who wanted to actively participate in their childrens education. This expansion allowed students to receive a solid foundation in all disciplines and become prepared for the online secondary program at MBTA. After the initial accreditation visit in 2005, MBTA faced additional challenges in programs, enrollment, budget and personnel. New instructional practices were entertained and adopted. New secondary courses were created and the middle school grades were redesigned into an interdisciplinary program. Improvements made to student training modules and use of technology tools have continued and increased. The elementary program purposefully created a hybrid online on-ground program to provide a solid foundation in all disciplines while establishing opportunities to easily transition students from the elementary program to the middle school grades Attempts to address the key issues identified in both the 2005 and 2008 Visiting Committee Reports have validated our belief that a blended online and on-ground learning environment will increase student achievement and student engagement.

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As the school continued to implement its academic and financial strategic plans, the MBTA Local School Board (LSB) recommended that a non-profit (501c3) organization be considered to serve the new directions that may become evident as the school grows. These directions

included new facilities, professional development programs and school extension programs like the Thompson Extension Academy for other public school students wanting online courses for credit. Ho`ilina Inc. was established in 2008 with a five member board and was officially approved by the IRS in June 2010.

MBTA IN THE MARKET TODAY Market Performance, Price, Product, Place, and Promotion In order to understand how MBTA is doing in the market today the organization of a school is critical to evaluate their success. Elements such as: vision and mission, parental and community involvement, school environment, school governance, school leadership, student achievement, professional development, financial viability. The school established a clear statement of vision and mission (purpose) based on its student needs, current educational research. the vision and mission (purpose) further defined by General Learner Outcomes, Hawaii Content and Performance Standards, and the DOE Strategic Plan, supported by the governing board and administrations. Vision and Mission

The vision of Thompson Academy is to create a standards-based, student-centered virtual school that provides equity, access and excellence for all learners, anywhere, anytime. framework established by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a national organization that advocates for 21st century readiness for every student, presents a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning that combines a discrete focus on 21st century student outcomes (a blending of specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies) with innovative support systems to help students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st century. The key elements of 21st century learning are represented in the graphic and descriptions below. The graphic represents both 21st century skills student outcomes (as represented by the arches of the rainbow) and 21st century skills support systems (as represented by the pools at the bottom). (2004 Partnership for 21 Century Skills)

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While the graphic represents each element distinctly for descriptive purposes, the Partnership views all the components as fully interconnected in the process of 21st century teaching and learning. School Culture The school is a safe, clean, healthy and orderly place that nurtures learning and has a culture that is characterized by trust, caring, professionalism, high expectations for all students, and a focus on continuous school improvement. In school year 2005-2006 a Student Safety and Welfare Policy was adopted by the Thompson Local School Board. This policy states that a caring environment conducive to the physical, mental, social and emotional well-being of students will be provided for all MBTA students. Instruction in safety practices and attitudes through online courses and co-curricular activities are offered every year. MBTA provides high quality standards-based curriculum to all students across the state. The technology-based instruction provides multiple instructional formats to accommodate diverse learning styles of students regardless of their physical location. The elementary home-

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based based program allows the elementary faculty to provide direct services on-ground and online in all core disciplines. In addition, elementary parents work closely with the elementary faculty to design appropriate educational plans for their children and often receive helpful hints and training in instructional strategies that can be used at home. The ultimate goal of MBTA is to empower all students to become valuable members of society. Each online and on-ground course addresses state and national standards as well as communication, life skills and technology. The mission of MBTA is to provide a rigorous, engaging, learning environment in which all learners accept responsibility for their learning, work together, are involved in complex problem solving and recognize and produce quality work. The schools dual infrastructure (online and on-ground) contributes to building a

learning community to meet the needs and learning styles of the students. MBTA recognizes the importance of establishing a sense of community where warm and inviting on-ground activities afford parents and students opportunities to learn and have fun. This sense of community is an essential ingredient to the establishment of the small learning community atmosphere. It is further manifested by the MBTAs deference to the Hawaiian concept of ohana where everyone participates and helps for the good of the family (school).

School Governance The governing authority of the school has policies and procedures that are aligned with the schools purpose and support the achievement of the General Learner Outcomes and Hawaii Content and Performance Standards.

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The mission of the Thompson Academy LSB is to enable MBTA to provide equity and excellence for all its learners any place, any time. The roles and responsibilities of the LSB as listed in their By-Laws are to: Set policy to guide the operations for MBTA Participate in tasks and activities that will acquire additional resources for Myron B. Thompson Academy MBTA (i.e. review and approval of the schools annual budget; approval of the yearly academic direction established by the school administration, faculty & staff; development of marketing/recruitment plan, fundraising, etc.) Hire, support, and monitor the school principal Advise on operational issues. Operational areas include: curriculum, instruction, classroom assessment, personnel, and day-to-day operations. (Principal is the final decision maker on daily operations unless LSB approval is necessary) Make decisions on issues related to equipment/facilities and budget items over an identified ceiling amount. School Leadership The school leadership empowers staff and encourages commitment, participation and shared accountability for student learning. The school Leadership Council is made up of principal, vice principals, SASA, Registrars, Technology Director, Curriculum Director, and Public Relations Director. This council, led by the school principal, gives departments and divisions the authority to make immediate decisions that deal directly with daily operational issues. All decisions are expected to align with the schools vision and mission and support our goals for developing students who possess the necessary 21st century learning skills. Some of these decisions include types of

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exhibitions/assessments, tutoring schedules and modified weekly instructional schedules. All school wide issues must be brought to the Leadership Council for final decisions. All issues requiring policy changes require approval from the LSB.

Student Achievement The school leadership encourages all MBTA teachers to employ a variety of instructional strategies and authentic assessments that teach the standards and general learner outcomes. Student progress is continually evaluated on the successful attainment of standards for course content, communication, technology and life skills. MBTA expectations and classroom curricula are communicated to students and parents regularly through the Moodle platform, email notices, website announcements, and parent/community coffee hours. Every course has been aligned to the standards and lists expectations of students enrolled. School improvement requires collection, analysis, and synthesis of data by all school stakeholders. The Academic, Financial and Strategic Plans are reviewed each year in the month of May. Updates are made to the academic plan and cross checked with summative assessments (i.e. grades, % of passing grades, HSA scores, etc.) The financial plan is cross checked against the yearly auditors report with appropriate revisions made according to auditor recommendations. Continuous evaluation of courses, instruction, student progress, student support and overall school operations is key to the success of all students. For four years prior to school year 2009-2010, HSA math scores did not meet proficiency. A tutoring program was established for students who did not meet proficiency and a math skills software program was added to all math courses in grades 2-12. The financial plan was amended to include new software and a more

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efficient web-conferencing system was purchased to help with the instruction of students in remote areas. In school year 2009-2010, math proficiency was met by all ethnic groups schoolwide. The elementary division has been working closely with parents and curriculum providers for many years. The following briefly chronicles the collective decisions made yearly by the elementary group to best serve students and parents in curriculum acquisition and training. Increase and decrease of vendors on the list were the direct result of staff reviewing material for standards alignment and ease of student use and understanding. 2005-2006 choice. 2006-2007 The most popular vendors from previous years were selected to be a part of and No vendor list available. Families were allowed to order from a vendor of their

approved vendor list. There were 28 such vendors. 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 Added 1 new vendor. (29 vendors total) Removed 2 vendors. (27 vendors total) Added 6 new vendors. ( 33 vendors total) Currently have 31 vendors. This year, 3 of the vendors; Harcourt Achieve,

Houghton Mifflin, & Harcourt School Publishers became one vendor now called "Houghton Mifflin Harcourt". Lump sum budgeting has allowed MBTA to financially support target areas identified in its Strategic, Academic and Financial Plans. MBTA is able to identify specific needs in program, instruction, infrastructure and facility that is supported immediately without worry or concern over categorical funding restrictions that often challenge regular DOE schools. There has not

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been a need as yet to seek additional funding from federal, state or private grants for current operations and proposed plans. Every other year a three day General Learner Outcomes (GLO) camp is planned for all secondary students. This budgeted event flies all neighbor island students to Oahu to join their peers in leadership, risk-taking and environmental awareness activities. experienced through a variety of planned activities and projects. Professional Development All staff is hired on the basis of school need. Many teachers possess advanced degrees in their content area. During the past three years, MBTA has been able to support seven teachers in their endeavors to gain their Highly Qualified Teacher certification. All non-certified teachers are currently seeking certification from the University of Hawaii and should be completed in one year. All teachers are responsible for complete yearly review of their online and/or on-ground curricula and are expected to provide instruction aligned to the standards and general learner outcomes. The direction taken to create our own courses and modify currently licensed courses has proven improved both content and rigor of all courses. The newly designed interdisciplinary 7th and 8th grade courses have also produced students with stronger writing and critical thinking skills. Their use of technology tools like Voice Thread is superior to many students in the high school grades Financial Viability The schools vision and mission demands focused attention on rigor and relevance of curriculum and instruction. Competent, dedicated and hard working staff play a critical role in the student achievement. Therefore, resources (i.e. fiscal, infrastructure and time) are earmarked All GLOs are

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for the hiring of the best teachers and support staff. Thereafter, resource allocation is made to support programmatic requirements like the per pupil allotment of $1500 to each elementary student for the purpose of purchasing curriculum and securing lessons from external providers. MBTA believes that the world is their school and experts are often found in non-school environments (i.e. the gymnastics coach, violin teacher, or karate sensei). The technology infrastructure must be constantly monitored and upgraded as their networks change or their delivery needs demand greater speed and efficiency. Resources are necessary to keep the technology hardware, software and networks cutting edge and operational. Therefore, regular meetings with the their Leadership Team and representative staff occur monthly to discuss updates, problems, and necessary upgrades. As programs and student support needs change, resources to support the current facility are placed in the budget for the upcoming school year. For the past three years MBTA has begun a search for larger building space that can accommodate some of their proposed new hybrid courses in science and engineering. The curriculum director has held a number of planning meetings with teachers in these disciplines. Empirical Data Prior to moving into a fully electronic data collection system in school year 2008-2009, data was collected and retrieved manually from a variety of spreadsheets and electronic folders. This data shows consistent trends and movements evident in the charts below. Because MBTA does not provide lunch, many families choose not to complete the free and reduced meals form which is part of our application packet. For families who do qualify, MBTA will waive the computer maintenance fee ($50 a year) for the school laptop that they are issued.
Total Fall Enrollment

Date

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SY0708 SY0809 SY0910 Enrollment for the Entire Year SY0708 SY0809 SY0910 694 620 550 8/13/2007 8/8/2008 8/9/2009

# 501 502 459

% 72% 81% 84%

Enrollment by Island SY0708 SY0809 SY0910

Hawaii (#) 60 92 98

Kauai (#) 48 45 29

Maui (#) 25 11 18

Molokai (#) 2 0 0

Hawaii (%) 9% 15% 18%

Kauai (%) 7% 7% 5%

Maui (%) 4% 2% 3%

Molokai (%) 0% 0% 0%

Total school enrollment has decreased each year but registration continues to increase on Hawaii Island.
Enrollment by Ethnicity AAmer.Ind. B-Black C-Chinese D-Filipino E-Hawaiian F-Pt. Hawn. G-Japanese H-Korean
I-Portuguese

SY0708

SY0809

SY0910

SY0708 (%) 3% 1% 3% 6% 4% 27% 7% 0% 1% 3% 1% 34% 11% 0%

SY0809 (%) 3% 0% 4% 6% 4% 30% 8% 2% 1% 3% 1% 30% 9% 0%

SY0910 (%) 1% 2% 5% 6% 4% 24% 9% 1% 1% 4% 1% 35% 5% 0% Spanish, Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican

18 5 21 44 25 184 47 3 4 23 9 235 75 1 694

16 1 23 38 25 184 48 10 5 21 7 187 54 1 620

5 9 30 35 22 133 52 5 7 22 7 195 28 0 550

JK-Samoan L-White M-Other N

Indo-Chinese (Cambodian, Vietnamese, Laotian)

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The two largest ethnicity groups continue to be the Hawaiian/Part Hawaiian and White populations. The large number of students categorized as White are primarily military dependents.
Enrollment by Grade Level Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Total

SY0708 on 8/13/2007 14 33 41 39 46 39 39 66 81 78 74 85 59 694

SY0809 on 8/13/2008 20 26 26 39 26 39 24 90 64 92 59 63 52 620

SY0910 on 8/17/2009 26 32 26 38 35 22 45 42 57 64 73 52 38 550

SY0708 (%) 2% 5% 6% 6% 7% 6% 6% 10% 12% 11% 11% 12% 9%

SY0809 (%) 3% 4% 4% 6% 4% 6% 4% 15% 10% 15% 10% 10% 8%

SY0910 (%) 5% 6% 5% 7% 6% 4% 8% 8% 10% 12% 13% 9% 7%

MBTA has maintained or increased enrollment in all grade levels with the exception of students in grade 7 and grade 12.
Enrollment by Gender Male Female Total

SY0708 328 366 694

SY0809 278 342 620

SY0910 242 308 550

SY0708 (%) 47% 53%

SY0809 (%) 45% 55%

SY0910 (%) 44% 56%

MBTA has enrolled at least 60 additional female students than male students each year over the past two years.
Enrollment by Military Enrollment

SY0708 99

SY0809 56

SY0910 55

SY0708 (%) 14%

SY0809 (%) 9%

SY0910 (%) 10%

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Even with the ongoing deployment of military personnel, MBTAs enrollment of military families was not dramatically affected.

Students with Special Needs SPED 504 Limited English Proficiency

SY0708 16 6 0

SY0809 11 6 0

SY0910 2 1 0

The fluctuation in MBTAs population of students is attributed to the promotion and graduation of students, families who have moved to another country and students who have transferred back to their regional school because they found it difficult to adjust to the unique learning environment. It is also perceived that the ongoing threat of bad publicity has stifled MBTAs growth but such factors are difficult to quantify. Major Competitors Other online institutions that have a local presence (i.e. Hawaii Technology Academy) are the immediate competitors. However, on the horizon there appears to be a significant effort by Universities of renown (i.e. UCLA charter) which have strategically positioned themselves to add K-12 components to their higher education institutions in order to capture students at lower grade levels and transition them smoothly into their respective institutions. The traditional schools that have now decided to add an online component to their primary on-ground offerings have also become a possible competitor. The reasons for many traditional schools doing so is primarily to keep from overcrowding facilities that would then require more money spent for capital improvement projects. The trade off for these schools would be more facility space opened because of less on-campus students.

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Lastly, major competitors include private schools (i.e. Kamehameha Schools) that will use their reputations and name recognition to entice students into a hybrid environment without having to fully enroll them into their prestigious school but be able to honor their mission to service certain student populations who are eligible. Market Trends Trends that should be evaluated on an ongoing basis include: New technology hardware and software Cutting edge infrastructure and delivery options (i.e. cloud computing) Imposed educational expectations like the federal mandates like Race to the Top1 or Common Core Standards and Assessments2
1

Race to the Top, abbreviated R2T, RTTT or RTT, is a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competition designed to spur innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education. It is funded by the ED Recovery Act as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and was announced by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on July 24, 2009. States were awarded points for satisfying certain educational policies, such as performance-based standards (often referred to as an Annual professional performance review) for teachers and principals, complying with nationwide standards, promoting charter schools, and computerization. Critics say that high-stakes testing is unreliable, that charter schools weaken public education, or that the federal government should not influence local schools
2

Common Core State Standards Initiative is a U.S. education initiative that seeks to bring diverse state curricula into alignment with each other by following the principles of standards-based education reform. The initiative is sponsored by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). As part of this overarching education reform movement, the nations governors and corporate leaders founded Achieve, Inc. in 1996 as a bi-partisan organization to raise academic standards, graduation requirements, improve assessments, and strengthen accountability in all 50 states. Announced on June 1, 2009, the initiative's stated purpose is to "provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them." Additionally, "The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers," which will place American students in a position in which they can compete in a global economy. Fortyeight of the fifty states in the United States are members of the initiative. Standards were released for mathematics and English language arts on June 2, 2010, with a majority of states adopting the standards in the subsequent months.

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Ten Year Vision of MBTA Gordon Dryden and Dr. Jeannette Vos, authors of The Learning Revolution, a best seller in 1999 identified twelve steps to transform an outdated model of the traditional school. It calls attention to environment, educational and business practices, technology and equity issues. This school of the future should consider at least 9 of the proposed 12 steps with 2 additions, culture and sustainability. The steps are as follows: 1. Plan schools as life-long, year-round community resource centers. School has always been subject to time and space. In the future, the change in venue, change in time and redefinition of instructor will greatly change the clientele attending school, the number of years or months needed to demonstrate competencies in disciplines and possibly how institutions of higher education service incoming students to equip them for lifes work. Community resource centers that can operated on a 24/7 schedule would allow for students to engage in lifes activities (i.e. work, missions, athletic or performing competitions, community service, etc.) without compromising their educational needs. Students who need to remain home to allow for parents to work certain hours now have opportunities to still interact with educational personnel who have similar staggered work hours. Ideally, community centers should quickly expand the big box stores as educational kiosks (i.e. 24 hour operating Walmarts) that will allow for multiple activities by many family members throughout the day and night. 2. Ask your customers first: your students and parents. Students and parents are generally not asked about their desires; rather they are informed of the schools expectations. Perhaps an opportunity should be given to students and parents to decide on a smorgasbord or Chinese menu list of courses that not only interested students but

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challenged them significantly in the area that would transition them into additional education or training. Creating ones own course pathway and diploma expectations as it measures up with a variety of post graduate opportunities now demands greater responsibility from the student for his learning. 3. Guarantee customer success and satisfaction. When the customer or student is given the opportunity to chart his own course of study, there will more than likely be greater buy in and satisfaction. Student choice must be within the parameters that are mutually agreed upon by institution and student but the end result will more than likely show greater success. 4. Cater to all intelligence traits and all learning styles. For decades educators claim to embrace the research about multiple intelligences and learning styles but have failed to implement workable solutions that allow for a variety of students to thrive in a common environment. If the environment, like traditional school, does not recognize the importance of differentiated instruction as it relates to both the instructor and the student, it doesnt matter what strategies, courses or opportunities you provide the student, the one size fits all mentality will always result in a perfect bell curve for all students. If, through advanced technology, school is redefined as the community, the island, the state or even the world the impact to economics, politics, environment and society will be monumental. There will possibly be no boundaries and even if nationalistic endeavors try to curb international interactions, education will trump these because of human curiosity and the need to know. It is highly possible that the creativity that we once all possessed as toddlers will return to students in high school and college. 5. Use the world's best teaching, study and learning methods

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Fundamental to this step is that there must be a world class TEACHER. No content, study tool or instructional strategy will prove truly successful and sustainable unless you have a committed teaching staff that understands that learning only becomes meaningful when it is applied and new knowledge is created. Teaching methods have also not kept up with the pace of the technology and that gap has deepened and will result in schools becoming obsolete and losing to a community of learners who may soon decide that education should be redefined by the masses who by that time may ill prepared because of too much content and shallow understanding. 6. Invest in your key resource: teachers as facilitators. Investment in personnel is critical. This requires regular formal and informal professional development. Educational institutions have now attempted to tap into the many resources and professional expertise found in business, industry, government and the military. This is the right direction to take but it is not a matter of a workshop here or a training there. It is consistent application of what is learned and proving the concept for the purpose of implementing the strategy in the classroom. 7. Make everyone a teachers as well as a student. Perhaps this is the hardest to accept by the professional educator who would not like to relinquish their position, expertise or power to another. However, the reality is that the practitioner in any field is probably far more expert that the actual teacher who tries to explain the practitioners craft. It is imperative to have the mindset that everyone can teach be embraced by everyone in a school community. This acceptance will eventually encourage partnerships with any and all educational institutions which will not be contrived or to satisfy a requirement established by a companys vision to partner.

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8. Change the assessment system. An assessment system must be developed to assure that the expectations of the system, the product and the client are always focused on the final goal. A good assessment never stands alone but will move with the dynamic organization that continues to surpass its goals. If an assessment system does not possess the flexibility for this purpose, it will quickly serve no purpose and often keep the organization from growing and improving 9. Use tomorrow's technology. This particular step is very exciting but difficult to embrace. Most advance technology is past technology that the military developed earlier and somewhat declassified now for public use. Although this practice has now been interrupted by equally innovative and creative initiatives spurred on powerful social networks, it still is at the level of cost that often times will not allow for schools to purchase and use without negatively impacting budgets. 10. Cultural Consideration Cultural consideration, ethnic or organizational, will always play a significant supportive or challenge to an organization. Recognition of the fact that culture does not stand apart from humans will determine the strength the school. In other words, culture requires a clear understanding and respect for opinions and directions that have been proposed for the betterment of the people and organization as a whole. Individuals abilities to put differences aside to collectively support a direction will determine success. 11. Sustainability The Cloud Institute of Sustainable Education explains this best with this statement: Education for Sustainability (EfS) is defined as a transformative learning process that equips students, teachers, and school systems with the new knowledge and ways of thinking we need to

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achieve economic prosperity and responsible citizenship while restoring the health of the living systems upon which our lives depend. The implications of this statement are enormous. Transformative learning processes have the power to re-engage communities, not only to learn, but to thrive in a society and environment that will prove more challenging and demanding of innovative ideas and creative solutions to lifes problems.

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Reference

"Amazon.com: The Learning Revolution (9781929284009): Gordon Dryden, Jeannette Vos: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Revolution-GordonDryden/dp/1929284004>.

"Creativity and Innovation." The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.p21.org/overview/skills-framework/262>.

"Race to the Top." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_to_the_Top>.