An increasing number of parents are turning to public charter schools that pro vide children a more intimate, dynamic and personaliz ed education. Enrollment at Santa Clarita V alley charter schools is stable or increasing, pro viding an alternative education for students who don't fit the onesiz efitsall of tr aditional public schools. "We are aiming to be different and an alternativ e that addresses the whole child," said Dawn Evenson, principal of Santa Clarita V alley International School. SCV International, in its first y ear, takes a handson approach to learning, said Amber Golden Raskin, charter school founder. Already, 273 applications are in for 132 open spots for the 200910 school y ear, which will offer kindergarten through eighth gr ade. Raskin expects to mo ve the school from its Sm yth Drive home to a bigger location because of a need for six more classrooms. The school builds on fact based learning, organiz ers said. "I believe that students need to learn how to find out things for themselv es and to work together. You give them the basics of what they need and pro vide them an opportunity to use their knowledge to create something," said Cheryl Sena, a sev enthgrade English teacher at Santa Clarita V alley International Charter School. For instance, sev enthgraders take on a "snack shack" project that requires them to design, market and run their own business selling health y snacks to other kids. "It's not about memorization, it's about doing things they're going to be doing in the real world," said Da wn Walker, a parent of three SCV International students. Sena sees a "huge par adigm shift" in education, giv en the fiscal crunch public school districts face. The focus on standardiz ed testing is one reason for the shift, she sa ys, saying it "stifled a lot of creativit y." Charter schools are giv en more latitude for creativit y, and Sena said she feels 11/7/2016 2/3 empowered as a teacher. Two other local charter schools, Mission View Public School and Opportunities for Learning Public Charter School, meet the needs of students who ha ve difficulties in the traditional high school setting. "A great many of our students just cannot achiev e in a regular school en vironment," said Jeff Brown, CEO of Mission View Public School in Can yon Country. "They can't attend a regular school or they get o verwhelmed by the number of classes." Mission View students include single mothers and students who tak e care of family members or work full time. Some Santa Clarita Valley students attend Mission View , but many come from the San Fernando Valley, Brown said. Mission View has about 180 students, a sharp increase from the 11 students who attended the school when it first opened in 2007, Brown said. He expects the number to increase. "I feel that b y next year at this time, we should probably double our student base," Brown said. "We knew there was a need. W e actually had students going to P almdale and Lancaster," Brown said. Opportunities for Learning, a sev enththrough12thgrade charter school, also pro vides an intimate education for its students. "A lot of students, they tell us that the social en vironment has been a struggle for them, a peer pressure thing," said Chris Hodge, area supervisor for Opportunities for Learning. The school has three sites in the Santa Clarita V alley and educates about 600 students, Hodge said. Mission View students find themselv es more focused. "This school really teaches y ou more than regular school because y ou pay more attention," said Abi Garcia, 16. Garcia attended Golden V alley High School until the second semester of her junior year, when she transferred to Mission View to catch up on credits. She hopes to return to Golden V alley to graduate. Classmate 16 yearold Chelsi P ortman, who also hopes to return to Golden V alley, says she's learned a lot at Mission View: "I finally learned how to study and I'v e been getting A's on ev erything."
