Alameda Community Learning Center

Alameda Community Learning Center (ACLC), formerly known as Arthur Andersen Community Learning Center, is a 6th-12th grade public charter school located in Alameda, California, United States. It currently shares a campus with Nea Community Learning Center, operating under the same charter.[1]

Alameda Community Learning Center
Location
1900 Third Street
Alameda, California, 94501
Information
TypeIndependent charter
Established1992
PrincipalMichael McCaffrey
Staff29
Enrollment~360
AthleticsDark Meat (Ultimate frisbee team) Volleyball, Basketball and Track and Field
Websitehttps://www.alamedaclc.org/
The center (an area for learners to work) from a past campus

Mission statement

The Alameda Community Learning Center an educational model that empowers all youth to take ownership of their educational experience, to celebrate their diverse community, and to actively participate as members in a democratic society.

History

The Alameda Community Learning Center was created as a school in which the Graduate Profile of the Alameda Unified School District could live and breathe. The Graduate Profile is a document that was created at a visioning conference held by the AUSD in partnership with Arthur Andersen in 1992.

The product of this conference, the Graduate Profile, contains the ideal skills, qualities and work habits of a successful high-school graduate. Arthur Andersen funded the start-up costs for the school and endowed it with state-of-the-art technological resources and facilitator training.

After its first five years, it became apparent to all involved that this school needed to become a Charter School where the economic and educational decisions that determined the fate of the school would be made by an ACLC Governing Board composed of facilitators, parents, learners, community members and a district representative. This charter status allows the school to seek its own grants, determine its own standards, and enact policy that meets the needs of this unique environment. Facilitators (teachers), parents and learners (students) are involved in all levels of decision making.

Leadership and Self-Governing

Judicial Committee

The JC system, also known as the judicial committee is made up of a group of elected learners and overseeing facilitator. JC enforces the rules of the school by hearing cases submitted by learners and facilitators and deciding on appropriate consequences to specific actions. The findings of the JC are binding on all parties involved and may result in further action, including suspension or expulsion, if necessary. They will mediates disputes and assists parties who engaged in conflict to find common ground and move forward in a cooperative manner. This role is particularly important to maintain harmony among parties who remain in the same learning community and interact regularly. The Judicial Committee (JC) is composed of five clerks elected by the learners and one facilitator selected by his/her peers. The JC meets five times each week to consider issues related to infringement of rules codified in the Law Book[2] developed by CCC.[3]

Leadership

Leadership is one of the courses offered at ACLC. Leadership is similar to a student council, and conducts its business using Robert's Rules of Order. It is a group that meets three times a week and works closely with a facilitator to deliberate, vote on, and implement proposals submitted by the community.

Such responsibilities include

  • Codifying changes in the rule book
  • Enforcing community rules
  • Coordinating center activities
  • Supporting the smooth operation of day-to-day affairs
  • Coordinating and facilitating the annual ACLC Constitutional Convention

Many other functions such as planning CCC meetings and announcements, coordinating field trips, and other facilitative and communication roles are accomplished by Leadership. Leadership provides and offers ways for learners to have opportunity to engage in self-management and organization of their own learning community and to also gain real-world experiences like helping maintain and operate the school more cost-effectively.

CCC

Alameda Community Learning Center focuses heavily on community involvement. The school is based on a democracy, where every learner has a say and a vote. One way that the community stays strong is through CCC, an hour in which the entire school comes together to discuss news, make decisions, and get to know each other a little better. Unexpectedly, CCC has started losing its greatness. Most of the learners find CCC to be more of a hassle then anything else. There was a voting to change the format by making it all big group, all small group and a mix of the two (which is what it was before). Big group is when the entire school comes together to give information about events that are going on. Small group is where the school splits up its learners into relatively even groups to discuss current issues.

Courses

ACLC has a set of graduation requirements designed to meet University of California requirements.[4] Students have frequent free periods throughout the week, which they use to do homework/projects or to socialize.[5]

Individualized Learning

Learners with unique learning needs are welcome at ACLC where they thrive and benefit from our full inclusion model. The school-wide culture of respect for individual differences, allows ACLC to offer a supportive program for all learners with special needs, without always requiring a typical Resource Room. With time built into the day to meet with facilitators and project teams, all learners have easy access to seminar support and project-based learning encourages creative responses to academic assignments. The Resource Specialist also creates and implements meaningful accommodations for learners with disabilities and also provides general education support.[6]

Electives

Other Elective classes include

  • Art
  • Creative Writing
  • Computer Science
  • Spanish 1-3

Digital Arts

ACLC offers Digital Video, Digital Music, and Visual Communications.

ACLC offers an elective course commonly known as Digital Video Studio (DVS) or just Digital Video. DVS allows learners to learn the arts of making various kinds of movies, from documentary to short films. Within the course the fundamentals of how to use green screens, editing software, and cameras are taught.

Vis Comm or Visual Communications allows expression of current events often looked over in the world and making them known

Common themes

Vandalism

This is quite prevalent at ACLC and has varied from insignificant to extreme. Commonly the ACLC wiki page is vanalised and either the content is deleted or changed in a negative way. In recent years the school has been attempting to crack down on vandalism in the men restroom. In the attempt of doing so the restroom is now closed during lunch and after school and students are now required to sign out when leaving.

References
  1. "Get to Know ACLC". Community Learning Centre Schools, inc. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  2. "Rules Protecting the General Welfare" (PDF). Rules Protecting the General Welfare of ACLC 2017-18. 2017–18.
  3. "Leadership, Citizenship & Self-Governance". www.alamedaclc.org. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  4. "2014-2015 ACLC School Profile" (PDF). Community Learning Center Schools. Community Learning Center Schools, Inc. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  5. "Graduation Requirements". Alameda Unified School District. September 15, 2006.
  6. Mcmahon, Mike (2005–2008). "ACLC Overview" (PDF). ALAMEDA COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER.

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