The Academy of Dover is putting on a new face.

    With the hiring of a new principal and efforts to market and publicize the charter school’s progress since it was put on a five-year probation period in April 2007, the academy is working to overcome its negative image.

    Board of Directors Vice President Clytrice Watson said it’s been a challenge to bring enrollment back up and is something the board continues to work on.

    The kindergarten through fourth-grade school had 385 students in 2006, according to the Sept. 30 enrollment count, which dropped to 282 a year later after the school was put on probation by the state Board of Education.

    And the enrollment woes weren’t over. The number of students was down to approximately 200 by the end of the 2007-2008 school year, but since has risen to more than 267, said curriculum coordinator Kimberly Anthony-Thompson. This gives the school at least a 74% enrollment.

    Board member David Anderson said the school seems to be starting to recover what was lost and is now on the path to turn around.

    Watson said the sheer fact the school once was rumored to be closing caused parents to panic.

    “But we’re still here …,” she said.

    “… And we’re not going anywhere but up,” Anderson added.

A new principal
    Principal Noël Rodriguez comes to the Academy of Dover from Central Middle School where he was an associate principal. He has lived in the Dover area since his retirement from the U.S. Air Force.

     Rodriguez said he realizes that as the new principal at Academy of Dover his scope of responsibility is huge compared to his career in the Capital School District. However, he believes it will be a great learning experience.

    He already has some definite goals for the upcoming school year, such as showing parents how the academy provides a safe environment with small groups.

    “For a lot of parents that’s their biggest fear,” he said of students who get lost in the large population of a public school.

    Rodriguez wants to talk to all the schools the Academy’s fourth-graders transfer into and see what can be done to help with the transition as well as recruit students from area preschools and daycare centers. He also would like to ensure the two ends of the student spectrum – those struggling and those who are very bright – won’t be overlooked, as well as focusing on areas like citizenship, which he believes elementary students need to learn.

    In addition to sending letters to staff and parents, Rodriguez has been meeting with all the parents who decided not to enroll their child again. He said he’s not pressuring anyone, but he wants an exit interview so he knows what should be changed. And in some cases, he’s convinced some parents to give him a year to prove himself, saying he’s on probation just like the school itself.

    “I’m not only on probation with parents, but also with the staff, board of directors,” he said.

    Although a new administrator was not one of the 24 conditions of the academy’s probation, Watson said she believes it will be crucial in changing their image.

    “He has a vision for the school and that is exciting,” she said, adding that another advantage is Rodriguez’ strong community connections.

    According to an email from Anderson, former principal Leonard Litzi Jr. “opted not to put in for principal … after five years of steady leadership.” Litzi could not be reached for comment.

Changes to operations, curriculum
    Even with a new principal, many changes were already made last year, including appointing seven new members to the nine-person school board. As one of the conditions of the academy’s probation, members of the board of directors had to come from a variety of backgrounds including one with experience in marketing or law and at least two with experience in public school administration.

    Watson and Anderson are two of those new members, and Watson said it’s been an overwhelming and exciting experience.

    “We’ve had a productive year,” she said, adding, “It wasn’t easy, and I’m scared to say good.”

    Another area successfully undertaken by the Academy of Dover was their financial audit. Anderson said there’s been some misconception about the school’s financial situation. They got into trouble for simple things, such as having items miscoded, not because anyone was taking money, he said.

    “It made things look worse than they were,” he added.

    Other changes have dealt with more than just the operation of the school. Watson said the teachers, many stuck with the school, have been putting a lot of time and effort into the improvements and she can’t applaud them enough.

    It was through staff efforts the school started individually tracking each student throughout the year so struggling students could get help right away, Anderson said. They’ve started testing students at the beginning and end of the year and will add a test in the middle of this coming year, he added.

    Another addition next year will bring a new math curriculum, he said.

    And perhaps there’s some progress already. Although the school’s Delaware Student Testing Program scores have not been officially released yet Anderson said there was “substantial improvement,” and Deputy Secretary of Education Nancy Wilson has said she’s pleased with the progress that’s been made.

    Watson said it should serve as an example to the quality of the school that her child attends, and she doesn’t take her child’s education lightly.

    “My message to the community is ‘Don’t count us out. We have a lot to offer,’” she said.

Email Jayne Gest at jayne.gest@doverpost.com