Chapter One "The human Brain is the most complex system on earth, yet, too often it is used in schools primarily as a simple device for storage and retrieval of information" (Dickson, 2002). Background Manzanita Public Charter School (MPCS) is located outside of Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) with 42% of its students from VAFB and 58% from Lompoc and the surrounding area (MilitaryK12Partners, 2012). MPCS provides free public education to any student who wishes to attend until classrooms are full. MPCS welcomes students of all nationalities, races, ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientation and feels the schools strength is in the diversity of the students attending. MPCS was conceived based on the belief that the Lompoc community needed a broader range of choices in educational options, specifically a school that initiated progressive research-based educational practices that responded to the changing demographics in the community (MPCS, 2012). According to cyburbua.org a community is considered urban or a city if there is more than 100,000 people and it is suburban if it has between 10,000-100,000 people in a semi-dense population area (Cyburbia, 2011). Lompoc has a population of 43,260 which would classify it as suburban. Of the 43,260 there are 26% who are under 18 and are influenced by local schools and 73% of these individuals will graduate from high school. The ethnicity break down of Lompoc is roughly 36% Caucasian, 6% African American, 2% American India, 4% Asian, 50% Hispanic, and 2% other (US Census, 2010). 25% of Lompoc residences have foreign born parents and 44% of the households in Lompoc speak a language other than English. Approximately 15% of Lompoc adults have a degree and the median household income is $47,177 with 21% bachelor’s of households below the poverty level (US Census, 2010). Vandenberg AFB is the largest
Chapter One "The human Brain is the most complex system on earth, yet, too often it is used in schools primarily as a simple device for storage and retrieval of information" (Dickson, 2002). Background Manzanita Public Charter School (MPCS) is located outside of Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) with 42% of its students from VAFB and 58% from Lompoc and the surrounding area (MilitaryK12Partners, 2012). MPCS provides free public education to any student who wishes to attend until classrooms are full. MPCS welcomes students of all nationalities, races, ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientation and feels the schools strength is in the diversity of the students attending. MPCS was conceived based on the belief that the Lompoc community needed a broader range of choices in educational options, specifically a school that initiated progressive research-based educational practices that responded to the changing demographics in the community (MPCS, 2012). According to cyburbua.org a community is considered urban or a city if there is more than 100,000 people and it is suburban if it has between 10,000-100,000 people in a semi-dense population area (Cyburbia, 2011). Lompoc has a population of 43,260 which would classify it as suburban. Of the 43,260 there are 26% who are under 18 and are influenced by local schools and 73% of these individuals will graduate from high school. The ethnicity break down of Lompoc is roughly 36% Caucasian, 6% African American, 2% American India, 4% Asian, 50% Hispanic, and 2% other (US Census, 2010). 25% of Lompoc residences have foreign born parents and 44% of the households in Lompoc speak a language other than English. Approximately 15% of Lompoc adults have a bachelor’s degree and the median household income is $47,177 with 21% of households below the poverty level (US Census, 2010). Vandenberg AFB is the largest
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