Historical Overview of the School
The Concept
Michael Delman and Robert Kaufman co-founded Framingham Community Charter School on the belief that all children could be powerful, self-directed learners who value their contribution to peers and community.
The Early Years
By 1997, Michael had begun to conceive of a new school in Framingham that would give students and teachers in a diverse community a chance to exceed their expectations of themselves and of a school. Michael grew up in Sudbury , Massachusetts and recognized the advantages that wealthy communities provide their children. While working in various other jobs, he realized that many other children did not have anywhere near the same opportunities he had. They lacked resources and, more importantly, often lacked teachers that believed in them and were willing to set high standards for them. You can't teach a pig to fly, a colleague at one of Michael's jobs frequently said when he laid out more ambitious plans for the children. What surprised Michael was that even in places of privilege, expectations still were low for students. Some adults, for example, would say, "Kids are mean" to explain why the adults could do little to change the climate of the school. Michael could see that not all adults were motivated and prepared to accommodate the different needs and interests of a diverse group of children. As a result, many children were uninspired or felt emotionally unsafe in these settings. Michael knew it didn't have to be like this.
Michael confirmed through formal and informal meetings with parents in Framingham that he was not the only one who believed children were capable of more. In fact, some parents had already formed working groups to investigate the possibility of starting an alternative school. Michael shared the feedback of parents with the Superintendent and School Committee in Framingham, and discussed his ideas for alternatives. The district acknowledged the need to work toward increasing student responsibility for learning, more frequent hands-on learning that promotes experience and shared learning, increased parental involvement, and a greater commitment to character development. Mr. Delman sought feedback and aid wherever he found a receptive ear.
The Plan
In 1999 Rob Kaufman joined Michael to draft a plan to make the school a reality. Rob had already proven himself to be an experienced grant-writer and administrator and had worked on numerous community development projects. His experience in shaping organizations and guiding them to achieve their mission complemented Michael's expertise in education.
The Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound Connection
While researching nationally recognized whole school reform designs, the team found that Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound (ELOB) captured the essence of their vision and used contemporary, evidence-based principles and teaching strategies to promote academic achievement and character development. Trina Abbott, the ELOB Northeast Field Director, agreed to assist the team's effort to secure a charter. Throughout 1999 and 2000 the team researched best practices, the needs in Framingham and built a founding Board of Trustees. After a rigorous and highly competitive application process, which included two written submissions and an interview, FCCS was chartered by the Commonwealth to open a grade six through eight middle school beginning September of 2002.