Beacon Academy Case Study

William sat on the edge of his seat and listened to Jeanette explain the organizational structure of Beacon Academy.

“Beacon Academies are charter schools; we are accountable only to the state granting the charter, and a national board of directors. As charter schools, we are schools of choice - we derive our students from a variety of public school districts. If accepted, students who choose Beacon Academy sign a contract that commits them to the principles and operating conditions of the Beacon Academy enterprise. Our long-term goal is nothing short of a complete revolution of America’s system of compulsory public education that is determined based on student residency. I’m sure by now you have many questions. If you’re still interested, we’d like to invite you to Richmond for the weekend. A binder is being distributed with an agenda and overview of the next forty-eight hours.”

Two women began distributing blue binders emblazoned in gold with a lighthouse and the words ‘Beacon Academy - Restoring America’s Promise.’ William took one of the binders, and turned back the cover. He found a single sheet of paper inside.

“Could have just handed this out,” William said.

“What?” Tabitha asked.

“Why do we need an enormous three-ring binder for a single sheet of paper?”

“If you come to Richmond, you’ll find that binder will

The last thing in the world he wanted was for Tabitha to see him in shorts with his shirt off. The panic intensified when he realized he might have to perform physical exercise prior to their promised swim. A potential train wreck of embarrassment was beginning to stream through his mind’s eye. William considered putting the shorts back on the shelf; he could always tell Tabitha that he had stopped at a store, but couldn’t find a swimsuit. The sales associate said that spring and summer clothes wouldn’t be available for another couple of months, she had handed him a plausible