WHY PARENTS SUPPORT HORIZON SCIENCE ACADEMIES

While summer is here now, school will be starting soon enough and we wanted to take a moment to describe to any parents who may be considering a new school for their children the reasons you should send them to any of the Horizon Science Academies. Before going to one of these so-called Gulen charter schools, several of our students were struggling with their grades. As a model, Horizon has smaller classroom sizes providing more individual attention to each student. The teachers stay after school on a daily basis to tutor students who need help. Secondly, math and science education are extremely important and as a country we are falling behind others in the world. With a focus on these subjects, while still teaching all other subjects, our children have been given a heads up in the run for college. Beyond this, the Horizon Science Academies improve steadily year after year. But hey, you don't need to take our word for it. Check out Horizon's management company Concept School's website by clicking here where you can read all about Horizon. As a parent, quality of education is very important and we will not lower our standards, neither does Horizon and neither should you!

A Charter School Expert's Remarks On So-Called Gulen Charter Schools



Let's take heed of what charter school experts
say about Gulen charter schools

 I am a Charter School operator. I would like to give a brief look at how charter schools are established and run.

But before that I would like to touch upon the controversy going on around the charter schools that are allegedly linked to the Gulen Movement and Fethullah Gulen who is a moderate Muslim scholar and an advocate of inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue. These so-called gulen charter schools, e.g. Horizon Science Academies and Noble Academies in Ohio are some of the best charter schools in their 12^th year of existence. Despite all the difficulties that a charter school would normally face, they had a lot of outstanding accomplishments over the course of 12 years. Annual state reports illuminate that they show dramatic improvements academically and financially from the very beginning. And these so-called gulen charter schools have been rewarded and honored by federal and state officials, city officials, and charter school associations numerous times.

Although these schools have a remarkable history, there have been some rumors, attacks, and misinformation regarding Horizon and Noble Academies, so-called gulen charter schools.
These schools are public schools, firstly they are audited by state auditors every year, audit reports are public reports and can be viewed from official websites of state auditors. If there are some wrongdoings, they should be on Audit reports which is not the case.
Secondly, there are sponsors who oversight the schools from every aspects. Sponsors visit the schools regularly, visit the classrooms and check the school environments, attend the board meetings. They are so involved with the schools, if there are something not right, do you think they won’t write in their reports? Absolutely no.
Thirdly, Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has full authority to control and check the schools. ODE is always in direct contact with sponsors and gets reports from them, as well. If there is a major problem related to schools, ODE has a right to investigate anything. Has it happened until now? Absolutely no.

Anti-charter network targets Mr. Gulen
and  Gulen charter schools in the US

I think everybody should understand the fact that opening a public charter school is not an easy job. Especially, the first two-three years are the most difficult years financially and academically. You need to have well advertisement strategies to attract parents in order to reach required amount of students at the beginning of the school year so that the school can stand financially stable for the first couple of years. In the meantime, the new school should prove itself academically with the underprivileged, inner-city students who are generally several grade levels behind their peers. Since I have been through all of these facts, I am declaring that starting and operating a public charter school is a very difficult task.

You should operate the school smoothly and safely even though you have lots of matters regarding facility, quality of staffing, establishing new school culture, etc. For students and parents, first years are also the transition time because of the new school system, new school culture, structured environment and uniform rules, etc. As known, change is not an easy process for the stakeholders. Besides, it takes time to be able to get a stable school environment.

In the end, I am trying to justify these attacks against so-called Gulen charter schools. Unfortunately, I am not able to find any reasonable explanation because those attacks don’t have any rational foundation. It might be that we don’t see who are the people behind the doors that organize the attacks, or that they may have a hidden agenda. I believe this will be revealed, eventually.