Parker Core Knowledge Charter School (PCKCS) was established in 1994 by a group of parents who wanted an alternative to their neighborhood schools. These founding parents drafted a comprehensive charter that detailed important elements they felt were critical to the success of an academically focused school. Today, the original charter and mission still guide many of our decisions and practices, such as class size, dress code and parent volunteer requirements.
It is important to note that PCKCS is a public K-8 school and, as such, we do not charge tuition. As a Douglas County charter school, we have waivers from many district policies and practices, and this allows us to operate fairly autonomously. However, we have worked hard over the years to ensure that our academic programs meets, and in many cases exceeds, all state, district and Core Knowledge standards. Douglas County School District has worked hard to become a district of choices, and they offer a variety of alternative educational options to Douglas County families; PCKCS, as one of their six charter schools, is one of those options parents may choose.
Parents choose PCKCS for a variety of reasons, but most would site the rich content of the Core Knowledge curriculum, along with our emphasis on core character virtues and small class size (limited to 23), as the main reasons for selecting this school. Our curriculum is rigorous, and students work at a very fast pace in order to cover all they must learn in a given year. From the beginning (Kindergarten), we consider it our job to train the disciplines associated with strong academic success. All grades have nightly homework, and students learn to work, think and grow within a highly structured and challenging classroom environment. Core subjects – math, reading, writing and Spanish – are strongly emphasized, with physical education, the Arts, sciences, technology and humanities rounding out the students’ daily schedule. Monthly Core Virtue assemblies teach the importance of respect, responsibility, honesty/integrity, perseverance/diligence and kindness, and these virtues are strongly reinforced throughout the broader school community.
The teaching staff at PCKCS is, in a word, OUTSTANDING! Each classroom reflects the unique style and personality of the teacher, but a common thread among all our teachers is their unwavering commitment to high academic standards. Each teacher follows the grade and subject-specific Core Knowledge scope and sequence, which outlines what the teacher must teach within each grade and subject; ‘how’ they teach each subject is left up to them. Creativity abounds in our classrooms as the teachers work hard to create a stimulating environment for learning to occur. In addition, all PCKCS teaching staff meet the federally mandated ‘Highly Qualified Teacher’ requirements.
Strong parent involvement is another cornerstone of our success as a charter school. All families are required to volunteer twenty hours per school year, but many parents consistently exceed this requirement. Last year alone, our parents logged over 10,300 hours working in the classrooms and around the school, or serving on our Operating Council, PTO and SAC. We value the strong partnership between school and family that is so evident at PCKCS – our mutual goal is to provide the best possible education for the students who attend.
As a K- 8 school, PCKCS offers families another unique opportunity – a one-stop shop for elementary and middle school. Our school is small by DCSD standards (414 students total), but this allows us to keep a close eye of each student’s progress. We truly embrace the premise of No Child Left Behind, and we take our responsibility to help every student achieve his/her potential very seriously. Consequently, our students regularly outperform their peers in other schools on standardized state tests (CSAP.) This level of academic performance, along with receiving the John Irwin Schools of Excellence award the past six years, has contributed to our reputation as a ‘School of Excellence’. We are very proud of what our students, families and staff achieve together.
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