Academy of Dover Charter School - Dover, DE

To insure that the students of the Academy of Dover are given a well-rounded education, students at the Academy of Dover also study Spanish, Art, Physical Education, Music, Technology and Entrepreneurship. AOD boast the only Elementary Marching Band in the state, the only school where a student can start learning to play an instrument in Kindergarten. Lessons in piano, violin and guitar are also available. Quarterly, parents are invited to "AOD Night," in which students create a demonstration of what they learned the previous marking period. This platform allows parents to ask questions, and see practical applications of the concepts their students have learned during the marking period. AOD has created a, "Passport Program" in which students are given a passport booklet at the beginning of the school year. When parents attend activities, their passports are stamped. At the end of the school year passports are collected, and if the parents have participated in at least 80 per cent of the activities available, their students names are submitted for a raffle of a, "Big Ticket Item." A student name is selected from each grade level and students receive a prize that range from bicycles to electronic items i.e. Wii’s, Nintendo DS. This program has yielded a 60 per cent increase in parent participation. The staff consistently seek out new scientifically based innovative teaching techniques in order to diversify their instruction. By carefully disaggregating testing data, teachers are able to focus their areas of assistance, so as to close achievement gaps.