I love Delta. Founded as the Alternative Program in 1974, it has been an evolving educational program for democracy, imagination, and inclusive community for 50 years. It’s an amazing learning environment that I’m sure will continue much as it is for decades to come.
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Last year, the State College Area School District’s (SCASD) then interim Superintendent Curtis launched the idea that the Delta Program should become a school. As reported on the pages of The Centre Daily Times, he and other administrators considered it a small change. The Delta community, though, did not and has not perceived it that way. They have let the State College Area School District’s Board and (now) Superintendent Johnson know. He acknowledged that at last week’s Board meeting and recognized how much he didn’t understand.
With a decision about whether Delta should be a school or not is still off in the distance, I want to share what I’ve learned, heard, reflected on, and the Resolution that’s coming to Monday’s meeting. This is mostly for Delta parents, students, alumni, and teachers, but also folks across the District. As citizens, voters, and taxpayers, your money and opinions shape the context of our programs and schools. My words do not reflect anyone else’s thinking nor the will of the Board. [If all the words aren’t quite right in this writing, my apologies.]
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Delta began as the Alternative Program (A.P.) in 1974. The District recognized that traditional four-wall schooling was not working for many secondary school kids in the early 70’s. With a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, they explored alternative schooling models, with an implementation report being delivered to the Board for approval in February 1974. This new school’s “governance structure must help students become more active, independent and responsible adults…[through] direct student participation in the decision-making process and by students receiving major responsibilities.” It should provide “total involvement of staff, students and community” while establishing guidelines and processes for internal and external governance that balance “optimum autonomy with the district’s legal responsibility.”
Its curriculum was to be designed “to fulfill the unique interests and unmet needs” of many students. With a smaller secondary population of 200, it could create more flexibility in attendance, innovate the classroom’s place and teaching methods, directly involve parents, students, and community members in the development of curriculum alongside teachers. While imaginative and engaged, “Acceleration [was] not one of the primary goals,…but rather the program will encourage students to pursue a wider range of interests during their public school years.” These aspects have stayed remarkably stable.
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In 1992, I was miserable at school. I was an 11th grader at State High who was vastly more interested in riding a skateboard than doing Algebra II homework, spending my time listening to Fishbone or Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, playing Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Sepultura than I was learning Chemistry, and reading H.P. Lovecraft and writing strange fiction than I was willing to write a paper about “Evangeline” or A Tale of Two Cities. I was one of those kids the District was thinking about in 1972: curious but disaffected by a regular school and more than a little defiant.
After some particularly challenging times, my parents agreed to let me go to the AP. I was greeted by Lisa, Tom, John, Michael, Sarah, Daryll, Sherry, Marilyn, and Bill, my counselors Karen and Cheryl, the program’s director Kathy, and supporting staff like Holly and Candy. With a couple of exceptions, the best friends I had (and still have from that time) were there. We all felt at home.
We built rockets and went to the Air and Space Museum where I bought a copy of Dune that I got to read for a class called “Explore Reading.” In 2013, I taught Dune to 11th and 12th graders.
I hiked the Laurel Highlands Trail with Bill for gym class in the fall of ’93. I went whitewater rafting for an end-of-school trip. Anyone who knows me today knows I love forests, spending countless hours mountain biking in PA’s state forests and game lands over the last 25 years.
Even though I was a serious pain, English teacher Gary Masquelier showed up for me. He’s my son’s teacher right now.
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In 1992-93, the AP explored whether it would change itself. If memory serves, the AP community wanted to free itself from the stigma of being an “alternative school/program.” There was a perception writ large and within the District that AP-type kids were bad, just weirdos, misshapen queerdos, kids to be penned in somewhere, an island of malcontents, and a land of misfit toys. On the one hand, we loved that. Being “weird” was part of what defined us. But the social cost of being an outsider stings, especially in a high-achieving school district connected to a major university. The stigma kept people from seeing our genuine creativity, the thriving decision-making culture, and the professionalism of our teachers.
In spring 1993, I was made a student representative on a task force exploring other alternative schools. We would see if and how the AP could change and provide insights into how the AP could keep being ourselves while becoming–for lack of a better term–more legitimate. I don’t think I wanted the AP to change. We loved “the ape” as my friends and I called it. But I was willing.
So my fellow student Olivia, two of our teachers, our guidance counselor, and I visited the Lehman Alternative Community School in Ithaca, New York. Like the AP, it had All School Meetings, a dynamic governance structure, extensive learning outside of the classroom, and innovative curriculum. We spent a full school day there, interviewing administrators, teachers, and students, participating in their programs, eating lunch, and attending classes. (I remember reading out loud in an English class and a girl telling me I read well.)
When we got back, we reported out. While I don’t remember the details of my report, we did recommend a change. It was in our best interest. We voted on it. Despite other awesome names like “The Neptune Program,” Delta won. Seemed appropriate since delta means “change.”
In the fall of 1993, my 12th grade year, the school year started with a “new” program in the District. Three years later, Delta created an integrated curriculum and an experiential time block that persists. In fact, I taught an experiential class two Fridays ago: Damage, Inc.: A Crash Course in Heavy Metal. I’ll teach its next iterations at the ends of April and May. Delta has changed and it persists.
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A program as successful, as consistent, and as loyal to its governance, curriculum, and community as Delta will naturally take the possibility of unrequested change as a threat. The aforementioned changes came largely from within. The new proposal has not.
Ask the average person what the difference between a school and a program is, and you’ll probably hear, “No idea.”
Now ask that same question to a 50-year-old program whose parents, teachers, and students have had little contact with upper administration—a program made up of people who both love their community and its defense of individual expression—and they’ll naturally ask, “What are you after?” Now, pose the idea without preparation, good relationships, or context to a community with a governance model of direct and representative democracy…The hornet’s nest was ready for war.
According to our administration, an important distinction between the Delta program and a Delta school is about data that can lead to accurate data that follows the student for the fair allocation of resources. When I first heard this, I gave the idea a side eye. There had to be other ways to do this. Is this a Trojan Horse? What’s going on? Who wants something? Who’s coming for Delta?
Over the last year or so that we have visited the question, “Should Delta become a school?” there’s been a lot of fear that the District’s administration will use data to undermine Delta’s culture. A committee was formed to explore questions, pros and cons, and a commitment to finding relevant facts..
When I first got on this committee, I was very skeptical of any good coming from becoming a school. I’ve dug into the background with others. With the help of the Superintendent’s Executive Assistant and Board Secretary, Lynn Tressler, I read the reports and recommendation documents that established the AP in 1974. I’ve listened to facts and tried to understand the allocation of services. Today, I think there are some strengths to becoming a school. You can watch Jon Downs’s and Jonathan Bucher’s presentation to the Board on behalf of the Delta Committee from March 25, 2024.
I’ll go into more detail on three things that keep coming up.
- Based on questions to Delta Director Jon Downs, Assistant Superintendent Jonathan Bucher, IT director Justin Hetrick, and to the Department of Education, we have limitations with the data that inhibit the District and Delta from making fair and equal decisions. Delta data can be pulled for simple purposes. For example, many kids have scored proficient or above on PSSAs every year. However, those scores are attributed to State High, Park Forest Middle, and Mount Nittany Middle. This creates a bidirectional problem for resource allocation—Delta and the District has incomplete data for Delta while the catchment schools have excess data. Has this caused a big problem? Not that I can tell. But it does mean there could have been unfair resource allocations. Similar misallocations can persist. For kids with IEP’s, that’s problematic.
- The state does not share the formulas they use all the data we gather for Future Ready index. Our administration has asked the Pennsylvania Department of Education the following question: “If Delta stayed a program, how difficult would it be to recreate the Future Ready index for Delta?” The answer has been discussed in the Delta Committee meeting. Though these details are not in the presentation, they have informed answers contained in the presentation itself.
The data that makes up Future Ready is pulled from six sources (some of which are outside of PDE): Data Recognition Corporation, Bureau of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction, Bureau of Career and Technical Education, Educational Names and Addresses (EdNA), Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS), and SAS, Inc. Importantly, two of the six types of data cannot be recreated.
Data Type – Assessment Measures:
Could recreate: Percent of Proficiency, Participation, and Percent Advanced.
Could not recreate: Growth (PVAAS)
Data Type – On-Track Measures:
Could recreate: EL Growth and Attainment, Regular Attendance, Early Indicators of Success (Same as Percent proficient above)
Data Type – College and Career Measures:
Could recreate: Career Standards Benchmark. Cohort Grad Rates
Could not recreate: Industry Based Learning, Rigorous Courses of Study, Post Secondary Transition
As Dr. Bucher explained to me, it is impossible for us to recreate analyses that compare apples to apples. We are back with an attribution and resource allocation problem. - What happens to Delta if testing opt-outs are high as a school? I have two answers to this. First, almost certainly nothing. Test scores among those who take them are high enough that there is virtually no chance Delta would be labelled failing. They are in a district that’s high-performing. Second—and I know some parents may not like this answer—I don’t think that’s Delta’s problem. If parents’ aggregated choices were to put a school in jeopardy that would be on them. But it’s vanishingly unlikely to happen and I am not worried about it. No matter the situation, opting out is a choice you have through the free exercise of religion in the First Amendment.
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Since last fall, I have advocated for the Board to put something in writing that affirms our commitment to Delta as Delta. I said so to teachers, to parents, to students, at Committee meetings, and at the Board table on November 20. Members of the Board nodded in agreement. I have been persistent in saying things like, “We should play to Delta’s strengths.” This has included its democratic and deliberative practices, its creative and innovative curriculum, and its development to community. But in the process, fear that we would take something away that is so precious to parents, kids, teachers, and everyone at Delta.
I’ll reiterate: I have talked to DOZENS of people who have said things like, “Delta kept my kid in school.” “I can hardly tell you how different he/she/they is/are from when they started. It feels like a miracle.” “We stay here because of Delta. It’s just too good for my 6th grader and 10th grader. It might not be for everyone but it’s amazing for us.” “This is the best teaching job I could ever ask for.” “At a time when democracy is being eroded, a democratic school is more necessary than ever.” Yes to all of this!
Last month, after a bout of frustration, I asked Delta’s Director Jon Downs, and teachers Paul McCormick and Diane Reed (all of whom serve on the Committee) to draft a Resolution with me so we could show the community the District’s commitment. The material in the Resolution comes from the 1974 documents, the close reading and discussion of the four of us plus two Delta parents—Linnet Brooks and Karen Truitt. After we drafted it, Dr. Amy Bader (Board President) restructured it with almost no changes to the original text. Last Thursday we discussed it at the Policy Committee. At the table, we added “the Covenant” after a parent’s questions and prodding. Monday, it comes before the whole board for discussion. You can find it on Board Docs under the April 1 meeting with a thoughtful memo by Dr. Bader to introduce it. Its full text is available online and below.
What happens after we pass the Resolution? First, I suspect many in the Delta will breathe a sigh of relief. The Board will have shown we are not after Delta. But I hope Delta won’t stop advocating for its permanence, whether as a program or a school. Second, the Board and Administration will continue to hear the findings and listen for a recommendation on whether Delta should become a school, likely taking a vote in the coming months. I have ideas about the timing of that vote to allow a good runway to 2025 should Delta be voted to become a school. Third, the Board may well take a vote on making Delta a school. This is not decided. It just seems very likely. Fourth and no matter what, Delta can and should rearticulate itself in documents that will make it a magnet school. Dr. Bader has advocated for this and I think it’s spot on. As far as I’m concerned, Delta’s governance, its curriculum, and its community are in its hands.
I predict Delta will thrive, become more secure, be celebrated as an integral part of the district, and continue being itself for many years to come. This evolving program is an engine for democracy at a time when the nation needs it, a garden for fertile imaginations where some kids discover themselves, and a beloved and loving community. I look forward to being at its 75th anniversary party and my son being at its 100th.
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Resolution Affirming the Fundamental Tenets of Delta on the 50th Anniversary of its Founding
WHEREAS, the Board recognizes that the Delta Program and its predecessor, the Alternative Program, has created and sustained a community-oriented, democratic learning environment that fosters choice, voice, and diversity of thought to develop engaged citizens and inspired leaders; and
WHEREAS, the Alternative Program was launched in 1974 after an extensive study determining the District would benefit from a program that expanded the approaches to meeting all children’s needs, invited greater involvement from the wider community and encouraged students to engage in community service; and
WHEREAS, the three core elements of Delta’s identity and function reside in its internal governance, community and curriculum; and
WHEREAS, Delta’s internal governance structure is designed to help students become active, independent, and responsible adults in a democracy; and
WHEREAS, Delta is founded on democratic principles that foster the equal value of all community members’ voices in decision-making and provide ample opportunities for student, parent, teacher and staff participation in the determinants of Delta’s operations under their purview, leading to a stronger community overall; and
WHEREAS, Delta deliberately focuses on building a community, including staff, students, teachers and parents, whose efforts are to establish purposeful and meaningful relationships whose strong connections result in the most effective learning environments; and
WHEREAS, The Delta curriculum maintains academic flexibility and provides creative and alternative pathways which include student, teacher and parent voice in defining student needs, while continuing to meet established District curriculum goals and graduation requirements, as well as state standards; and
WHEREAS, The Delta curriculum incorporates the belief that all the Delta community members are lifelong learners and that said learning is not bound by the brick and mortar setting; and
WHEREAS, Delta maintains that including the broader community in learning is a curriculum in itself, which is in alignment with District beliefs and goals articulated in the SCASD Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, Delta community members have a shared responsibility to nurture and uphold the established democratic processes, culture of schooling and approach to establishing curriculum;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the State College Area School Board:
- States unequivocally that Delta’s internal governance, community and curriculum are a valued and indispensable part of the District; and
- Reaffirms the values and practices outlined above as set forth in the commitment to create the Alternative Program in 1974 and beyond; and
- Affirms direct student participation in decision-making is of utmost importance to the Delta community and has been for 50 years; and
- Affirms student voice, teacher voice, and family voice and participation to be of utmost importance in governing Delta in its Covenant, All School Meetings, Advisory Council, Advisory Team Meetings, and Hiring Committees; and
- Affirms Delta students shall continue to access courses, as appropriate, offered at State High; and likewise State High students can continue to access opportunities at Delta as appropriate; and
- Affirms the option to participate in extracurricular and co-curricular activities at either State High or the appropriate middle school catchment area will continue to be available to Delta students; and
- Commits to upholding the aforementioned foundational tenets of Delta in any future evolution of its structure.
Peter Walks for Democracy 