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Vista Grande Charter High School

Vista Grande Charter High School, nominated by an anonymous organization, is a high school in Taos, New Mexico that describes itself as a public charter school serving learners from a primarily rural area.

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Location Taos, New Mexico

Governance Public charter school

Grades High

Students 80

Locale Rural

School Director Isabelle St Onge

Demographics

Percentage of students*

7%

English Learners

100%

Free/Reduced Lunch

29%

Students with Disabilities

African American or Black —

American Indian/Alaska Native —

Asian —

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander —

Hispanic or Latino —

White —

2+ Races —

Why Vista Grande Charter High School was nominated

Vista Grande High School (VGHS) actively embraces student and community identity and seeks to heal the trauma that colonization and the Indian Boarding School era still have on Indigenous students and families today. VGHS works closely with Taos Pueblo (a United Nations World Heritage site) and other community stakeholders. It is a community school with an Indigenous curriculum focus that includes integration of cultural values and Indigenous systems of learning. Taos itself is a unique setting to foster the development of Indigenous identity as students navigate the white-dominated educational system paradigm, even as Native and Hispanic students make up the majority of students here. The teaching strategies, curricular design, structure of classes, and knowledge sharing methodology are unique and build student identity rather than strip culture and language from the important place schools hold in the development of each child. The school's commitment to community, student identity, and cultural inclusion in education makes it remarkable in a field of potential nominees, it is an exemplar of true community partnerships that uncover and address the root causes of educational inequities and promote student success based on Indigenous strengths and resiliency. Highlights of the school include: *Culturally relevant curriculum *Culturally relevant instructional strategies *Integration of place-based and sustainability education into the curriculum *Creation of place-based career and technical education (CTE) pathways aligned with student interest and career opportunities in Taos County such as agriculture, forestry, and adobe preservation *Upper class activism leadership classes created based on student interest *Social and emotional education integrated into the advisory structure and across the curriculum *Expeditions which are community-based, hands-on learning opportunities that include options such as farming, art and activism, media literacy and a senior capstone project.

Student experience design

Vista Grande Charter School is committed to experiential, hands-on learning that is relevant to the cultures of our student population. Learning programs take advantage of community experts and are planned based on student interest. Student choice and self-direction in education promotes students developing skills of creativity, inquiry, collaboration and joy in learning VGHS supports the whole-child though social emotional skill building in daily opportunities for peer to peer, student to teacher and small group lessons. Relevant content that is localized connects students to community organizations, leaders, artists and deepens understanding of opportunities in the Taos Community. Vista Grande creates a joyful, meaningful learning experiences that contribute to a vibrant school culture and the local community.

Core Practices

Core Practices Length of Use

Culturally Responsive Practices
3-4 years

Performance Based Assessment
5+ years

Social Justice Focus
1-2 years

Student-led Conferences
5+ years

Students Develop Projects
5+ years

All Practices

Advancement On Mastery

Student Advisories

Anti-racist Practices

Assessments For Agency And Self-directed Learning

Bilingual Assessments

Assessments For Career Readiness

Assessments For Deeper Learning

Assessments For Social-emotional Skills

Blended Learning

Career Prep And Work-based Learning

Community-based Organizations As Co-leaders

Industry-based Partners As Co-leaders

Teachers As Co-leaders

Co-leadership

Community And Business Partnerships

Family And Community Support Services

Competency/mastery-based Education

Competency Framework

Disaggregated Data On Student Participation

Dual Language Programming

Extended Learning Opportunities

Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles

Grading Policies Focus On Mastery

Hiring For Equity And Inclusion Values

All Courses Designed For Inclusion

Students Earn Industry Credentials

Interdisciplinary

Individual Learner Profiles

Mental Health Services

1:1 Mentoring

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics

Multi-age Classrooms

No Tracked Classes

Multiple Opportunities To Demonstrate Mastery

Project-based Learning

Peer To Peer Support

Physical Well Being Services

Place-based Learning

Reallocation Of Resources For Those Most In Need

Restorative Practices

SEL Curriculum

SEL Integration School-wide

Students Access Their Own Data

Student-led Goal Setting

Self-paced Learning

Trauma-informed Practices

Tutoring

Universal Design For Learning

key reasons for innovating

Systemic inequities

Models Implemented

Grades K-12

Big Picture Learning

Grades K-12

EL Education

Grades K-12

New Tech Network

Date Updated: 4/1/2024

*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.