Enumclaw’s Cedar River Academy is preparing an application to the Washington State Charter School Commission to become an authorized Washington state public charter school.

CRA was established in 2005 as a private, nonsectarian private school and has served prekindergarten through eighth-grade students in Enumclaw and the surrounding area for the past seven years.  Now as a nonprofit corporation CRA is conducting a public survey to learn of the  level of community support for the creation of public schools that provide active learning, project-based and constructivist education.

“In traditional schools, teachers direct the learning process based on a set of standards, or a predesignated curriculum, and students assume a receptive role in their education,” said Kristin McSwan, Cedar River Academy head of school. “CRA’s student-centered learning reverses this teacher-centered education process by making the student’s current level of knowledge and skills the instructional focus,” she said. “Student-centered learning begins with what the student knows and understands, then provides opportunities for students to actively participate in learning processes and to construct the next level of understanding.”

At Cedar River Academy, teachers are observers, mentors, coaches, and guides of individual students. Teachers develop curriculum units that embody Washington state learning standards for multiple subjects.

Cedar River Academy’s website may be found at http://www.CedarRiverAcademy.com/.