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One of Novanet's major advantages over traditional classwork is that the program requires scores of 80 percent or higher on each of its lessons before you can move on. So much for "social promotion."When Charter Vocational first opened its doors in August 2002, it had 300 students and 15 faculty members. At the time, its only vocational classes were architectural CAD, automotive theory (and introduction to auto repair), and light construction trades (like building sheds). Since then, the school has added such subjects as PC repair and desktop publishing. It now employs a faculty of more than 30 and has about 650 students. Not that Moon is stopping there. He's finalizing plans for a second vocational charter specializing in heavy trades like home construction and forklift operation.
Daphne Orner, a mechanical engineer turned math teacher -- and the first instructor Moon hired at Charter Vocational -- is typical of the school's true believers. "What we can do with kids here, we can't do anywhere else," she says. Orner points out that, since the kids work individually with their teachers, they can progress at their own pace. "The beauty of this is that if a student finishes [a course] in November, he can start the second semester the next day. If they finish in February, well, okay, they start in February."
Does that make academic sense? Well, last year roughly 75 of 80 seniors graduated (the others are finishing coursework).
The successes on the vocational side have been no less impressive, mostly due to first-rate faculty. Moon says that Charter Vocational is "one of the only schools going that's bringing in top-level expertise. I have an architect on staff, a custom home designer." In 2004, Moon entered some of his students in the State Skills USA Contest, a statewide vocational competition. They took first and third place in architectural CAD, and the top three spots in PC repair and networking.
Results like these are raising eyebrows in the New Mexico business community and across the country. Mick Rich, the owner of a local construction company and another Charter Vocational board member, belongs to a national organization of builders called the Jack Miller Network, which meets twice each year. "One of the things we talk about is how do we find young people to go into construction?" Rich says. "When I bring up the vocational high school, [the response is] 'What did you do? How do we get this started?' "
Maybe the better question, in communities everywhere, is: "Who can be our Danny Moon?"
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