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Table A.2

National Heritage Academies

Company history

J. C. Huizenga founded National Heritage Academies in 1996. Huizenga

wanted to provide his five-year-old son with a better education than that

offered through a traditional government-run school.a

Service description

National Heritage Academies manages charter schools that focus on pro-

ducing "good citizens" by emphasizing moral values and increasing

parental involvement.

· Parents must pledge to be involved with their child's development, and

schools are equipped with "parent rooms" to make parents feel welcome.

· The educational program is based on principles developed by Prof. Ronald

R. Edmonds of Harvard University and Michigan State University. National

Heritage Academies has a clear mission, sets high expectations for student

achievement, and involves parents in their children's education.

· National Heritage Academies' curriculum follows the Hirsch Core

Knowledge Sequence.b

Market penetration

National Heritage Academies manages 22 charter schools in Michigan and

North Carolina, serving approximately 8,000 students.

· Over the past two years students have scored 35 percent above the national

Results

average on standardized tests.

· A survey conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide of Grand Rapids, Michigan,

on behalf of National Heritage Academies found that parents of its stu-

dents are overwhelmingly satisfied with their children's education.

Cost

National Heritage Academies is fully supported by government funds on a

per pupil basis. Parents do not pay tuition.

a

Stanley Marshall, "Making Money in Schooling: Educators Turned Entrepreneurs," Journal of the James

Madison Institute, no. 12 (Spring 2000): p. 25.

b

The National Heritage Academies' Web site describes E. D. Hirsch as a national leader in education

reform, whose work includes numerous books, including Cultural Literacy and What Your lst (2nd, 3rd,

etc.) Grader Needs to Know. Hirsch believes the educational system should be based on a standard body

of knowledge that all children at a particular grade level should learn.

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