Carrollwood public charter school teaches new tools

Technology has brought such rapid changes to the world in the past decade that it's hard to fathom what inventions will change lives in the coming 10 or 20 years.

But the Rev. Arthur T. Jones knows the people he wants behind those inventions - your children. The students just need an innovative school to prepare them to do it.

"America's school system has not prepared our schoolchildren to compete and win," said Jones, pastor of the Bible-Based Fellowship Church. "Right now they are not able to compete on a global scale."

He hopes to bolster math, science and technology skills with a new charter school in his name, opening in August in Carrollwood. The A.T. Jones Math, Science and Technology Academy is a public school for children in kindergarten through fifth grade that also emphasizes languages and global thinking.

"We want to make education exciting again and stop limiting our children," Jones said.

The school can accept up to 322 children. A hundred are enrolled with about 60 applications pending. Principal Brenda Kearse, a retired administrator from the Hillsborough and Polk county school districts, said she plans to open the doors with the full number of students.

The academy, at 4903 Ehrlich Road, fills a two-story building with classrooms, science and computer labs, a media center and even a gymnasium. Located next to the church, the facility used to house the Bible-Based Fellowship Christian Academy. The private school closed in 2008 because of low enrollment.

Its replacement has no religious affiliation, said Tim Jones, Arthur Jones' son and the acting principal before Kearse was hired this month. The academy will teach character education, such as respect, but not religious practices. Tim Jones expects it to draw better than Christian Academy because it is free.

"With a private school, that is almost like a luxury item," Jones said.

As the economy turned, enrollment plummeted as families chose public schools. A charter school has the advantage of offering something different, like a private school, but at no cost, Jones said.

Kearse, who is working on her doctorate in curriculum and instruction, said she chose to join the Jones academy because its math and science emphasis matched her educational priorities.

"Math is the future," Kearse said. "Reading is what I consider the basics. But if you want someone's life to change, you have to master the math."

She envisions a school that relies on technology more than textbooks. Children, for example, might do astronomy homework through an iPad application that describes stars and planets and shows where they appear in the night sky.

Kearse will survey children and parents about what is important to them in the school's curriculum, including which languages to offer. She is considering Mandarin if there is enough interest. The school also has a dedicated music room and laboratories.

IF YOU GO

A.T. Jones

Math, Science and

Technology Academy

4903 Ehrlich Road

Grand opening: 10:30 a.m. to noon Thursday

Kindergarten roundup: 8 to 11 a.m. Aug. 11, for children enrolled for 2010-11

Call: (813) 264-2222