Gulen Charter Schools is a hot discussion topic on a variety of blogs around the Web. Showing hardly any evidence, some websites try to convince parents as if there were a link between Fethullah Gulen and some charter schools in the US.

The following video on Gulen charter schools shows how informed (!) these people are on the so-called Gulen charter schools:

To read more on Gulen charter schools please visit: http://parents4magnolia.org/gulen-charter-schools/

Gulen charter schools accusations vs. Parents' experience

On the Web, I came across some articles on Gulen charter schools, which I found at the beginning to be very interesting. But, as I read further, I found some contradictions, baseless claims and accusations. Some of these articles on Gulen charter schools were mentioning  Magnolia Science Academy which I’ve heard from my friends.

I have some friends whose children attend to one of the Magnolia Science Academy charter schools in Los Angeles, which were also labeled as one of those so-called Gulen charter schools. So far, all the feedback I’ve heard and read about Magnolia charter schools are very positive. They are no different from other public schools, except that they have an extra emphasis on math, science, and technology, which is a very good opportunity for the students who want to improve themselves and get a better education.

My friends are very satisfied with the teachers and the service they offer at Magnolia. My kids are still young to go to school, but Magnolia Science Academy is definitely on the candidate list, as it will most likely be the best choice for my kids.

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I have a daughter who graduated from MSA San Diego and my younger daughter started 6th grade at MSA this year. I am so amazed with the kind of transition I’ve seen in my younger daughter. My 6th grader changed from an irresponsible little kid into a responsible and hardworking young lady in only 3 months, thanks to her teachers’ hardwork and discipline. There are many activities I can just go and participate as a parent at the school. For sure, Magnolia is the best school my two daughters ever attended.

A big “Thank you!” to the founders and staff of Magnolia Science Academies for such a great experience.

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As a parent, after looking through many websites, I have found many false comments about Magnolia being labeled as Gulen charter schools. What caught my eye is that there are many people who are making untrue comments about these schools, but do not seem to have any idea where their sources came from to blame these schools. People do not seem to have strong and reliable sources to back themselves up. There are many misleading comments, articles, and news to make these schools look bad. One should look more into the teachers, education quality, and test scores of these schools instead of listening to gossip, rumors, and lies.

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Ultra picky mom! Yeah! That’s me. It’s my son’s third year at Magnolia and I am asking him about every single day he spent at school, every small detail about his classes, teachers, after school programs, the food, etc. you name it…

Here is what I found after my three-year observation: discipline, hard-work, devoted teachers, individual attention, diversity, and respect. I think, these are what make Magnolia special.

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I am really fed up with the Gulen charter schools claims about my child’s school which I am proud of. As a parent I feel it’s my very own school; any wrong statement about this beautiful school offends me because I feel myself as a part of it. I don’t know what people are getting out of throwing dirt at this wonderful school. I just don’t get it.

What bothers the layperson bloggers who have never been this school, who have never met any of these wonderful teachers and staff, who have never been exposed to the warmth of this warm school environment??? I don’t really know what their intention is by spreading all these ridiculous ideas around. But, I know I am really upset as a parent. Please stop by our school to see what’s going on.

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I’ll share these developments time to time. It may take time, since there is still some buzz -though at an insignificant rate- going on regarding Gulen charter schools myth, and it is quite impossible to cover all the updates in a single blog post. Yet, I’ll briefly mention something very important.

I was wondering who might be fabricating all this Gulen charter schools spam, if not junk, and posting them to wherever they could on the Web. Now, I know some clamorous members of the Gulen charter schools choir, and I mean it. On the Web, there is substantial evidence on the identities of these people, publicly available to careful eyes. However, I’m not planning to share any names at this point…

There are still missing pieces on why they picked Magnolia charter schools or Gulen, or some minor presence of international staff as topics to their unfounded arguments. What does Gulen have to do with U.S. charter schools anyway? Of course, taking each and every “Gulen charter schools” allegation serious is pointless. I am not in a position to answer questions like those above, but I can say that there are obvious points in this matter that are no news as well. It is crystal clear that this titular Gulen charter schools stuff is nothing but an organized effort which is artificially fueled by folks who are paid for attacking successful charter schools like Magnolia.

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I live in Culver City. Even though, I am not that much close to my neighbors, we do have some conversation time to time. One morning, I saw my next door neighbor in the morning with her daughter while she was going to drop off her daughter to school. I have a son who is now in 5th grade, and will be 6th grade next year. So, I asked my neighbor what school her daughter was in (she is in 7th grade now). She told me she was attending Magnolia Science Academy which was a public charter school focused on math, science and technology. I was very interested, because my son is very much interested in science, so asked her for more information. She gave me the contact information of the school. I checked the school website and was very impressed and became more interested. She told me how her daughter was doing well at her classes and mentioned about the enhanced programs they had. She expressed many times about how the teachers cared about their students. It just made me happy to find a school like that, because my son will be in 6th grade next year, and I already decided where he’ll be continuing his education.

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My son loves his school and teachers. He didn’t want to stay for after-school math program at first. But after spending one month in the program, he loved it and made a significant progress in his math class. He likes his math teacher’s individual attention to him. It made a big difference. Teachers and the principal are very welcoming; I can always share my comments or concerns with them.

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It is our second year with Magnolia charter schools. I could not be more pleased with my kid’s first year. I like this charter school, because of its small environment and staff. The teachers are very helpful and understanding. They push pupils to their limits. My son’s teacher was extremely innovative when it came to keeping him challenged.

At Magnolia, students can feel safe, because bullying is not tolerated. This charter school reminds me of the small town elementary school that I attended – where the teachers knew all of the kids’ names, the environment was safe and academic standards were top of mind.

Yet, atop all above, I happened to find out some people blogging about Gulen charter schools, many of whom have no idea of what actually is going on. My suggestion for them is to take a tour of our school. I did that a couple of times, and I have observed unique and fun teaching strategies in the classroom. My child loves his school and that in itself is the best testimonial from a parent!

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We were looking for a school that could handle my son’s exceptional science skills, improve his reading and deal with his mild hyperactivity. This charter school did just that. His teacher was always readily available for questions and phone calls from me.

Children are given individualized attention because it is a small school. They are well prepared for high school once they graduate. Despite the Gulen charter schools rumors and a smear campaign launched on some weblogs, the school proved its success both by increasing its scores and enrollment.

I definitely recommend this school if you want the best for your child. Our children have thrived here.

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My son made friends quickly, enjoyed going to the other classrooms for the reading programs, and he always looked forward to the after school events. Had there been any complaints from parents, they would have taken their child from the school. We are both looking forward to this coming year!

You will see the difference if your kids are in this school. It is an excellent place for them to learn. the teachers and the administration are great. I have two boys that graduated here and are doing very well in college. My youngest is a senior in high school and doing great as well. Love this school! I’ve known this school since it opened and I’ll tell you it is a success year after year.

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Check out this video on charter schools:

Well-noted…

I believe, this is only a portion of the benefits of charter schools.

We’re very happy with our experience with our charter school, and thankful to its staff.

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Teachers in our charter school share the excitement of learning with the children and encourage parents to get involved. We have enjoyed the extracurricular activities and programs that have been offered at this charter school.

We are very satisfied with the education she is receiving and know that our child has excelled due to this amazing school.

If you seek great education for your kid in a public institution and your focus is on the benefit to your child(ren), this is the perfect school for your little one(s).

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I like the individual attention the teachers give to helping the students excel for each child’s best potential. There is great teacher/student interaction and my child has flourished! If you are looking for a place where your child will gain a great education in a loving, nurturing environment – then I highly recommend this school.

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Though widely debated, I believe that the charter school system is a breakthrough in our public education. This innovative approach is critical for our nation and it is working.

To that end, I had mentioned a research on charters earlier in this blog. After sharing that study in my comments to a newspaper article, I received several responses. People asked whether that was the only study I could find, and some claimed that there were many others that show the contrary.

Of course that was not the only study available, and as I said in the beginning, results may vary depending on what you look and how. The following summary from US Charter Schools website serves as a good answer, and that’s why I penned this post:

Twelve studies find that overall gains in charter schools are larger than other public schools; four find charter schools’ gains higher in certain significant categories of schools; six find comparable gains; and, four find that charter schools’ overall gains lagged behind traditional schools.

If you’re further into the topic, you may read the original source as well: Charter School Achievement: What We Know, July 2005 Update

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Wonderful teachers, a safe learning environment, involved and informed parents… These are some of the phrases that I use to describe our charter schools.

My daughter has been enrolled for the past two years and we love it! I really feel she is receiving a high quality education!

It is a great niche for those wanting small classrooms, teachers that genuinely care about your child, an administration desiring to do what is best for each student, and a partnership with parents. Each child is loved and encouraged to always give their best.

Definitely recommend!

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Lately, a friend of mine brought some online content about my daughter’s charter school to my attention.

I went through the websites she suggested me to take a look, and saw pieces claiming the charter school to be a part of Gulen charter schools, presented in an over judgmental nature. The writer(s) of the blogs were quite hasty to make conclusions about the school and its staff, drawing unrelated issues together.

I appreciate her thoughtfulness, yet, to me, they just did not make any sense.

It is sad to see that a few people still ignore this charter school’s contributions to our community because of their prejudice. I hope they’ll visit our school one day to see what actually is going on.

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Both of my children are attending Magnolia Science Academy for three years. We are very happy with the education my kids are receiving.

There are five main reasons that we chose Magnolia for them:

1. Peace of mind: It is known as a school that provides a safe learning environment
2. Both challenging and rewarding for kids: The charter school’s quality of education is above the average of surrounding public schools
3. Their emphasis on math and science
4. There are many extracurricular activities to help students discover more of their potential
5. They keep parents posted, even by visiting their homes to discuss children’s progress

Thank you, Magnolia, for putting all these together.

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My son is a 9th grader at Magnolia Science Academy and he LOVES going to school every day. He is eager to attend the school, as learning new concepts enables him to be self-motivated, and he is already impatient for the new school year.

I think, running a good charter school is hard work, yet it is easy to speak ill of anything. Educational outcomes show the exceptional accomplishments of Magnolia, and I think, this charter school is a chance for the surrounding community. So, people that try to vilify this charter school by generating a “Gulen charter schools” noise shall rather remember that actions speak louder than words.

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Topics of these visits generally include the strengths and weaknesses of the student, on what he/she should concentrate on for a better learning, and how could parents help the school along the way. Discussions even include the pupil’s academic discipline, social behavior, and the college/university alternatives that he/she might be enrolled after graduating from the charter school.

Personally, I value planning very much, that’s where every success starts; and I believe that having a good plan in hand also matters to reach the desired future for your kid. I think, home visits pave the path for these plans.

Parents get better understanding on who the teachers are by these visits as well. In parent meetings, you could only discuss general issues in a limited period of time, yet talking about your child’s future at a home setting is a totally different story.. After all, you’re the host and your kid’s teacher is your guest. No formal talks or several page reports, but rather a one-to-one chatter in a warm and friendly atmosphere…

All these result from voluntary attempts, mostly after business hours, and I think, this is one of the key reasons of Magnolia charter schools’ continuing success.

More on “why Magnolia?” will follow…

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I live in Reseda and my daughter goes to a Magnolia School, completing her first school year last June. We are thrilled to be at this school. Her math scores increased remarkably in a single academic year.

The science curriculum at our zoned public school was based on kids filling out worksheets about science. In contrast, our charter school has a real science lab, and students participate in a science fair that walks them through the scientific method.

Thanks to her highly qualified teachers, the school is well recognized at the state level and nationwide. Besides their qualification, the teaching staff is incredibly dedicated, works real hard, and does care about our daughter’s academic improvement.

It is a great feeling to know that the school is always willing to go for the extra mile. I’m very grateful, and I wish success in their endeavors.

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I’m tired of the irrational Gulen charter schools claims about Magnolia charter schools. They are good schools with no-nonsense academic standards. I was especially impressed by the school environment that forms a sense of big family comprised of teachers, administrators, and of course, students, all of whom feel a real affection to their school community.

If Magnolia teachers follow these lines as well, here is a piece of advice for them: Be open for genuine feedback but don’t be distracted with what people with some agendas say. It is Gulen charter schools campaign today, and who knows what allegations will emerge in the future.

No matter what, neither be spoilt due to your success nor feel bad when some individuals ignore these achievements; just focus on what is needed, as you have done so far.

My two cents…

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First, why I chose this great charter school is that the school environment is very warm and friendly for all – for students, parents, and even for one-time school visitors.. Yes, and that’s also briefly how I learned about this charter school.

I was driving by and I saw this “Open House” banner on the school building. I walked in and just loved the school site at my very first visit.

Unfortunately, the open house was already over, but the school administrators generously offered me a guided tour, and answered all my questions. I saw almost all the labs, classrooms, and school auditoriums that day. They invited me for another open house session after the tour. What impressed me at that school site visit was this warm welcome. I wasn’t just “an another parent”.

I was told about the teachers’ “home visit program”, which I found very unique for this charter school. I didn’t know about these visits before, and think they are very notable.

I’ll write on Magnolia’s home visits later, and will share other reasons (or let’s say this charter school’s differences) that lead me to choose this charter school.

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Magnolia does a good job, not only fostering an academic medium for this immensely diverse population, but also crafting a sense of a large family on the school grounds.

The teachers and the principal provide a nurturing environment, and in return, the API scores keep increasing.

It is surprising to see people with an agenda to harm this successful school. I’d heard about Gulen charter schools stuff before our enrollment, yet some other parents that I know very well assured me that there is nothing to worry about. That is also what I observed throughout our experience with the school.

Now, after our first year, I cannot say anything but “Thank you!” to people in Magnolia.

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It is no secret that the quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations, and it could only be resolved by grassroots-level efforts like these.

Good job.

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I take this as normal. Not everyone will celebrate your achievements; you should always save some room for jealousy too.

Teachers here take their jobs very serious, and they are impatient to see the days their pupils go out into our communities and work to make them better. They plan individual learning paths student by student, and visit their families to inform them about their children’s progress.

As a parent, I am happy to see that the priority is and has always been our children. That is what I all care about.

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My son couldn’t quite make it in his previous school. Frankly, he was not very successful and he had only a few friends. Thanks to the club activities Magnolia offer, he is much more social now.

He always has so much to tell me when I pick him up after the school. Doing homework became fun for him, and I try my best to spare some time for reading together. And yes, he is improving his scores recently.

It is very rewarding as a father to see your little one blossom. I’m grateful to all his teachers for all they do for him.

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On the comments section, I wanted to congratulate those schools for their success. Then I saw this comment which stated “Magnolia Science Academy (MSA) couldn’t make the top ten in California”. He/she was also trying to associate MSA with what he/she calls Gulen charter schools. There can be two reasons to post such a funny comment that I can think of:

First, this Gulen charter schools crier might be expecting MSA among the top ten schools. If this is the case, I want to thank him/her for sharing  MSA parents’ feelings. And I would like to remind him/her that it was a near miss, MSA did pretty well this year by ranking the 13th in California.

If not appreciation, the other reason to make such a comment could be hatred or jealousy to the extent that he or she solely thinks to defame MSA. I think, these feelings make those Gulen charter schools bloggers loud such baseless and funny comments on this successful charter school.

They try hard not to miss any chance, even if it’s the success of any other public school.  When they don’t see their target school in the top ten list, they just write “Oh, this Gulen charter school didn’t make top ten”. But, they ignore the fact that the charter school has ranked 13th in California.

I’m glad that these few individuals posting Gulen charter schools junk all around do follow MSA and it’s achievements closely. However, I have two objections: One, MSA is not a Gulen charter school, and two, it has proven it’s success in the national level a couple of times. Simple huh?..

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I moved him to this charter school, and immediately started to see a spark of enthusiasm. Thanks to the science projects, he’s now much more excited to learn. And, I think, diverse student population is something he benefits more than anything he could ever experience in public schools.

I wonder, on what basis a few people are trying to defame this charter school? Have they ever made a single visit to the school? Did they talk to anyone from the school or any of us, parents? It’s always easy to talk and blame, but increasing a charter school’s success and generating positive outcomes day by day require real solid effort..

Now, almost two years following our enrollment, I know that I made the right decision, no matter what those self-contradicting Gulen charter schools arguments suggest.

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My son attends Magnolia Science Academy for the last two years and this is the best choice we’ve made. Teachers at the charter school are really successful at what they do: no bullying, no drugs, and no dropouts. All these look like a good value for public funds.

I was looking for a school that motivates kids to college degrees and professional careers. My son is quite intelligent and I don’t want a school that doesn’t care about his quality of education. We’re very happy with this school, it has a very high education standard, and the discipline is perfect.

Good job on ranking 13th in California!

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I applaud the school for this unbelievable hard-work in handling diverse group of students and parents effectively. Some marginal people with Gulen charter schools argument are not bringing out this accomplishment, and prefer to ignore appreciation parents and school districts with their made-up stories. At the end of the day, everyone is free to express their thoughts, yet hate speech differs from the freedom of speech and prejudice is something beyond pure ignorance.

I suggest everyone come and visit our school and see this success by themselves.

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Our charter school is doing great job. I have never known a school so focused on education as Magnolia! Teachers are college driven and my children are so motivated that I am proud being part of this school.

The school staff at Magnolia is dedicated to educate our children and to inspire them to go to the best university possible! This dedication has been recognized by the state authorities and the national media a couple of times by means of several proclamations, medals and trophies.

Magnolia is nothing but the BEST charter school in our county.

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Yesterday, I was reading an online article about my son’s charter school. A commenter with an annoying tone was claiming an undisclosed affiliation and was suggesting the readers google “Gulen charter schools”.

Although finding out facts is something far beyond a Google search, I took that advice, and I think I have to give some credit to him/her. Long story short, I got to know, Mr. Gulen who was largely described as an inspiration source for many education and dialogue centers as well as humanitarian aid organizations worldwide.

To me, “Gulen charter schools” looked like a catchy phrase at first, as a lot of mumbo-jumbo was present on the Web without sufficient research, let alone evidence. Plus, there was a great deal of inconsistency.

The bottom line is that the commenter introduced me an intellectual, but contradictions in the links he/she provided disproved his/her points on Gulen charter schools claims. It is very straightforward: Could there possibly be a slightest chance that our governing bodies are not aware of what he/she found out? Are his/her sources any better than the federal government or local agencies?

MSA, just like any other charter school, is not just overseen by authorities but works closely with them for the community. I know the teachers and the principle of my son; they deserve credit, and I do recommend this charter school to any parent who wants to see their children succeed.

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My daughter attends Magnolia Science Academy in San Diego. It is a great charter school. The teachers work very hard so that our children learn and enjoy the journey of being a student. As an engineer, I am glad that they emphasize math and science. My daughter now thinks math is FUN due to the experience she has in her school.

I am very glad that I heard about this school and my daughter did not miss such a great opportunity. I only wish parents also speak out their opinions and gratitude towards the hard-working educators of Magnolia Schools.

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Pacific Technology School (PTS) in Santa Ana is one of the greatest schools my son has attended so far, and I won’t let these biased Gulen charter schools arguments shade its reputation. According to what we have experienced to this day, our charter school promotes discipline and encourages team work effectively. My son and I do like the diversity the school offers, as he has the chance to interact with students from various backgrounds without prejudging and learning about other their cultures at the same time.

To better understand what teachers at PTS achieve, it is important to note that charter schools generally deal with students that are habitually falling behind in public schools for a variety of reasons. So, I think, it would still be an achievement even if they displayed an equivalent performance. Despite this fact however, there are many charter schools –including ours– around the nation that outperform their neighborhood public schools which serve similar demographics.

I appreciate and welcome the efforts of all charter schools for helping and supporting our kids that grow in underprivileged conditions, an issue not everyone cares about. I have witnessed lots of success stories in which problematic kids ended up flourishing in their hands. I am very happy that we have these schools, and think that, as a society, we need to encourage these institutions that are working for common good.

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I’ll try to catch up with the comments and contributions made during this period. Here is the one submitted on June 19, 2011:

The last week of the school coincided with the Father’s Day week. This year, it is much special for me than the earlier ones, as my daughter told me that she wants to be a doctor.

At first, I thought she was kidding, but no, she was seriously motivated. This is a sign of a great change, as she was always a student below the average. It was only after enrolling to this new charter school that she seemed to be doing better. At least, my wife and I wouldn’t have to “drag” her to the school every single morning as we used to do before.

Quite frankly, we had heard about her progress from her teachers before, but hearing this from her is really rewarding. Today, she told us that she is enjoying her new school and that her teacher was inspiring her to be a pediatrician.

Words cannot express my happiness. Thank you Magnolia, what could a dad expect more as a gift?

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This is our second year with Magnolia charter schools and I am glad to see the boost in my kids’ appetite to learn. We live in a well-reputed school district, but the education at our charter school far exceeds what the neighborhood regular public schools offer.

Prior to moving to Los Angeles, we lived in Washington State where there are no charter schools, at least to my knowledge. People up there were seeking a formula to improve the education quality, but the efforts came to nothing.

That is the reason I highly appreciate the presence and importance of school choice alternatives here in California. Schools like Magnolia are serving a great purpose, namely teaching our kids math and science, the subjects crucial to keep America competitive on a global scale. I’m glad that we have thousands of these amazing charter schools across the majority of the states all over the nation.

Teachers in our charter school do a lot more than our previous public school, and I think they are a model for all the schools, public and private, in California. An example? I’ve been visited a few times at home, on how my kids are doing. I think it is very valuable being updated on their academic and social progress firsthand and to know teachers of your children in person.

I feel indebted to them… Thanks, for all they do for my kids.

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You would think, asking my son to go to school on a Saturday is a challenge but in MSA1 it is not. My son is looking forward to the Saturdays. Being able to review his classes with his teachers and solving a dozen of math questions while being tutored is another reason I admire the Magnolia school’s strategy. In this ever competing world, the school needs to have an edge in every field. In my son’s case, it is mathematics. I hope when he graduates from high school, he will have easy access to a top university in Los Angeles either in the field of engineering or economics.

Thanks to the staff and especially the hard-working teachers of MSA1. I do hope that the Magnolia Schools open more charter schools in the greater Los Angeles area where there is an ever-growing need for quality education. I know that they have several other branches, the valley, one in Hollywood, two in West LA and one in Santa Ana. I wish they open another one in Pasadena where a close friend of mine lives so that she could send her son over to MSA.

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Besides being caring, the teachers in the charter school are very passionate about educating my child. Thanks to the synergy in their classes, students learn from each other while they are learning about the world. My son is challenged regularly to think about multiple aspects of the topics they study in the class everyday, and is very eager to learn more. It’s amazing how this youngster can discuss various topics with adults, and it does feel good when my friends tell me that my kid sounds like grown-ups.

I got to know the teachers and the principal, who are trying their best for us. That’s why I’ve discarded rumors questioning alleged affiliations of this school with Gulen right away. Without this school, my kid would have a certain disadvantage because I am not able to help with his homework all the time. It is a great opportunity for him to have someone readily available for help, when necessary. I wish other public schools could find similar ways to do the same for all our kids.

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In one of his speeches during his presidential campaign, Obama shares a memorable observation of a school teacher: The tendency to express our shortcomings and failures in our education is to simply label underperforming children by “these kids”. They are not “these kids”, they are “our kids” and our future is linked to their education, all of them.

Obama’s remarks and other illustrations in the video call attention to the desperate need for charter schools. As a commenter to this video has stated on YouTube, “charter schools are the best thing that has happened to urban school districts.”

It is for good of no one to repeal successful charter schools like these. Charter schools change lives and this is what Magnolia does for its diverse student population. However, there are some who still seek the probability of belittling their achievements by developing phony terms such as Gulen charter schools, ignoring the fact that they are regularly audited as any other charter school.

Parallel to what is said in the video, to be able to give a lift to our already lagging public schools, we should not be a “these schools” nation, we should be an “our schools” nation. Nuestras escuelas, ¿me explico?

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One of my close friends sends her son to Magnolia because of the focus on science, and she and her husband are very pleased so far. I’m closely following the school and news about it, as I’m considering sending my 8th grader this coming year. In our vicinity, Magnolia is known with its quality of education above the state standards.

Charter schools like Magnolia are hardworking alternatives for children, especially for those who come from economically disadvantaged families. Even though they generally work with students that have low performance by tradition, they are doing a great job preparing them academically and socially.

People need to be grateful to these institutions that benefit American children from all walks of life, instead of being over-suspicious of their intentions and labeling them as Gulen charter schools.

We’re lucky to have such a reliable charter school here in Valley, they ranked 13th statewide recently. Looking forward to my daughter’s enrollment.

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My daughter attends one of the Magnolia charter schools in Reseda for the last three years and I have nothing but praise for their quality of education.

She has completed at least one comprehensive project every year –I mean, a real one in which you actually design an experiment and test a hypothesis, not an overestimated technical report like most of us did in our high school times– and was even awarded at a regional science fair.

As a parent, I think it is unfair to tag her dedicated instructors or school on the whole, just because of the national origin of a few personnel. I would say they are doing an excellent job. They are doing lots of extra things for my child’s success that I’ve never seen in her previous public school. I could not have asked for a better education for her, not only academically, but also opening her mind to the world and encouraging her to become a confident and capable young woman.

I think, what matters most is these tangible outcomes, not some unfounded suspicions such as Gulen charter schools claims.

Thanks for crafting this learning haven.

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Magnolia Science Academy – Reseda, aka MSA1, is the best school that my daughter attended after moving around a couple of states and several schools over the past seven years.

Most recently, we’ve moved from Colorado to California. My wife and I expected that our daughter was really going to struggle with her academic achievement though she is used to moving to different school in almost every two years.

However, it was a breeze for her to adapt to the new academic environment at her new school. MSA1 administrators and teachers really made it a smooth transition for my daughter. I am amazed to see how easily she adjusted; she did not really struggle a bit.

In this diverse, welcoming, and academically challenging environment at MSA1, my daughter is flourishing academically. All I have seen at this school is dedicated and kind teachers and administrators. I couldn’t believe that they can achieve offering such a phenomenal education to kids in my community. I just want to congratulate all MSA1 staff and administrators for the education provided at this school.

Lastly, I have one good advice to those who try to defame this great educational institution by scattering around some bizarre affiliations, namely Gulen charter schools, whatever it means, about them: Spend your time wisely rather than vilifying a good institution and if you can, open up schools that can offer better education than MSA1. If not, stop messing up with the school that is doing a great job of offering alternatives to failing public education.

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(Previously, a parent mentioned one of her studies in a post titled “Gulen charter schools conspiracy does not seem to decelerate Magnolia Schools”).

A nice, crisp, and concise tribute. Thank you, Dr. Hoxby!

Along with the same lines, my kid’s charter school, with a bright track record, helps several schoolchildren in our disadvantaged/underserved community close the ‘infamous’ achievement gap. But, despite all their contribution to our communities, sorry to say, ideology precedes the good of our students in the eye of some people that laud Gulen charter schools claims…

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I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank the teachers, staff and administrators who have had a hand in these accomplishments.

It was also uplifting to know that the charter school also ranked 115th nationally, an increase from its 291st position last year, when more than 1900 public high schools nationwide are taken into account by the Washington Post.

This shows how well MSA prepare our kids for their college education. Bravo to Magnolia! Well deserved!

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It’s been almost two decades, a sufficient time, for education officials and the California public throughout their experience of utilizing charter schools to further education outcomes. California, a leading state in charter schools, appears to be satisfied with the upshot so far. As nicely put by a report of the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office of the California State Legislature, “…statewide evaluations of charter schools in California have concluded that they are meeting original legislative intent—expanding families’ choices, encouraging parental involvement, increasing teacher satisfaction, and raising academic achievement, particularly for certain groups of disadvantaged students…”

What is more, charter schools are uplifting pupils in their educational experience, not only in California but all over the country. 99% of all elementary students in charter schools were included in a nationwide study by Caroline Hoxby of Harvard University, who has found that a higher percentage of students in established charter schools are judged proficient on the state reading and math examinations than their peers in the nearest traditional public school.

Supporting these findings by their exemplary achievements, Magnolia teachers and administrators make every effort to advance student learning, as the Academic Performance Index (API) scores available on the California Department of Education Website suggest.

This data is another confirmation that the charter school movement is an innovative initiative that helps our struggling public education heal and revive. Had these schools were not doing any better than the public schools they neighbor, they would have been closed long before by the overseeing agencies.

Magnolia charter schools have broken new grounds not only in California, but also throughout the ranks of charter schools across the country. If you’ve read one of the earlier posts in this blog, titled “Why shouldn’t you take Gulen charter schools labeling campaign seriously”, then you probably already know that Magnolia had received a silver medal degree nationwide. But did you know that they have had a world champion as well? One member of the gold-medal winning U.S. National Team at the 2006 International Mathematical Olympiad was a student of Magnolia schools, being the first student from a charter school ever to represent the United States in the competition.

These accomplishments, however, are neglected in the equation, when ideological arguments are raised. As a recent and unfortunate example, “Gulen charter schools” phrase is trying to be spread around for the purposes of disinformation in order to mislead the public. Further scrutiny on what these people mean by associating Magnolia charter schools with the made-up Gulen charter schools term would prove that Magnolia schools, although already being held accountable with their performance, selectively face unreasonable claims regarding their operations.

No matter what these unsubstantiated arguments allege, overwhelming crystal clear data prove just the opposite. I hope with the support of the communities they serve, Magnolia Schools will continue to focus on academic excellence, despite the cacophony lauded by the ill-intentioned.

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Along with the devotion to democracy and human rights, the richness and texture of the American society which comprises many different backgrounds, customs, virtues, rituals, holidays, and cuisines is something to be proud of (pg. 123). We simply welcome each and every tradition, and this openness to diversity is something invaluable that strengthens our unique American identity.

Historically, much has been written on the infamous ‘American melting pot’. All and all, I could never imagine writing on this topic too, let alone its ‘connection’ with Gulen charter schools – a recently invented concept flourishing on the Internet. Allow me briefly explain how our giant ‘salad bowl’ relates to this purported Gulen charter schools notion:

In such a country where last names do not matter at all, I’m having hard time to understand individuals that are blatantly attacking to Magnolia Public Schools just because of the minor presence of the international staff. Do they think that they could defame our nationally recognized public charter schools by labeling them as Gulen charter schools? I don’t know what they aim, but I know one thing for sure: This is not an American mindset that wholeheartedly welcomes differences and celebrates diversity.

I’ve heard from the grapevine that there are quite a few rumors on who this tiny bunch of people indeed might be. Some suggest that these people belong to a small extremist portion of Armenian Diaspora; some believe they are ultra-nationalist and/or pro-communist Turks both in and out Turkey where it is a popular trend to blame Gulen for almost anything going on.

Digging a little deeper to understand what really is going on, one may find out that these bloggers eye everything related to Magnolia with profound suspicion – to the extent of discrimination. Bloggers see almost everyone who might allegedly have heard of Gulen as a potential threat as well. It is interesting how they at this point are in parallel with some groups in Turkey, who speak in defense of a clandestine organization known as Ergenekon. Their negative and one-sided stories portray a treacherous image of people running charter schools as if they had some sort of hidden agenda.

Actually, it is possible to test the credibility of their comments by exploring where they were published, the authors’ competence (if any), the interest groups they are connected to, the agendas of those groups, etc. Such inquiries might offer a healthier assessment of these allegations. As funny as it could be, these fictitious Gulen charter schools claims happen to appear almost everywhere off-topic. No surprise if one comes across to pieces of texts on Gulen charter schools on various platforms: from Craigslist ads to online technology forums, from ‘article farms’ to hardware instruction manuals, etc. I even remember seeing a posting about Gulen charter schools under one of the Bollywood film reviews!

But why is all this spamming effort going on? This ideological agenda aims to push some fear and curiosity into academic and educational circles but, naturally, it is not seen as an objective and reliable source. Long story short, these blogs are bogus. They usually choose to quote other blogs which rely on other similar blogs that relate to other blogs that also lack a single trace of evidence as a resource. On Twitter, for example, the very same folks both attack to current Turkish government in Turkish and the so-called Gulen charter schools in English at the same time, and the arguments they present give the impression that they receive the help of sources of disinformation in Turkey. At various instances, allegations highly contradict depending on the audience, although they stem from the same origin.

Anyways, the essence of all this is that it is necessary to avoid exaggerating everything written on the cyberspace. There is really nothing to be taken seriously about these blogs/bloggers and the like in their labeling of Gulen charter schools. No matter what they keep posting around, Magnolia Public Schools keep increasing their API scores via closely overseen academic/non-academic activities, determined to bring the better to our school communities.

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Charter schools are independent public schools with rigorous curriculum programs and unique educational approaches. In exchange for operational freedom and flexibility, charter schools are subject to higher levels of accountability than traditional public schools. Charter schools, which are tuition-free and open to all students, offer quality and choice in the public education system. (California Charter Schools Association Website)

Starting with such a description may seem weird for some of the readers of these lines. No matter how clear and concise the definition, there are still individuals who act as if they were unaware of the explanation above.

Charter schools improve pupil learning, increase learning opportunities, and encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods by providing parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system.

Benefits of this school choice include, but are not limited to, providing vigorous competition within the public school system to stimulate continual improvements in all public, creating new professional opportunities for teachers, and so on.

Alas! Who cares? Some interest groups keep ignoring these benefits which contribute to not only underserved communities but also overall quality of public education system throughout the nation. The words I have underlined above in the beginning address the majority of their concerns, yet sadly enough, ideologies are intended to substitute facts at times.

I believe, what Magnolia Public Schools face these days is no different. It seems some folks around the Web have launched a defamation campaign based on the perceived fears of their target audience. They claim that Turkish-Americans are spreading “Islamic fundamentalism” via charter schools they have established, or that these schools simply serve as Trojan horses. Coming up with a mysterious term such as Gulen charter schools, they plan to create a buzz around the web to create some confusion among the parents and decision makers.

However, they miss a critical point charter schools are held accountable for meeting measurable student performance, and are under strict supervision by local and state authorities. Would these institutions that regularly oversee these schools, not be aware of any such wrongdoing, if any, that these bloggers discovered? Of course not!

Liars anticipating to manipulate the public opinion will soon fade, and lies being tossed around the Internet will not add up to a single piece of truth. Out of 4911 charter schools serving some 1.6 million students nationwide, 912 serve a diverse student body of more than 365,000 students in California. Magnolia joins the effort with its nationally recognized success and reputation. Just one example of the success out of many to give you an idea: Based on the Advanced Placement (AP) Test results of graduates, Magnolia Science Academy got silver level in the nation.

For that reason, my final words go to the dedicated staff and administrators who work around the clock to help our kids discover their potential within and flourish: Do not be distracted with various vicious attempts to label you as outlaws, Gulen charter schools, or whatever. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

More on this topic will follow…

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As a parent, I was so much irritated with those blogs and I had decided to voice my opinion. The main effort as you would remember, was to label the school as ‘Gulen charter schools‘.

This is indeed funny!

First of all, PTS is a state-approved charter school and is following a curriculum in accordance with California standards. It is being audited regularly like every other charter school in the US. Had there been any sort of illegal activity, it would have been known to the public a long time ago. That’s why I’m very appreciative of the comments by former Secretary of Education Kerry Mazzoni on ‘Gulen charter schools‘.

Secondly, as claimed in those blogs, it may be the case that some of the teachers are originally from Turkey. I do not see any problem with that. Being a foreign-born citizen in a public institution is not unusual in this country. Even our former governor was from Austria. I do not judge my son’s teachers based on their ethnicity, but for the quality of the education they offer, work ethics and how helpful they are in my child’s academic progress.

My wife and I are hearing positive feedback regarding PTS and we’re hoping to see our son flourish at this school. I’ll recommend PTS to anyone who is seeking a school somewhere around Santa Ana.

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In my first posting I had written about how happy my child was at Magnolia, therefore I was. The school offers a well-rounded curriculum during the day and a rich selection of tutoring and clubs after school.

For my child, the school does not end with the last bell. He stays after school almost every day and enjoys the academic and social clubs. His favorite one is the advanced math club where he has an opportunity to learn advanced math topics above his grade level. His club meets on Saturdays as well. You didn’t get me wrong: they meet on Saturdays!

My child’s math teacher [I won’t write his name here due to confidentiality] is an extremely intelligent, helpful, young gentleman of Turkish origin. My son adores him! This gentleman has taken his students, including my son, on trips to universities such as USC and UCLA, organized camps and sleepover, visited his students’ parents at home and done many other activities I can’t list here. All parents are very impressed with his dedication to walk the extra mile for our children.

I am laughing at the Gulen charter schools allegations. I wish all teachers in our country were as dedicated and passionate as my child’s math teacher. All my child’s teachers, Turkish or non-Turkish, are highly qualified and they love their job.

I don’t know who is behind these funny allegations, but those people need to pay a visit to my child’s school and show me where they see any of their allegations because I don’t see it. As a parent pretty involved with the school, I must say that I am bothered by these baseless Gulen charter schools claims because they are false and ugly. I know my school and I love it!

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To our amusement, Magnolia hosted their ping-pong tournament on the very same day. The finalists played before the audience waiting for the science-fair award ceremony. I am truly impressed by the fact that a team of students traveled all the way from a Magnolia school in Santa Clara County to the City of Bell for the ping-pong tournament. Their teachers must be crazy to give up their Saturday and drive for a ping-pong tournament! Yet, this kind of dedication seems to be normal at Magnolia. And I am not surprised anymore.

I appreciate the valuable experience my child had meeting students from different parts of California. Latino, white, African-American, Asian—you name it, a diverse group of students was present. Everybody was friendly with each other and the event was bonding—for us, parents, too.

Did I mention the science show was really fun? The presenter launched rockets about couple hundred feet high in the air that parachuted back to earth, reminiscing of my childhood days when we tried to make rockets from water bottles.

Thank you, Magnolia, for organizing such a great event!!!

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After the first charter school law passed in Minnesota in 1991, there are now more than 92 thousand charter schools serving more than 1.6 million students in 40 of the 50 states. Charter schools continue to close the achievement gap and decrease the dropout rates in economically disadvantages and under-served areas in the nation. Check out National Alliance for Public Charter School‘s website for more data on public charter schools. http://www.publiccharters.org

Magnolia schools are no different. With so many success stories and a track record of achievements, they get their fair share from the upset minority who loves to keep the things the way they presently are for personal, political and economic reasons. It is very much clear in Magnolia’s track record of history for the past ten years that, Magnolia schools do what is best for students and parents. Those attackers are trying to hijack your success stories by foolishly trying to diminish your reputation with ridiculous attempts to associate you with so-called Gulen charter schools.

Check the recent eye-opening movie Waiting for Superman http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/ by Davis Guggenheim. This documentary successfully shows that charter schools offer viable options and alternatives to the status quo in which families and students have been disserviced for a long time.

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Everyday, I go to the school and learn with fun and I guess it is the same for my friends too. We are all hardworking students and lucky to have skilled teachers from all over the world. This small school of four hundred people shows how the world is capable of getting along, despite our differences which, I think, is a great richness. Every teacher knows the name of every student and we all respect each other’s innumerably different ways of life.

I am very proud that my school has had one of the highest standardized scores throughout the entire state. We won several awards for competitions such as Math Counts, Lego League, and the FIRST Tech Robotics competitions, Science Project Competitions, AMC 8, and AMC 10 e.t.c.

My school conquers everything from small disciplinary issues, to disaster relief fundraisers, to championships at nationwide competitions, and even unreasonable accusations by the local media. Recently, a few blogs that are using other blogs as their sources, had published stories that must be brought to them by unknown sources, accusing of hateful purposes. It is a home away from home for me and I was heartbroken when someone tried to spoil my school’s image based on their media-fueled fear. According to them, my school is a part of a group that they brand as Gulen charter schools.

Actions speak louder than words, louder than the words we use as classifications. My teachers are professional individuals who teach math and science and language arts to me and my peers, so that we can go off to good colleges, get degrees, and follow our American dreams.

Why do people keep judging people based on their color or creed? After all this country has been through, why to characterize people based on their race and religion? I’d also appreciate if someone could explain the logic (if any) behind this hateful approach. Why do we find it so hard to accept that NOT everyone is the same as us?

It is true, there are bad people in the world today, however they are not called the poor, immigrants, the homeless etc., but criminals, outlaws and so on. Some people may have improper actions, but that doesn’t mean that everyone who comes from the same background are similar to them. For instance, I, an American and a Christian, would never do what Timothy McVeigh did.

I remember learning about American melting pot, a great cultural mixture including a little bit of everyone from around the world. In a sense, there is no one, other than Native American, who is one hundred percent American. Even the families descended from the first settlers in the original colonies came from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Spain. In this country, almost everyone has ancestors from somewhere else. This is our common ground. It gives us something to talk about. People love to talk about where they’re from. Everyone has stories to tell about where they or their family comes from. Those stories bring us together. Sharing our origins is a great way of enrichment in our communities. Our differences are what make us unique and interesting. Honestly, our backgrounds make us who we are, they are what make us American.

Why would we want those differences to tear us apart? We should be accepting of other cultures. We should embrace them into our lives and learn the best things they have to teach us. However, we sometimes choose to look at others, as if they were very different from us -as merely media labels- and thus as dangerous and immoral. We let fear keep potential friends at a distance. I know that I don’t want to live in this fear. I want to be considered as a potential friend to the people I meet.

Despite the differences we have, people are people and should be treated accordingly. Everything else is commentary.

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Magnolia Science Academy 1 in Reseda, is a great school in terms of academics, teachers, friendly environment and diversity. There are over fifteen different cultures represented and all the students get along in its small, interactive, and hospitable environment.Almost all of the  previous students have been attending the school since the start of middle school, so being in the building, having classes with the teachers and hanging out with your friends feel like being at home with your family. It is common to see the old graduates visiting the school often, only to see their old teachers and see familiar faces.

MSA has a very diverse student body with many traditions, but are not limited to Mexican, El Salvadoran, Filipino, Ecuadorian, Armenian, Persian, African-American, Turkish, and Indian. Every class has its own unique blend of cultures and somehow manages cooperate extremely well. The students are very open and welcoming and I have never seen any bullying. It’s easy to speak out in class, and people are always very interested to hear your perspective on different issues.

I had always thought that high school would be a scary place as they show it in the movies. The students’ friendliness at MSA have always surprised me in this aspect and I think that kids coming in from middle school to high school would love MSA for this too.I have seen many students scared of this transition, and I think that MSA helps to combat this fear by being a friendly and diverse school.

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I always feel welcomed with open arms, the moment I step foot into the school that my child has been attending for four years. The staff and the environment at Magnolia make me rest assured that my son is being well taken care of. A lot of communication between the principal and the teachers across the school is obvious. It does seem like a team effort.  The safety of our children is priceless, and this caring team has done a wonderful job preventing every single bullying, teasing, violence, vandalism, drug or any other problems even before they occur.

There is an ongoing communication with the parents that keeps both the parents and the staff on the same page. The online student information system is so effective that I know how my child is performing at his school. In addition, the teachers come to my home to talk about my child and help us make a daily studying schedule for him.

Unfortunately, there are a few accusations about the school on the Web, labeling the school as Gulen charter schools? Did anyone hear that kinda thing before? What is wrong with having an international teacher staff, as long as they are all dedicated and qualified? These well-trained people want to share their experiences and contribute to our education, and I support them from the bottom of my heart. Remember, we are a diverse country and we always voice “E Pluribus Unum“. This diversity, I believe is a richness to a school environment, not something being afraid of.

What else can a parent expect from a school other than quality education, success, and safety? Accusers are doing no good for our nation by talking about something that lacks even a single trace of evidence. Whoever have questions or concerns can visit the school and observe himself/herself.

My child is and will be excited to be at Magnolia, and I am proud of being a Magnolia Parent.

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You cannot imagine how big an opportunity this is if you are not raised in a neighborhood in poverty. Students in such conditions are mostly Latino and African-American kids where the current education system fails to provide robust education and services to them. At Magnolia, this need is already addressed with the quality of education. Moreover, it is always assumed that such demographic populations and girls generally do not engage in STEM education. In contrast, about 40% of the students in this program are girls. The enthusiasm of the students is unbelievable. Recently, I searched the website of Magnolia on the web. Despite this marvelous dynamics in this school, I came up some websites claiming  some ties with a person or group called Gulen charter schools in a hateful tone. I don’t know much about this person and it is not my concern now. Yet,what made me concerned is that the websites publish despicable articles about our beloved school Magnolia. I know my child’s teachers for almost six months, I have spent a lot of time with some of the teachers. I just laugh at these baseless “Gulen charter schools” claims, about devious ideas to take over the country, whatever… I can’t understand the accusers’ logic; I guess it is another cheap way of assault by writing abusive articles without actually visiting the school in person and learning about these dedicated teachers.

What I only care is whether this school really inspires our kids for the STEM education or not. That’s obviously what we need for our country. The rest is pointless…

You cannot deceive kids when it comes to understanding. If you strive for their benefit and happiness, they will appreciate it. Kids will follow the teachers who care about them and are sincere in their behaviors. What I’m very sure about is that if people continue their disgracing behaviors and actions against this sort of exemplary schools, our children will miss an excellent opportunity to improve their math and science education.

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First of all, the curriculum is unique. The curriculum is rigorous enough to challenge my son. As a result, his self-esteem has improved remarkably.

Secondly, class sizes are legitimate. My son gets immediate attention when he needs. Small class size provides not only immediate help but also individual focus on students.

A wide spectrum of extracurricular activities offer my son great opportunities to build his afterschool program. He attends Magnolia Science Academy basketball team besides the Lego Robotics club. Moreover, Magnolia Science Academy provides expedition and exploration programs. My son has attended national and international trips, camps, and competitions with his friends and teachers.

Furthermore, Magnolia Science Academy continues to understand and emphasize a global experience. Understanding global diversity, accepting different cultures and relationships between them is vital in contemporary times. Magnolia Science Academy promotes international awareness and interest through its curriculum, philosophy, and practice. I continue to support Magnolia Science Academy in its quest to explore and cultivate such global appreciation and understanding.

Thanks so much to Magnolia Science Academy and its staff for all they do for my son. For the first time in a long time, my son enjoys learning and going to school.

And a few words to those who are jealous(?) of success of this wonderful education environment: why do you keep on and on posting junk on the web? Why do you insist on labeling it as “Gulen charter school” (whatever it means) without any evidence? You even shamelessly highlight donations from some corporations and foundations as if they were something illegal. What could be more natural than a SUCCESSFUL school being granted and awarded? Is jealousy only reason or is there any hatred out there?

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As a prospective parent, I am searching schools in Orange County area for my kids and ran into a charter school ran by Magnolia Foundation. Although I am confused with different school names on their web sites (Magnolia Science Academies and Pacific Technology Schools) Magnolia’s STEM focus seems to be very attractive.  I pursued my search deeper I found some alleged connections between Magnolia/Pacific Schools and “Gulen Charter Schools“. I was frustrated with inflation of information about “Gulen Charter School” which seems to be virtually established by some bloggers.

First, I did not get the bloggers point if they are promoting “Gulen Charter School” or attacking to Magnolia Schools. After reading a few articles it is obvious that there are really jealous people out there who are not happy with Magnolia’s schools.  Ironically their level of attacks really convinced me that these schools are very successful and I decided to enroll one of my kids to Orange county site. If I were one of those bloggers I would start an online charter school to serve the community instead of wasting time to defame current successful schools and make connection to virtual “Gulen Charter Schools“.

As John F. Kennedy says “All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent”.  Yes we are all different but differences are far less than similarities. The elderly world has enough space for all of us. We should be all working for our youths and be more passionate about spreading JFK’s message.

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I have a special-ed student at Magnolia Science Academy and I am very happy to have my son at your school. As I greet you by “MSA Family”, I believe and feel that we are like a family where we build mutual trust, cooperation and convenience for the benefit of my special-ed child. Thank you so much for creating such a warm and caring environment for the students who need extra time and care during the special education. Being the mom of a special ed-student is challenging, my child was struggling to adapt to his old school. At Magnolia Science Academy it is so great to know that he has special ed teachers ready for help. They are in class during the weekdays and do one-on-one help to my child both with class assignments and with his homework.

I sincerely appreciate the time that special ed teachers spend reviewing my child’s goals and recommending strategies to meet them. The teachers’ recommendations are very helpful and give me perspectives on available opportunities for my child at MSA. It is a great opportunity for parents of special ed students to evaluate these strategies through the help of family(or parent/guardian) – school cooperation with MSA! This paves the way for more success for special ed students.

MSA family’s enthusiasm and ability to motivate the special ed students have resulted in a significant increase in my child’s productivity. He is now more dedicated to his class assignments and homework, and more concentrated on his goals at school. Before, he even did not want to bring his school supplies at school! I think this is the success of special ed teachers’ endless patience by pushing my child into mainstream with support or pulling him out from the class as needed.

MSA Family! Please accept my sincere gratitude for the support of my child and your teaching services throughout his education in MSA.

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Stay tuned for the rest..

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Hi all,

I am glad I came across this website for Magnolia parents. Allow me to say I am an extremely happy parent at Magnolia Science Academy. Sending my child to Magnolia Science Academy is one of the best decisions I have ever made for my child’s education. My son was not challenged at all at his previous school, nor did he get proper attention from his teachers.

Magnolia is very different; it’s actually a blessing. To begin with, my son’s teachers are caring. They will walk the extra mile every time they can and respond to parent requests positively.  They even do home visits, something new to me. My son feels valued by his teachers and can’t wait to go to school every morning.  On the contrary, he wants to stay after school every day since the school offers a wide range of activities. This is not something you can buy!

I am a supporter of public education, and I believe this charter school deserves due recognition.

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Before we signed up for this charter school, we had some questions about Magnolia Science Academy, its international staff and school building etc.

After we attended one of the open house meetings, we decided to sign up. The school wasn’t too big, and classes weren’t crowded. We thought that our son would not get lost in this school environment. We are so happy with dedication of the staff to help boost our son’s learning.

Having a small school and class size, we found Magnolia Science Academy the safest school in our neighborhood. More importantly, our son likes his school. I saw accusations that this school is tied to so-called “Gulen charter schools“, as claimed on some websites, but so far we haven’t seen any trace of evidence supporting these accusations.

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Established in 2002-2003 school year, MSA-1 has continuously attracted the interest of the parents in a competitive charter school landscape. MSA-1 started out with 150 students in 2002 and grew to 500 students, largest capacity, in 2010. In this timeframe, the school, its teachers and leadership had to deal with baseless allegations and attacks unlike any other school. The student growth over the years is a clear signal that the community is supporting the school. Here is a chart I came across at the California Department of Education Dataquest website for the sustained increase in MSA-1 student population:

The chart generated on California Department of Education Dataquest website at http://data1.cde.ca. gov/dataquest/ is a clear proof that despite all the baseless “Gulen charter schools” allegations, Magnolia Science Academy is beating the odds and parents are clearly preferring this school. If this school was not any better than the schools that it neighbored, the government would have closed it a long time ago.

These allegations are nothing but an insult to the students attending Magnolia Science Academy and the teachers teaching there. If the students felt that they were being proselytized which is a farce allegation, they would have left this school long time ago, along with the diverse teaching staff from all faith groups and nationalities. With 100% graduation rate and high API score in a relatively disadvantaged neighborhood, Magnolia Science Academy is providing valuable and excellent education to diverse population where teachers from different backgrounds come together to make a change. As a parent, I cannot sit and follow how this school is being labeled as “Gulen charter school”. Magnolia Science Academy is a great school where students and their success is the most important priority of the teachers and staff, and this fact alone is more than enough to make me one happy parent among many others.

And lastly, it is just unfortunate that the teachers and administrators still have to put up with these outrageous allegations while they could have given their attention  to their academic work. These social media engineers who have nil knowledge of the school, its students and teachers, and their commitment to each other despite many socioeconomic challenges are just ideologists who embrace nothing but lies with their own hidden agenda.

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To tell the truth, it did not quite look like a school from the outside. Other schools that I had checked had way better facilities. As I was waiting for the tour, I had a chance to observe students during transition. They all seemed to enjoy being there and looked happy. The tour reinforced my initial observations and I knew that I had found a better school for my son. Since his enrollment at Magnolia Science Academy, he is very excited and eager to go to school every day, and he loves his teachers. His favorite after school activities are mind games and art club.

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Last week, one of the parents whom I know through parent meetings, told me about the rumors claiming a connection with Gulen charter schools. I did not exactly understand what she was talking about, but I wanted to do my own research on Gulen charter schools. What I saw on the Internet was quite surprising. I watched some videos first, and particularly liked testimonials of Former President Bill Clinton and Former California Secretary of Education Mazzoni. After viewing the video clips, reading articles about the issue, I am relieved and assured that all the allegations are bogus and baseless. I advised my son not to believe in everything he reads on the Internet.

Overall, I am pretty happy with Magnolia’s education and recommend it to all parents who are looking for a safe school for their children.

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Nevertheless, when I was making some research on the Internet about my kids’ school, I came to realize that there are some websites with accusations that these schools are part of “Gulen charter schools”. I was curious to know about it too. So, I made some more research on this issue.

I have finally concluded that there are a group of people who are attacking my kids’ school based on connections to non-existing “Gulen charter schools”. I thought about the accusations and none of them was acceptable based on my experience as  Magnolia Science parent. I like my kids’ teachers and the principal; we have a very good rapport with each other. I was telling my friends about Magnolia Science, of course, now, even more motivated to spread the word for my kids’ school. The class sizes are fantastically small and teachers are doing a great job with my kids. All I can advice to these accusers is to visit and see these schools, and to talk to school administrators and parents.

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In the last two years, a new trend has been started by some mysterious bloggers later joined by a few self-identified scholars with PhD. They came up with a brand-new term, a totally new coinage, for the charter school world: Gulen Charter Schools. While the early bird alarmist bloggers tried to attract people’s attention to those so-called Gulen Charter Schools by claiming that Fethullah Gulen involved in the foundation and administration of some US charter schools, others – specifically the academics – based their arguments on these blogs as if the latter were highly credible sources. Moreover, in an effort to make their claims look authentic alarmist bloggers employed Charter Schools’ open-to-public data, such as tax returns and H-1B visa applications which indeed have been scrutinized by local and federal government agencies many times for various procedural reasons.

The question here is what charter schools are and in what sense they could be compared with the schools founded throughout the world by the people inspired by Fethullah Gulen.

According to uscharterschools.org;

Charter schools are nonsectarian public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The “charter” establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school’s mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. The length of time for which charters are granted varies, but most are granted for 3-5 years. At the end of the term, the entity granting the charter may renew the school’s contract. Charter schools are accountable to their sponsor– usually a state or local school board– to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract. The basic concept of charter schools is that they exercise increased autonomy in return for this accountability. They are accountable for both academic results and fiscal practices to several groups: the sponsor that grants them, the parents who choose them and the public that funds them.

Uscharterschools.org also provides some other definitions of charter schools from various independent sources such as this one:

Charter schools are semi-autonomous public schools, founded by educators, parents, community groups or private organizations that operate under a written contract with a state, district or other entity. This contract, or charter, details how the school will be organized and managed, what students will be taught and expected to achieve, and how success will be measured. Many charter schools enjoy freedom from rules and regulations affecting other public schools, as long as they continue to meet the terms of their charters. Charter schools can be closed for failing to satisfy these terms. (“Charter Schools Description”, Education Commission of the States, 2005)

These definitions clearly state that charter schools are public institutions owned by the public, operated for the sake of public by using public money, and responsible to the institutions representing the public. They have to be transparent – as dictated by the laws in the US – open to public by providing equal opportunity of enrollment to anyone legally eligible for the application to the school, cannot discriminate even by requiring certain test scores as a requirement for enrollment. Charter schools are operated by contractors for a specified term and the contract could be renewed based on the schools’ performance. They are accountable for their academic and fiscal performances to the institution (state, local school board etc) who granted them this privilege in the name of public. This means the contractors do not really own the schools but operate them for a pre-arranged time period. Then, if the contract is renewed they are good to go; but if not, it turns into a regular, government operated public school overnight.

Academics studying Gulen-inspired schools founded throughout the world by the people who were inspired by Fethullah Gulen’s teachings have coined the term Gulen Schools (or Gulen-inspired schools/institutions) for convenience purposes (see Ebaugh, 2010, p. 96). Although Fethullah Gulen does not accept any affiliation to his name, whether it is people or institutions, it has been useful to call them Gulen Schools. Dr. Thomas Michel describes Gulen Schools as follows:

[T]he schools inspired by Gülen’s educational understanding are not religious or Islamic. Instead, they are secular private schools inspected by state authorities and sponsored by parents and entrepreneurs. They follow secular, state-prescribed curricula and internationally recognized programs. (Michel, 2006, p. 111)

Gulen-inspired schools, unlike charter schools, are private schools financed by tuition fees and donations of local businessmen who pledged their support at school fundraisers that are held on yearly basis. They are open to public as long as students could pay the tuition and at the same time pass a certain qualification test held either by the school itself or – in Turkish case – by the state. For those who are well qualified without proper financial support, there are scholarships such as tuition waivers and even stipends. Moreover, these private schools are predominantly boarding schools where there usually is no option other than living in the dormitories under the tutelage of school administration.

The business circles of the movement are the main sponsors of these schools, supporting them financially until they are able to raise their own revenues through school fees. In each country, the community works in co-operation with the local authorities, who often provide logistical assistance and supervise the curriculum:

Some schools are completely built and funded by businessmen and industrialists, while some are joint ventures between the state and the trusts. The state provides the building, electricity, water, etc., and the trusts provide teaching, the teaching staff, and all educational materials and resources.

Some are eventually completely funded by student fees. They work as non-profitable companies or trusts, that is, all the income incurred goes back to the students again as educational investment (new teaching materials and resources such as books, computers, software; and facilities such as labs, gyms, hostels, residence halls, etc).

Ruth Woodhall says, “Every school has its own independent accountants and accountancy system. They are all accountable to the local authorities (the state) and the trust’s inspectors, and comply with the state and international law.”[1] Ian G. Williams adds that the schools do receive summary and unpredicted inspections.[2] On the other hand, a qualitative field research about Kenya’s Gülen-inspired schools suggests that the schools have been functioning not only as a secular alternative to religious, Christian missionary schools and Islamic schools, but also as barriers to potential ethno-religious conflict between Kenya’s local Christian tribes and its politically empowering Muslim minority.[3]

Charter schools allegedly affiliated to Fethullah Gulen and mistakenly called Gulen Charter Schools have none of the abovementioned characteristics that Gulen-inspired schools display. They are neither founded as private institutions, nor funded by private entrepreneurs and they are not allowed to charge any sort of tuition fee let alone putting enrollment requirements to select students that have promising academic potential. They don’t administer any entrance or qualification test. Unlike Gulen-inspired schools, charter schools have almost no donations from generous businessmen. If there is any donation, it probably comes from certain foundations like Dell Foundation or Gates Foundation within the scope of a larger project or initiative such as T-STEM. The budget of a charter school largely consists of the state money that is paid annually to each and every charter school in the nation. Charter schools also may not make zip code distinction as public schools and more than half of their students, statistics show that, come from disadvantaged areas. There is also no boarding school option as in the example of Gulen-inspired schools. Charter schools are day schools; therefore there are no dormitories that students can stay overnight.

Here remains a question: Is there any Gulen-inspired school in the sense that I have described above? I can say “Yes,” this question. There are indeed handful Gulen-inspired private schools in the United States. One of them is the Pinnacle Academy of Northern Virginia (DC metropolitan area). Lately they have attracted the attention of the national and international media after President Obama hosted Inaugural White House Science Fair. Pinnacle team developed a digital and three-dimensional model of “Yeshilist,” an imaginary city that anticipates the accommodation needs of citizens who lose their homes during an earthquake and they introduced their project to President Obama at the White House.

Another Gulen-inspired school is Brooklyn Amity School, a well-known school by its achievements at some of the top academic competitions such as Science Olympiad, Math Contests, Robotics Competitions, Art Contests, and Future City Engineering competition.

I guess there are five or six Gulen-inspired schools in the US and those schools have no connection with some other charter schools called mistakenly Gulen Charter Schools. As I stated in my article entitled Gulen Charter Schools, the fact that some people inspired by Fethullah Gulen work for a charter school does not necessarily make this school a Gulen Charter School.

Finally, I need to reiterate the fact that we should definitely make a distinction and put some space between Gulen-inspired schools and the non-existent concept of Gulen Charter Schools mistakenly claimed by some alarmist bloggers. I have described the nature of Gulen-inspired schools and their main differences from US charter schools. I hope self-proclaimed academics won’t fall into the trap of mistakenly coined Gulen Charter Schools concept again.

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• Mysterious ninja clan? Oh wait, was it “Gulen charter schools”? (parents4magnolia.org)
• An observation on Gulen charter schools comments (parents4magnolia.org)
• Why you shouldn’t take the ‘Gulen charter schools’ labeling campaign seriously (parents4magnolia.org)

“Recently, there has been some blog-type press coverage that mentions Magnolia in a like that associates the school with an organization from Turkey, and says that charter schools or Magnolia charter schools specifically are Gulen charter schools. Do you know anything about that? Can you respond to that and assure parents what that means or doesn’t mean for Magnolia Public Schools?”

I’m so happy to hear these comments on baseless “Gulen charter schools“ claims from such a credible person.

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LAUSD Headquarters.Image via Wikipedia

I am a Magnolia school parent. My son goes to MSA#3 at Carson. I am shocked to read the allegations about Magnolia schools that they have ties with illusive secret groups called Gulen charter schools.

MSA#3 has been a great charter school for us for the past three years. They do nothing but great education and that’s what I care about.

I know that LAUSD regularly audits the school’s programs. I am less interested in people’s personal convictions. This is not a time for witch hunt. We are not living in Nazi Germany anyway. – LaTesha Smith

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• Gulen charter schools.. blah blah blah.. over and over.. (parents4magnolia.org)
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How about this: I heard that, Magnolia Schools also hired teachers from Japan. Therefore they may belong to a mysterious ninja clan as well…

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• A response to “Gulen Charter Schools” claims (parents4magnolia.org)
• These are not Gulen charter schools, these are OUR charter schools (parents4magnolia.org)
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• Wal-Mart and “Gulen charter schools” (parents4magnolia.org)
• Gulen charter schools.. blah blah blah.. over and over.. (parents4magnolia.org)
• Gulen charter schools stuff (parents4magnolia.org)
• What does Gulen have to do with Magnolia charter schools? (parents4magnolia.org)
• An observation on Gulen charter schools comments (parents4magnolia.org)
• Gulen charter schools illusion (parents4magnolia.org)
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• Magnolia Science Academy IS NOT a ‘Gulen Charter School’ (parents4magnolia.org)

Some faulty bloggers think that Wal-Mart’s donation to Magnolia Science Academy is an evidence of affiliation with the hypothetical “Gulen Charter Schools“; What a joke! )

Are those thousands of public schools which are getting donation from Walton Family also a part of that imaginary “Gulen Charter Schools“???

I think, it’s a privilege and success for Magnolia Science Academy to get those grants. I wonder how owners of those claims are funded to damage our kids’ successful schools?..

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• Magnolia Science Academy IS NOT a ‘Gulen Charter School’ (parents4magnolia.org)
• Gulen charter schools.. blah blah blah.. over and over.. (parents4magnolia.org)
• Gulen charter schools stuff (parents4magnolia.org)
• An observation on Gulen charter schools comments (parents4magnolia.org)
• Magnolia Science Academy – ‘Gulen Charter Schools’? (parents4magnolia.org)
• Mysterious ninja clan? Oh wait, was it “Gulen charter schools”? (parents4magnolia.org)
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Magnolia Schools are operated by the Magnolia Foundation Board. I attended to several of their board meetings all which are open to public. People who care about the children’s education govern the schools. As a parent, I am very pleased with Magnolia Schools’ success..

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We will begin by saying that we believe things happen for reason, we were so tired for the last two years trying to helped our son to have a good time and learned as much as he could at school, but very frustrated when you don’t have the help that you need from the teachers, all we wanted was a fair shot for our son. I knew public school was losing him with the big size classes, and I started looking for a new school without any luck.

One day on my mail was an envelope with a name that I never seeing before, I almost put it in the trash can, but for some reason that I don’t know I put it on the side and opened later. I was really surprised when I saw it that was an information letter for a new charter school in Orange County, right away a called to take all the information that I needed, and enroll our son.

This is our first year at the Pacific Technology School, and we can tell how happy our son is, we see such a big improvement. Now he has good grades, he understood his projects and enjoys his new fried. He look forward to go to school every day, and every day he always have something new to tell us about how good the teacher and friends are. We are truly grateful for the dedicated Principal and teachers. It is a plus all the great after school programs that they have available for the kids. My son is becoming an independent student with loads of opportunities.

Everyone we have met at Pacific Technology School seems to go to the extra mile to help you. We are lucky to found this small dedicated school and to be a part of it.

Source: “Reflections from Magnolia” newsletter – Spring 2010

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