Imaginative Ed

The Corbett Charter School opened as the first and only Charter School using “Imaginative Education” as its core, in 2009. This is a program based on the work of Kieran Egan, and his Imaginative Education Research Group ( http://www.ierg.net/ ) This model provides for non-graded multi-age classrooms with a more self-directed educational philosophy for the students.

CSD has employed Imaginative Education for several years even prior to the Charter being formed.

CSD did not publicly announce or communicate with parents when Imaginative Education was implemented in our schools. And while, now, CSD openly posts information about Imaginative Ed on their web site, it was certainly not always the case and many parents currently are unaware that our schools use this approach.

Mr. Kieran Egan now sits on the Corbett Charter Board of Directors with Mr. Bob Dunton and Mrs. Sheri Dunton. Bob Dunton’s Charter in Corbett is now part of a new book that Mr. Egan is working on that will focus on ‘Whole Schools Projects’. In CCS, it would be the  studies on the Columbia River Gorge. [ Link here. ] Bob Dunton and his wife are currently working on several projects, including opening a new Charter school in San Diego. The Kieran Egan Legacy Charter School, a proposed charter school, was set to open in San Diego, CA in the fall of 2014. [ This petition was denied. More here. ]

” Randy Trani, principal of Corbett’s elementary, middle and high schools, said he and Dunton have been discussing a charter school for five years. The Corbett board approved the charter school at its Feb. 18 meeting, he added, noting the new institution will use the principles of “imaginative education,”. … Trani added the charter school will allow the Corbett district to stabilize its budget because it will no longer have to wonder if out-of-district students will be allowed to enroll in a Corbett school. “It puts our own destiny in our own hands,” he said.” [ The Gresham Outlook, 2/24/2009 ]

” Dr. Trani said that there are conferences at Vancouver, British Columbia with Imaginative Education (Kieran Egan) for Charter teachers and some CSD teachers. ” [ June 23, 2010 Principal Report by Randy Trani Corbett School District Board minutes ]

Dr. Trani, earned his PHD and has written a book ” Fallacies in Education “ This book argues for a complete reassessment of the ways schools are conceived, organized, operated and managed. Authors Trani and Irvine challenge traditional assumptions about grade levels, teachers, students and administrators in pursuit of higher student achievement and academic excellence.

The Corbett Charter School and/or Imaginative educational model has been denied now in four different school districts. (In each it has petitioned.) In February 2011, the State of Oregon rejected a request for sponsorship for the Cascade Locks Charter School, of which Bob Dunton was a consultant. This was after being denied twice by the Hood River School District. Bob Dunton appealed to the state. The state report specifically outlines that many of the same educational practices that CSD now employs are NOT best practices and can be harmful especially to our younger learners. Select here for the report findings.

Some citizens of Corbett feel that our school board has not done their due diligence in investigating whether this educational model is best for our children and has operated purely on trust and loyalty to Bob Dunton and Randy Trani.

Most parents had no idea we were even practicing these experimental educational philosophies on a wide scale in Corbett. In fact, most long time board members had no idea the State of Oregon had weighed in against this model until this web site and the newer board members brought it to their attention.

* At the time this information was sent, by myeslf Mindy Schmidt, to the Corbett School Board…. Bob Dunton started attacking me, by name, on one of his blogs.  He has continued to call me a liar (in print/by name ) and slander my name and anyone else that brings up these types of facts.