Dove Science Academy

[custosnox]

I have two kids that have recieved invitations to attend DSA next year and I wanted to get an idea of what kind of school it is before I pursue this.  I had heard at one point that there were some problems, but everything I have found on a quick internet search is saying it's a good school.  In fact, it is supposedly better then Thoreau, which my oldest attends.  Would love to know what people have heard, and what anyone knows for sure about it.

[RecycleMichael]

Dove has some good things about it. There should some concerns as well. My son is going to Carver Middle School and I feel the same way about it.

The Tulsa School Board embraced Dove Academy when it was founded ten years ago, then last year had real problems when Dove failed to exactly follow state laws on special needs kids. There was also an incident of a girl being raped in a bathroom.

I know of two different families with kids who have gone through Dove. Both families had kids who just didn't gel in the traditional school environment, then thrived at Dove.

Go take a tour and ask a lot of questions. If your child likes the place and you feel good about the conversations you have with school personnel, go for it.

[custosnox]

Dove has some good things about it. There should some concerns as well. My son is going to Carver Middle School and I feel the same way about it.

The Tulsa School Board embraced Dove Academy when it was founded ten years ago, then last year had real problems when Dove failed to exactly follow state laws on special needs kids. There was also an incident of a girl being raped in a bathroom.

I know of two different families with kids who have gone through Dove. Both families had kids who just didn't gel in the traditional school environment, then thrived at Dove.

Go take a tour and ask a lot of questions. If your child likes the place and you feel good about the conversations you have with school personnel, go for it.

Thanks for the feedback.  I hadn't heard about the rape, but in all fairness that could happen at any school, afterall, I have a daughter attending Skelly, so I can understand that.  The daughter that got the invatation is really excited about getting to go, especially since it's science (I knew I would get at least one of em interested in that field).  I just have to convince my ex to actually consider doing so. 

[highschooljim2]

Dove Science Academy. Wow. First of all, they get information from TPS and send invitations to pretty much every 5th grader in TPS. Dove is run by the Sky Foundation, which is a group of Turkish people who are associated with the Gulen movement, which is a controversial group in Turkey. They are closely connected with the Cosmos foundation in Texas. Take a look at Dove's website and any of the Harmony schools of Texas websites and they look exactly the same. All the math, science and computer teachers at Dove are from Turkey. Almost all of the teachers have been there five years or less. Dove has almost no extra curricular activities except for the science fair, which is mantatory. Sports they do have a semblance of a basketball team but not much else. Facilities they are in part of an old church and a newer building, but they don't have a library. Do a google search on Gulen schools and you will find some interesting information, especially about their schools in Utah and Arizona. The alleged rape occured between a 10th grader and his 6th grade "girlfriend" (middle and high schoolers share facilities at Dove). If you want more information please feel free to e-mail me at highschooljim@gmail.com Thoreau and Carver IMO are both far superior to Dove and when my daughter gets to that age I wouldn't consider sending her to that kind of school.

[custosnox]

Dove Science Academy. Wow. First of all, they get information from TPS and send invitations to pretty much every 5th grader in TPS. Dove is run by the Sky Foundation, which is a group of Turkish people who are associated with the Gulen movement, which is a controversial group in Turkey. They are closely connected with the Cosmos foundation in Texas. Take a look at Dove's website and any of the Harmony schools of Texas websites and they look exactly the same. All the math, science and computer teachers at Dove are from Turkey. Almost all of the teachers have been there five years or less. Dove has almost no extra curricular activities except for the science fair, which is mantatory. Sports they do have a semblance of a basketball team but not much else. Facilities they are in part of an old church and a newer building, but they don't have a library. Do a google search on Gulen schools and you will find some interesting information, especially about their schools in Utah and Arizona. The alleged rape occured between a 10th grader and his 6th grade "girlfriend" (middle and high schoolers share facilities at Dove). If you want more information please feel free to e-mail me at highschooljim@gmail.com Thoreau and Carver IMO are both far superior to Dove and when my daughter gets to that age I wouldn't consider sending her to that kind of school.

I'll do some research on that, and I'm sure a whois search can pull out any connection between the schools.  I'm not exactly worried about the sports, since I send my kids to school for an education not to play games.  

I would concider consensual sex with a sixth grader, especailly with a sophmore, as not a good thing and it should be, IMO, concidered a rape in that case.

My oldest goes to Thoreau, and to be honest, I'm not overy impressed.  Not to mention that the scores are lower then dove.  Carver seems, from everything that has turned up on them from looking around, to be a better school then both, but it does not seem to be an option in this case.  Right now the choices for me seem to be between Dove and Foster.

Thanks for the feedback, I'll look further into things with it in mind.

[highschooljim2]

Glad to give you some insight, I know my post seemed pretty anti-Dove, but there are kids who do well in that system. I have also known several parents who have taken their kids out of Dove as well. One reason I am not sold on Dove is that charter schools are supposed to be about local control, but with Dove being part of a national network of schools not sure if any of the decisions are made in Tulsa. Even just with Dove itself, the main campus is in Oklahoma City and their board meets there. As a parent if you needed to go to the board that would be difficult to do. I know Foster has a great vocal music program if you child is into that. Comes down to where you and your child feels most comfortable.

[highschooljim2]

Here's a website to look at with some insight into the Gulen run schools: www.charterschoolwatchdog.com

[custosnox]

I've been to that site.  Do you have anything to actually link Dove to Harmony, or even to Gulen schools?  I have done a lot of digging online and have found nothing more then these reactionary sites such as the one you listed that pretty much seem to take all charter schools that are ran by a muslim and throw them into this catogory.  Actually, I haven't even found any proof that Dove is ran by a Muslim or Turkish, though there are things that indicate it.  That being said, I don't have a problem with someones religion as long as they don't try to push it off on me or my kids.  I will go in person to see if this is done at Dove.  If it is not then I don't see a problem.

p.s.  I pretty much start glazing over the moment I see "indocterinate" on a website. That is pretty much a sure sign of the tin foil hat crowd.

[highschooljim2]

All the administration, math, science, and computer teachers at Dove are Turkish. The principal's name is Mustafa Kili. The former principal's name is Fevzi Simsek, who is now the principal at the Discovery school which is a sister school that was started this year. The school was damaged by winds last week, Simsek was quoted in the Tulsa World and on Channel 2. The former principal his name is Zekeria Yuksel who is now working for the Harmony schools. Take a look at the websites for Dove and the Harmony schools in Texas and they look almost the same. Look of the pictures of the kids and their uniforms will look exactly the same. All of these schools sponsor summer trips to Turkey, as well and participation in an "Olympiad" with the other Turkish run schools around the country. I am by no means some sort of conspiracy theorist, but that should be more than enough proof for you as far as Dove being run by a Turkish group. The main reason that on Dove's website they don't list staff anymore is because a parent in Utah who had a child in the Beehive Academy was e-mailing all the teachers of Turkish run schools. Do a google search for "Beehive Academy" and you will find the article from the Salt Lake Tribune which would be more of a mainstrem website. There is more but I don't want to post on a public website, so feel free to e-mail me at highschooljim@gmail.com

[custosnox]

As I said, there are things to iindicate that they are Turkish, but this does not mean they are a part of the "gulen" schools, or that they are "corrupting" our children.  I woudl also like to point out that they offer the trip to europe that includes Turkey, as well as other places.  I still don't know why you have a problem with the Turkish.  With the uniforms being similar, that is at best a tenious link.  It still is not a solid link.  Even if there is a solid link there, I have not found anything amiss with Harmony either.  I do wonder why you hold back because of it being a public forum. 

I do take your concerns serious, and continue to research based on them. I just try to keep an open mind.

[TheArtist]

  Not getting the gist of what any concern there would be with a school being run by those with Turkish connections versus say British or Japanese?

[custosnox]

  Not getting the gist of what any concern there would be with a school being run by those with Turkish connections versus say British or Japanese?

That's kind of my slant on it.  Shouldn't matter who runs it.  But the accusations that are being made are that these Turkish run charter schools are indocterinating kids into muslim extremists.

[TheArtist]

That's kind of my slant on it.  Shouldn't matter who runs it.  But the accusations that are being made are that these Turkish run charter schools are indocterinating kids into muslim extremists.

Really?  How so?