About Us
Spearheaded by student parents and volunteers, Ventura Charter School’s annual Ventura EcoFest has grown each year since it began in 2007 and draws thousands of visitors who come to enjoy a beautiful day outdoors in celebration of Mother Earth, life, and green living. In addition to providing engaging entertainment, we are committed to help kindle awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment, as well as provide a showcase for local businesses engaged in green technologies and approaches to sustainable living. Ventura Charter School is proud to have received the “Globie” award from the City of Ventura two years in a row for Community Activism for our involvement and support of the environment.
Environmental Education at Ventura Charter School focuses on environmental literacy— learning about and caring for the total environment, understanding how humans interact with and are dependent on natural ecosystems, and developing critical-thinking skills to resolve environmental issues. Stewardship of the earth is a fundamental tenant of the School vision. An awareness of the fragility of the ecosystems is crucial as well as the development of a strong sense of responsibility for protecting, preserving, and restoring the earth for future generations.
About Ventura Charter School
Our Mission
VCS engages every student in meaningful and supportive learning experiences to grow resilient, educated, and socially intelligent human beings.
OUR VISION
All individuals pursue their passions and contribute to a just and hopeful future for themselves and the world.
OUR APPROACH
- Project based-learning integrating student interest, real-world application, and creativity;
- Compassionate communication and ongoing social emotional development;
- Rigorous academic instruction aligned to state standards and reflective of individual needs and strengths;
- Safe and joyful learning environment supported by relationship building and cultural respect;
- Deeply engaged school community providing in-class and organization-wide support.
Theory of Change: VCS Stakeholders’ Roadmap to Growth and Success
Progressive Education
Ventura Charter School of Arts and Global Education utilizes a progressive approach to education. Students are encouraged to think, question, challenge, take an active role in the search for meaning, and ownership of their learning. Traditional activities such as reading from textbooks, filling out worksheets, and memorizing facts are replaced with active collaborative inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, intrinsic motivation, and authentic assessment. We nourish curiosity, creativity, compassion, independence, and respect for diversity.
Led by John Dewey in the late nineteenth century, the progressive movement in education sought to shift the traditional goals of public education from preparing dutiful citizens and vocational workers necessary to support an industrial economy to making schools more effective agencies of a democratic society. John Dewey thought that the student should be an active participant in his/her education and not a passive receptacle for facts.
To learn more about John Dewey read Experience in Education.
To read more about progressive education click here.
Ventura Charter School of Arts & Global Education
Ventura Unified School District
2066 Cameron Street
Ventura, CA 93001
venturaecofestvcs@gmail.com
https://venturacharterschool.org
A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization
Tax ID: 20-3326563