Toivola-Meadowlands School, St. Louis County, Minnesota

Urahn and Stewart (1994) describe the Toivola-Meadowlands charter school:

"Toivola-Meadowlands (TM), a K-12 school that the St. Louis County school district had decided to close, was approved as the second charter school by the State Board of Education on February 20, 1992. The St. Louis County school board agreed to sponsor the charter school in December, 1991. The charter school was supported by state senator Ron Dicklich, who chaired the state senate education funding division, and the state commissioner of education Gene Mammenga.

The district's decision to close the TM school upset many parents and community members who had been at odds with the district for a number of years. Parents enlisted community and business support in the creation and development of the school. The school opened its doors in the fall of 1993 after one year of planning, research, and building remodeling. The school currently has 196 students, about 150 of whom attended the school in the previous year.

TM is based on an open school model that encourages multi-age learning and activities and that emphasizes its unique rural community. Students are encouraged to get involved in the community and to gain work skills for after graduation. Students are free to work on specialized projects or to create their own community involvement activities. The school is run by a site-based management team." (p. 56)

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