Ben Chavis (educator)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ben Chavis, born Benford Chavis, is an American educator from Robeson County, North Carolina. He grew up in a poor Lumbee family. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education and later a master’s degree, then a doctorate in education from the University of Arizona. He worked as a tenure-track professor at San Francisco State University in 1988 and later served as superintendent of schools on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona before moving to Oakland.

Chavis is best known for leading the American Indian Public Charter School (AIPCS) in Oakland, California, and for starting the American Indian Model Schools (AIMS) system. He became principal of AIPCS in 2001 when the school was struggling with high dropout rates and low attendance. Under his leadership, the school made big improvements. By 2006 AIPCS was named one of the top 250 schools in the United States, and in 2008 it ranked fifth among California middle schools on the Academic Performance Index. In 2010 it reached the number-one position. Chavis was praised by some for turning the school around and criticized by others for harsh discipline and confrontational methods. Supporters highlighted his focus on discipline and accountability, while critics pointed to aggressive tactics toward students and staff.

In 2007 the community pushed for more classes, and AIPCS expanded to include AIPCS II and a high school, AIPHS, under a new charter organization called the American Indian Model Schools (AIMS). Chavis stepped down as the school leader in 2007 but stayed on in an executive role for a time. A K-4 elementary school was added to AIPCS II in 2012. During these years, the student body of the AIMS system became more diverse, with many African American, Asian, and Latino students; American Indian students represented a smaller share. In January 2012 Chavis resigned from all ties to the schools.

In 2012 an audit criticized the handling of funds, and in February 2013 the Oakland Unified School District revoked the AIMS charter. The school system later won a 5-year renewal to operate. From 2012 to 2014 the system paid Chavis for leasing buildings he owned in Oakland, which drew further criticism.

Back in North Carolina, Chavis started a math-camp program for students on his property. In 2017 he said he helped influence the local school board, and he was indicted in March 2017 on six felony counts of money laundering and mail fraud related to federal grants for the Oakland schools. He was arrested in Wilmington, North Carolina. In 2019, all financial mismanagement charges were dropped. He pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of using false information in board documents, received probation for one year, and was fined $100.