Celebrating TIERific Public Charter Schools - Part Three
Last week, we hosted a celebratory luncheon in downtown DC at the National Press Club on the recently released school quality reports with more than 40 Tier One schools. This event was a way to honor each school's accomplishment and to also celebrate the 20th year of public charter schools.
Learn more about each TIERific top-performing schools:
Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS
Located in Ward 8 this school has a law themed curriculum, and their results have not gone unnoticed. For the fifth straight year, this school has been Tier 1. In its 16-year history, this school has shown that academic achievement and college access is possible for all students, regardless of their circumstances.
Center City Petworth, Center City Shaw and Center City Brightwood
This network has three Tier 1 elementary/middle schools. One school has achieved Tier 1 status for the last four years. Students at another campus have sharpened their math skills and saw one of the highest college and career ready math rates among students in grades 3-8. And I happen to be the proud parent of a student at the third campus.
Washington Yu Ying PCS
This school’s name means “nurturing excellence”, and as an elementary school located in Ward 5 they have been rated Tier 1 for four consecutive years in a row. With its dual language, and International Baccalaureate curriculum, Yu Ying works to achieve its results by having a rigorous curriculum that is based on DC Common Core standards.
Washington Latin Middle and Washington Latin Upper School.
This network has two schools located in Ward 4. The middle school students are among the top performers on the PARCC reading assessment. While the high school has been rated Tier 1 for five consecutive years. And parents of the high school students love the school and keep coming back - as shown by their 96.7% re-enrollment rate.
Friendship PCS - Blow Pierce Elementary, Blow Pierce Middle Chamberlain
Under new leadership, this schools is dedicated to breakthrough student achievement. And this year they have three schools rated Tier 1 for the first time ever. These schools are getting results while educating more at risk students and students with disabilities. And I have to mention that they network’s four- year graduation rates are above the city’s and national average.
Early Childhood Academy PCS
This school, located in Ward 8, has a 93.3% in-seat attendance rate, is a top performer on the NWEA Map - Math assessment, and is earning their first Tier 1 rating. District of Columbia International School Located in Ward 4, this school, the first of its kind, offers advanced Spanish, Chinese, and French language immersion. This year they have earned our highest rating.
E.L. Haynes Elementary School
This school regained its Tier 1 status through a series of intentional enhancements focused on improving the educational experience of every one of their students. They invested in critical shifts to curriculum, staff development and learning. From implementation of the AppleTree Every Child Ready curriculum in Pre-K to EngageNY math in K-4, they invested in training and ongoing support to ensure they are teaching the full depth, breadth, and rigor of the Common Core State Standards. Additionally, the entire elementary school staff was retrained on Responsive Classroom and they have a holistic approach to school culture and climate. Most recently, they started working with the Flamboyan Foundation to improve family engagement efforts, focusing largely on building a two-way partnership with every one of our families in order to effectively partner together on academics.
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