The Next Step PCS
3047 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Ward 1
Friday, June 2nd, 2017

 

The mission of The Next Step / El Proximo Paso Public Charter School (TNSPCS) is to provide students who face extraordinary challenges and who are not supported in traditional high schools with the opportunity to continue their education.  
TNSPCS is the oldest public charter school in DC, originally chartered in 1996 by the Board of Education and unanimously granted a renewed charter in April 2011 by the DC Public Charter School Board of Trustees. TNSPCS offers a bilingual ABE (adult basic education), GED, and ESL program serving youth ages 16-24.  With a full-time day program and part-time evening program, TNS serves approximately 500 students per year who are some of the most at-risk youth in our city.   Over 70% of TNS students are English language learners; about 20% are parents themselves.  Incoming students test at an average of fourth to fifth grade-level in their native language.  The Next Step offers these students a full academic program in English and Spanish with flexible placement and pacing, extensive and wraparound case management and life skills instruction.  Class sizes are small and the student support services department staff includes social workers, case managers, attendance and transportation coordinators, and college and career counselors.  Three free, healthy meals per day are available to students and free childcare is offered in the evenings.
The program is offered year-round, with a minimum of 195 instructional days and has developed a curriculum aligned with the national common core standards and the GED examination. TNS uses differentiated instruction, instructional technology, restorative practices and tutors to accommodate a diverse student body.  Students receive guidance in order to continue their education beyond the GED at community college, vocational education programs and/or further English proficiency courses.

 

AppleTree @ Perry Street Prep PCS
1800 Perry St. NE
Washington, DC 20018
Ward 5
Friday, May 5th, 2017

 

AppleTree’s mission is to unlock the potential of every student and close the achievement gap before students enter kindergarten by providing them with the social, emotional, and cognitive skills they need to thrive in school. Founded in 1996, AppleTree is a nonprofit organization consisting of a research and development institute and a public charter preschool with campuses across Washington, DC. Together, they produce and use an award-winning instructional model, Every Child Ready (ECR) that is implemented at six standalone AppleTree public charter preschools, at four AppleTree@ schools operated in partnership with other charter operators, and nine other schools and child development organizations across Washington, DC. In 2016, we reached over 2,000 students, or one of every seven preschool students in the District of Columbia.
AppleTree helps children succeed. Children who enter AppleTree programs below grade level typically graduate at or above it, with a well-rounded foundation to succeed in kindergarten, and beyond.
AppleTree’s work with children is grounded in the belief that each child should be met where they are and that their full potential can be unlocked through a highly individualized approach to learning that incorporates play with purpose and a multi-layered approach to learning.  AppleTree accomplishes this through:
Personalized professional development for teachers and leaders that strengthens each teacher’s ability to effectively support every child in his or her class and to create a high-quality classroom;
Just-in-time data that ensures teachers understand what each of their children have mastered and where a different approach to critical skills in social-emotional skills, math, or literacy would be effective;
Integration of technology as a force multiplier for the processes, content, and data collection needed to provide the insight and tools for each teacher at the depth and scale needed to bring high-quality early learning to scale.
In addition, AppleTree depends on strong, sustainable partnerships with diverse organizations, who together create a full web of strong and consistent support for children and families. These partnerships include schools; community-based organizations such as Martha’s Table and UPO; and other providers such as Flamboyan, Georgetown University, and Children’s National Medical Center.

 

E.L. Haynes Elementary PCS
4501 Kansas Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20011
Ward 4
Friday, March 3rd, 2017

 

E.L. Haynes Public Charter School is an award-winning Pre-K-12th grade school named for Dr. Euphemia Lofton Haynes, the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate in mathematics and a DCPS teacher for nearly 50 years. E.L. Haynes was founded in 2004 by now Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer C. Niles. From humble beginnings above a CVS drugstore serving 139 students in grades Pre-K-2, E.L. Haynes has grown steadily and strategically. E.L. Haynes now serves nearly 10 times as many students in grades Pre-K through 12 and has developed three beautiful facilities across two campuses in the Columbia Heights and Petworth neighborhoods of Washington, DC. Over the years, E.L. Haynes has become nationally recognized and is the recipient of numerous awards, accolades, and visits from state and foreign dignitaries. In 2015, E.L. Haynes celebrated their first high school graduation.
In April 2015, the E.L. Haynes Board of Trustees approved VISION 2020, a comprehensive five-year strategic plan to guide how they can deepen and accelerate their impact. This document recommits to their core mission and establishes three student outcome goals for 2020 that stem directly from the mission:
All E.L. Haynes students will become successful individuals, active community members, and responsible citizens.
All E.L. Haynes students will graduate prepared to succeed in college.
All E.L. Haynes students will be adept at mathematical reasoning and use scientific methods effectively to frame and solve problems.

 

DC Scholars PCS
5601 E Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20019
Ward 7
Friday, February 3rd, 2017

 

Opening its doors in 2012, DC Scholars Public Charter School prepares students to attend and succeed academically in high school and college. To achieve this goal, DC Scholars cultivates a school environment that not only delivers rigorous instruction, but also serves as a community of joy where students thrive. Operating under a code of excellence, DC Scholars engages families and the surrounding community so their students learn from excellent leaders and teachers, experience a strong culture, and receive effective instruction.
DC Scholars focuses on putting students first by capitalizing on time, implementing consistent practices in every classroom, valuing relationships, leaning toward discomfort, delivering quality instruction, and making data driven decisions. Students benefit from an extended academic timeline as well as online and blending learning programs.
DC Scholars is an open-enrollment public charter Pre K–8th grade school located in Ward 7. There are currently 497 students enrolled, with plans to grow a student body of 546 students in grades PS-8 by 2018-19.

 

Washington Leadership Academy PCS

3015 4th Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017

Ward 5

Friday, December 2nd, 2016

 

The idea for Washington Leadership Academy (WLA) was born in 2013 with a vision to build a high school with technology at its core that prepares young people for lives of public leadership.

Inspired by the potential of new digital tools to help level the playing field for disenfranchised students, the WLA founding team developed a proposal for a high school that would personalize instruction for students. The hope was not to “reform” the high school experience, but instead to redesign it from the ground up.

In August of this year, WLA welcomed its inaugural class of 9th graders. WLA is an open-enrollment public charter high school located in Ward 5. There are currently 110 9th grade students enrolled, with plans to grow to a student body of 400 students in grades 9–12 by 2019.

 

Creative Minds International PCS

3700 North Capitol Street NW
Washington, DC 20011

Ward 5

Friday, November 4th, 2016

 

Creative Minds International Public Charter School (CMI) was founded with the goal of offering students a rigorous education plan that provides them with the skills required for successful participation in a global society. To accomplish his mission, the leaders at CMI have designed a highly-engaging program, based on an international, project- and arts-based curriculum that includes foreign language instruction as well as standards-based literacy and mathematics. CMI is the only public school in Washington, DC to use the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC).

In August 2015, CMI transitioned into a new building that has provided the space to serve a greater number of students, to build new relationships, to join together as a supportive and collaborative CMI community, and to expand their program to serve Middle School students. Please join the First Fridays team at Creative Minds International PCS on November 4th, 2016 at their new campus on North Capitol Street.

 

Eagle Academy PCS at Congress Heights

3400 Wheeler Road SE
Washington, DC 20032

Ward 8

Friday, October 7th, 2016

 

Eagle Academy, founded in 2003, was the DC’s first charter school focused exclusively on Early Childhood. Since then, they have grown from 117 children to serving over 700 students and their families in grades PreK-3. Eagle Academy prides itself in building a solid foundation for each student by creating a rich, robust academic program geared to enhance their development; using appropriate, evidence-based practices and a strong commitment to building social competence, emotional well-being, and individual cognitive growth. Their students are given the opportunity to learn through high levels of hands-on, creative and imaginative experiences while fostering a sense of joy for life-long learning.

 

In 2013, they invested in design and renovations of the Wheeler Road SE campus including tremendous investments in IT infrastructure and their first swimming pool for students and their families

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