Through a rigorous classical curriculum and within a structured, supportive community, Ethos Classical Charter School ensures every K-5 student is on the path to college and a life of opportunity.
On this evening, stakeholders across the Metro Atlanta area and beyond will be attending the Atlanta Public Schools board meeting to advocate for Ethos Classical Charter School. Will Ethos get the green light from APS is the big question! Stakeholders are excited and supportive of the development of the school. In talking with Emily White, I can see why! Check out the information for Ethos, and like Harriet Tubman Charter School, let’s find Ethos a home!
MISSION
Through a rigorous classical curriculum and within a structured, supportive community, Ethos Classical Charter School ensures every K-5 student is on the path to college and a life of opportunity.
CORE CURRICULUM ELEMENTS
The aim and spirit of our curriculum and innovations are embedded in our name—Ethos Classical. Ethos is defined as the guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution, and Classical represents an exemplary standard.
Our curriculum is centered on five exemplary innovations: (1) Emphasis on Literacy through a two-teacher model and classical curriculum equips students with a firm foundation for learning across content areas in IB Programs in middle and high school. (2) Robust Arts Curriculum underpins achievement across all content areas and equips students with the creativity, independence, habits of mind, and social competencies for productive citizenship. (3) Family Based Special Education Support empowers families with the tailored tools they need to best support the diverse learning needs of their child at home, accelerating learning at school. (4) Progressive Blended Learning Model across content areas uniquely optimizes learning and equips students with 21st century technology and problem-solving skills. (5) Conceptual and Procedural Math instruction prepares students with the factual and problem-solving tools to excel in advanced math studies.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Sneakers on the Streets Neighborhood Door-Knocking Saturday, May 12, 2018/ 10:00-2:00
Why Ethos?
Choice: Charter schools give families an opportunity to pick the school most suitable for their child’s educational well-being.
Accountability: Charter schools are judged on how well they meet the student achievement goals established by their charter contracts. Charter schools must also show that they can perform up to rigorous fiscal and managerial standards. If a charter school cannot perform up to the established standards, it will be closed at the end of the charter term (5 years)
Freedom: While charter schools must adhere to the same major laws and regulations as all other public schools, they are given freedom in their program, their staffing, and their allocation of financial resources.
How Are Charter Schools Funded?
- Charter schools are public schools.
- Like district public schools, they are funded according to enrollment (also called average daily attendance, or ADA), and receive funding from the district and the state according to the number of students attending.
- Charter schools in APS received $1,939 less per pupil than traditional schools in 2016-2017 and performed higher on both the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress and GA Milestones) than traditional schools.
FOUNDER Emily White— Director, Talent Recruitment, Teach For America
Emily White, Director, Talent Recruitment with Teach For America and Fellow with Building Excellent Schools, is the proposed Head of School. Ms. White was the Founding Assistant Principal of KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School, where she designed and led instruction and curriculum, oversaw professional development, and provided data-based coaching and actionable feedback to teachers. Ms. White led the humanities team to the highest scores in KIPP network history on the NWEA MAP Reading Assessment as well as students demonstrating growth in the 99th percentile on the Tennessee English I End of Course Exam. Prior to joining KIPP, Ms. White was Manager then Director of Teacher Leadership Development with Teach For America. As Director, Ms. White modeled best-practices with managers in classroom observations and teacher coaching conversations, maintained key district and community relationships, and coached corps members to diagnose needs based on student progress, resulting in a cohort of first-year English teachers “significantly exceeding growth” on Common Core-aligned state assessments. Ms. White began her career as a Teach For America Corps member teaching high school English in Charlotte, NC. Ms. White led her class to a 92% overall pass rate on the state writing assessment, positioning her school as the third-highest achieving high school of 21 high schools in the district. Ms. White received a B.A. in English and Communications from Wake Forest University.

Jason has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, blogger and community advocate. He speaks and writes primarily about the need to improve education for Black boys, particularly increasing the number of Black male educators in schools. In addition to blogging here at EdLanta, Jason is also a featured writer at Education Post.