“Anything that isn’t growing and changing isn’t alive!”
The State of Georgia is showing that it is ready for growth and innovation in the way it educates children. The Georgia Charter School Association proudly published the following press release regarding the addition of three (3) new incubator charter schools and one (1) additional charter school. YES, for those who have kept up with our EdLanta blog, Georgia did find Harriett Tubman School of Science and Technology a home and Ethos Classical! Check out the information below and keep your eyes of Georgia; we’re making moves when it comes to educating children. I’m encouraging educators, parents and teachers in Georgia to check out best practices that local school Districts and charter network are implementing to ensure that the needs of all children and families are met. This is truly an exciting time for educational growth in Georgia!
One Hundred Percent of GCSA Incubator Schools Receive Charter Approval
Ethos Classical, Harriet Tubman School of Science and Technology, TCAAD, and Yi Hwang Academy Approved by the State Charter Schools Commission
ATLANTA – Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) is proud to announce that all three of the GCSA charter incubator schools that applied for state approval received the green light from the State Charter Schools Commission today. Ethos Classical, Harriet Tubman School of Science and Technologyand The Community Academy for Architecture and Design (TCAAD) were among a group of only four public charter school petitioners that the State Charter Schools Commission decided to authorize for the upcoming school year. In addition to the GCSA incubator schools, the State Charter Schools Commission also approved Yi Hwang Academy, a member of GCSA that received support through the petitioning process. 12 charter applications were submitted to the SCSC during the 2018 petition cycle.
Ethos Classical, Harriet Tubman School of Science and Technology and The Community Academy for Architecture and Design (TCAAD) received state approval after participating in GCSA’s incubator program. GCSA’s charter incubator is a competitive program that recruits top talent to start charter schools; assists and supports school founding teams throughout the entire charter petition process and provides coaching and professional development to school leaders and governing boards during their first two years of operation. Through this crucial program, Georgia Charter Schools Association is working to ensure that more Georgia students of all backgrounds have access to a high-quality public school.
“Georgia Charter Schools Association is grateful the State Charter Schools Commission has given such a strong vote of confidence in our work to support new charter schools,” said Tony Roberts, President and CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. “We believe the addition of these four newly approved schools will provide needed access to public charter schools in the city of Atlanta and other parts of the Atlanta metro area that are in need of high-quality public educational options.”
“I’m excited to see how these schools will change the life trajectories of low-income students and their families,” said Aarti Sharma, Vice President of New School Development for the Georgia Charter Schools Association. “I believe these schools will positively impact and improve the overall educational ecosystem in the city of Atlanta and the metro area.”
Ethos Classical is a high-quality public charter school that will be located in Southwest Atlanta. The future school received unanimous support from NPU-Q and obtained more than 450 signatures from residents in the school’s priority enrollment zip codes. Ethos Classical seeks to prepare Atlanta students for 21st century literacy demands by providing 260 minutes of daily literacy instruction. The school will deliver a classical curriculum through a progressive blended learning model. Ethos Classical also plans to offer a robust arts curriculum, provide family-based special education support and equip students with the factual and problem-solving tools to excel in advanced math studies.
“Today is a tremendous, and humbling, milestone in bringing our vision for Ethos to reality,” said Emily White, Lead Founder of Ethos Classical. “We’ve been hard at work with parents and community members for more than three years building momentum for Ethos in order to ensure every single child has access to the highest quality school in their neighborhood. We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with the SCSC and we are moving forward from today with focus and urgency to build Ethos into the school we know our students and families deserve.”
Harriet Tubman School of Science and Tech will work to change the lives of economically and educationally disadvantaged students living in Southwest Atlanta. The school will focus on ensuring its students achieve academic success and learn lifelong career skills in technology and computer science. Harriet Tubman School of Science and Technology will open with grades K-3 and plans to add a grade level every year up to the fifth grade.
“Harriet Tubman School of Science and Tech is pleased the State Charter Schools Commission has approved our school, and the board looks forward to continuing a great working relationship with the commission,” said Kamaria Finch, Founder of Harriet Tubman School of Science and Tech. “We are extremely excited to bring a much-needed computer science/coding curriculum to Atlanta’s children in grades K-5! We appreciate all the support the GCSA has given our school through its journey as a member of the GCSA school Incubator.”
The Community Academy for Architecture and Design (TCAAD) will open in DeKalb County for students in grades K-3 and plans to add a grade level per year through middle school. TCAAD will prioritize math and literacy for educationally disadvantaged students through a community and project-based learning curriculum. Students will experience and gain exposure to architecture and design thinking in all content areas, including reading, math science and social studies.
Yi Hwang Academy will be located in Gwinnett County with a statewide attendance zone. During its first year, Yi Hwang Academy plans offer dual immersion in Korean and English and add Chinese and English immersion during the following year. The Academy’s mission is to produce students who can fluently speak in English, Chinese and Korean.
“A thank you to GCSA. Three of the four schools approved today were GCSA incubator schools,” said Bonnie Holliday, Executive Director of the State Charter Schools Commission, following the SCSC approvals. “…We look forward to that continued partnership and receiving more great schools from the incubator going forward.”
According to Holliday, the four charter petitions approved by the SCSC during the 2018 application cycle were submitted by governing boards possessing in-depth educational, financial, and operational expertise.
About Georgia Charter Schools Association
The Georgia Charter Schools Association is a nonprofit membership organization for Georgia’s public charter schools and petitioners. Our mission is to advocate for, foster and support autonomous, high-quality charter public schools throughout Georgia. We believe every child in Georgia should have equal access to a high-quality, transformative public education.
CONTACT: Michelle Wirth
Director of Communications
Georgia Charter Schools Association
[email protected]
404-835-8903
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.