Iccs Presentation

Inwood Community Charter School

Washington Heights/InwoodThe Need

Inwood is a smaller community within Washington Heights, the upper part of Manhattan. In many ways it is a forgotten community as money is being put into the development of Harlem and the South Bronx. The statistics of Washington Heights are similar to the Harlem and South Bronx communities.:

84% of students in Community School District 6 are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

30-37% of household in the community live at or below $15,000. 54% of students do not graduate from high school. 62% of students are not at or above grade level in English Language Arts42% of students are not at or above grade level in Math

Note: All statistics are based on NYS Report Cards 2007 - https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/District.do?year=2007&county=NEW%20YORK&district=310600010000

The Vision

Our vision is to see every student who graduates from our school be given the opportunity to attend the college of their choice so that they can pursue their personal and vocational dreams and achieve their goals. These college graduates will go on to achieve great things in the world and give back to the community where they were raised.

The Mission

Inwood Community Charter School will empower

middle and high school students in the Inwood section

of Washington Heights by giving students access to a

high quality, character centered, knowledge based,

rigorous education that will prepare them for college.

Our students will become outstanding, high achieving

students who are independent thinkers.

Our Belief

• Our children deserve a quality education on par with an education that is received in private schools.

• Students who attend private schools learn critical thinking skills as well as important knowledge that will help them to communicate with others and be successful in college and life.

The Test

Why can’t students answer this math question: “A cornfield contains 46 rows of corn. There are 32 corn stalks in each row. How many total corn stalks are there in the cornfield?

A 1,362B 1,372C 1,462D 1,472”

Not because they could not do the math computation, but because they did not know what a stalk is.

The Answer

• If students don’t know important content, critical thinking skills will not help them.

• The curriculum at ICCS will combine critical thinking skills with a solid knowledge base so that our students will learn the “what” AND the “how to.”

Our Commitment

• A dedication to seeing students receive the skills and information they need to be successful in school and in college through a thorough college preparation program.

• A decision to become a part of the fabric of the community through key partnerships and service learning projects that will teach students to be leaders at any age.

• A resolve to teach character throughout the content.

Key Components

• More time on task• Extended day• Excellent teachers who are ready for the

challenge ahead of them• Intensive ELL and special education support• Data driven instruction• Arts and sports programming

Key Components

Timeline• February 1st, 2009 – Solidify board• March 1st – First draft of charter finished for review• April 1st – Receive review and begin revisions• April 15th – Send out for second round of reviews• May 1st – Make final corrections• June 1st – Submit charter to DOE• Second half of 2009 – Receive feedback, make changes, and

receive authorization• Jan. 2010 – Secure building space, begin teacher and staff

recruitment• Summer 2010 – First summer academy• Sept. 2010 – ICCS opens its doors to the first school year

What we need

• Board members who would be willing to meet ten times a year.

• Start up funds for the planning process and the expenses connected to starting a school.

• People who are willing to donate time and energy in an effort to see the school become a reality .

How far we have come

• The dream for this school began three years ago when Christina was teaching at a private school in Washington Heights. She saw the disparities between the education her students were receiving and the education the students from the local community schools were receiving.

• Other youth workers and educators from the Washington Heights community joined Christina to form a planning team.

• Currently the team is actively writing the charter that will be submitted in June. Christina has taken an unpaid leave of absence from her job for the month of December to move the project forward.

Questions?

If you have questions, or are interested in being a part of this project, please contact:

Christina [email protected]

917-535-1303