News

DCPS and Achievement Prep to Engage Community About Upcoming Partnership in Ward 8

For Immediate Release: May 8, 2013
Contacts: Nona Richardson (APA) nrichardson@achievementprep.org
DCPS and Achievement Prep to Engage Community About Upcoming Partnership in Ward 8

Current Malcolm X Building to Undergo $21 Million Modernization

In order to expand the number of high-quality seats for families in Ward 8, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and Achievement Preparatory Academy Public Charter School (Achievement Prep) will collaborate to create a new, innovative partnership school for the 2014-15 school year that will be located at a modernized Malcolm X Elementary School building at 1351 Alabama Ave SE. DCPS and Achievement Prep will hold a community meeting on Tuesday, May 21 at 6pm at Malcolm X to hear from the community and discuss the overview of the plan for the partnership.

“We heard from parents during our school consolidation process that they wanted more quality options for their students. Now we want to hear from the community again as we move forward with what I am confident will be one of our strongest partnerships to date,” said DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “This partnership with Achievement Prep will allow neighborhood students to benefit from the innovation and demonstrated success of a high performing charter school. I’m very excited about this opportunity for our students and grateful to Achievement Prep for spending the time to work with us to help all our students achieve at the highest levels.”

“We at Achievement Prep are passionate about and committed to increasing the quality of educational offerings to the District’s children, especially those in our Ward 8 community,” said Achievement Prep Founder and Head of School Shantelle Wright. “We are very excited to be a part of a partnership that will expand the resources and opportunities available to students and families in this community. We believe this is a great example of ed reform collaboration that prioritizes children and directly benefits the whole community, and we are eager to discuss it with the community.”

In January, DCPS announced the final Better Schools for All Students consolidation and reorganization plan. In this plan, DCPS announced the goal of piloting an innovative partnership with a high-performing charter school. Since then, DCPS and Achievement Prep have been in close discussion to help bring this partnership to fruition.

Achievement Prep has served and been committed to the Ward 8 community since opening its doors in 2008. The school has consistently been ranked by the DC Public Charter School Board as one of the city’s highest performing charter schools. Achievement Prep scholars have been among the highest performing students in the city, outperforming many of their peers from more affluent neighborhoods and backgrounds.

In an effort to demonstrate the shared commitment to excellent public education in Ward 8, Mayor Vincent C. Gray has committed over $21 million in funds to the full modernization of the Malcolm X building. Given the scale of the modernization, Malcolm X students will move to the Green building (1500 Mississippi Ave SE) for the 2013-14 school year.  The plan is to co-locate Achievement Prep’s new elementary school campus (K-3) at Green to facilitate collaboration and shared best practices between the two school communities.  It will be a traditional co-location with two independent school administrations in the same building.

Information about the DCPS and Achievement Prep senior leadership community meeting was distributed to families this week. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 21 at 6PM at Malcolm X Elementary School.

Notice of Proposed Dismissal of Class Action in Petties, et al. v. District of Columbia

Please click here to download the Revised Notice to Class Members.

National School Breakfast and Lunch Program

Achievement Preparatory Academy is currently participating in the District of Columbia, National School Breakfast and Lunch Program, which follows USDA meal pattern requirements, rules, and regulations.

In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (Voice).  Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136(Spanish).   USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”

Also, the District of Columbia Human Rights Act, approved December 13, 1977 (DC Law 2-38; DC Official Code §2-1402.11(2006), as amended) States the following:

Pertinent section of DC Code § 2-1402.11:
It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice to do any of the following acts, wholly or partially for a discriminatory reason based upon the actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, or political affiliation of any individual. To file a complaint alleging discrimination on one of these bases, please contact the District of Columbia’s Office of Human Rights at (202) 727-3545.

Achievement Prep Recognized by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

Achievement Prep was featured in the May 2012 edition of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools‘ Issue Brief.  As part of a showcase of a number of schools that demonstrate how public charter schools are designed to meet the diverse needs of communities across the nation, Achievement Prep was recognized as a high-performing school that is working relentlessly to meet the unique demands of the local community in Ward 8 of South East Washington DC.  You can find the entire Issue Brief here.

Click here to download the latest issue of the ACHIEVEMENT POST, our student newspaper.

NEW: You can also find past issues of the Achievement Post in our online archive here.

Achievement Preparatory Academy Community Day Featured in the Washington Afro-American

This Saturday, May 5th, 2012, Achievement Prep will be hosting its very first Community Day at Oxon Run Park (corner of Wheeler Rd and Valley Rd SE) from 12 noon until 3pm.  The event will feature a wide range of social service resources for families, as well as free food from Hill Country BBQ, face painting, relay races and a variety of other fun games for the whole family.  The Washington Afro-American posted a great article about our school and the event.  Check out the full story here.

APA 5th Grade scholar Kevin Akers participated in festivities in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 16, 2012.

Check out his photo below, from USA Today’s website!

U.S. Park Ranger Jeff Jones and Kevin Akers, 9, lead a march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial. The march for children and families marked the first year the King site in Washington, D.C. is open for the King holiday.

Achievement Preparatory Academy Announced as a Tier 1 Charter School in the District of Columbia

The District of Columbia unveiled its first ranking of public charter schools on December 6, 2011.  Achievement Prep was recognized as one of only 22 schools to be ranked in Tier 1.  Mayor Vincent Gray held a press conference at Achievement Prep to announce the rankings.  Click here for a Washington Post story about the rankings.  Click here to watch the full press conference.

Achievement Preparatory Academy Receives National Recognition for Driving Dramatic Student Achievement Gains

We are proud to announce that Achievement Prep has received the EPIC Silver-Gain Award for our high gains in student achievement. Achievement Prep was one of only 18 charter schools from around the country selected as an award-winning school in the New Leaders for New Schools Effective Practice Incentive Community (EPIC). This honor allows us to identify best practices contributing to our high student achievement gains and to document those practices on the EPIC Knowledge System, a powerful web-based professional development resource documenting the real-life practices of urban schools driving significant achievement gains. Click here for a full press release.