History of Nia Community Public Charter School
The founders of the Nia Community Public Charter School (NCPCS) submitted its application to the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board for approval to operate a charter school in the District of Columbia. Upon approval, NCPCS opened their doors in August 2006, serving children from pre-kindergarten through the third grade initially and shall expand to serve pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. A major reason for the Nia Community Public Charter School charter school application is to respond to the significant academic needs of low-income minority children in the District of Columbia, especially those children who reside in neighborhoods located east of the Anacostia River. The Nia Community Public Charter School founders are committed to expanding the availability of quality educational resources for the target population.
The District of Columbia Public School’s (DCPS) 2004 education expenditure budget was $1.1 billion. This represents a per-child expenditure of $12,317 per year. The DCPS per-student expenditure rate is the highest among the nation’s major public school systems. However, despite that fact, the city’s children continue to underachieve when compared to children in public school systems of similar size. For example, based on national averages for proficiency in math and reading among similar school systems, the District comparative rankings were as follows:
- During 2003, the mathematics average scale score for fourth graders in all school districts in the United States was 234. Comparatively, the average math scale score for fourth graders in the District of Columbia was 205.
- During that same period, 24% of the nation’s fourth graders scored below the basic proficiency level for math skills; while 64% of the District’s fourth graders scored below the basic proficiency level in math skills.
(Source: National Center for Education Statistics)
The founders recognize that there is a great need for more innovative and effective approaches to providing education for the District’s minority children. The socioeconomic status of many of the district students further challenges the capacity of the DCPS system to improve the reading and math skills of district students. Approximately 56,700 (81%) of students in the city’s schools qualify for the free and reduced cost lunch program that is targeted at low-income students. According to the 2000 census, the majority of persons living in poverty in the District of Columbia reside in east of the river neighborhoods of wards seven and eight (A DC Agenda Neighborhood Information Services Research Paper. DCAGENDA. October, 2002). Socioeconomic factors play a significant role in suppressing academic achievement among minority children.
Nia Community Public Charter School: Addressing Academic Needs of Wards Seven and Eight
Given the documented needs of school-aged children in the District (especially in wards seven and eight), Nia Community Public Charter School founders have implemented a curriculum and innovative teaching methods. These stimulate and promote critical thinking, enhance student curiosity, and develop positive social skills within a small nurturing classroom, as well as a cultured, community-centered environment throughout the entire school.
The underlying mission and philosophy of Nia Community Public Charter School is to offer the highest quality of education, while fostering a nurturing community-centered environment-preparing students for lifelong academic skills. Therefore, founders have integrated and adopted content and performance standards that are aligned with the national standards, in addition to the newly developed DCPS standards. The performance standards also promote the ideas of high academic achievement and community-building skills. The innovative curriculum design used meets the needs of our students. Nia Community Public Charter School's curriculum supports the pedagogical strategies adopted by Nia Community Public Charter School by emphasizing problem base instruction, multiple intelligence, hands-on learning and cooperative learning. The school also infused service-learning projects to help students develop an image of themselves as productive members of the community. Values associated with Dorothy Height’s legacy have been incorporated as part of development of character building. The school operates on an extended-day schedule to allow for more time for mastery of core academic skills. Before and after school is an extension of the school’s design. NCPCS provides an intense tutoring and enrichment program to make certain that all the needs of the students are being met.
The founders stand firm on maintaining a small, community-centered school east of the Anacostia River that offers the highest quality of education while maintaining small classroom sizes. Therefore it is imperative that a facility be identified that will provide adequate space and not be of financial hardship. Historically, many charter schools have faced obstacles identifying or maintaining adequate space, which has forced them to increase student enrollment, classroom sizes and or divert from their original mission and vision.
Nia Community Public Charter School's Mission
The mission of Nia Community Public Charter School is to foster a nurturing, community-centered environment, as well as to provide a rigorous, comprehensive academic pre-k through 8th grade program designed to prepare students with life long academic skills and success.
The goals of NCPCS as a community school are:
Quality Education – to deliver a well-designed curriculum that meets high academic standards and uses community resources
Youth Development – to develop the talents and gifts of young people into assets that can be used as resources that serve the community
Family Support – to connect families to resources such as early childhood development programs coordinated health and social service organizations, and programs that enhance family life
Family and Community Engagement – to facilitate the participation of family members and other stakeholders in the design, support and monitoring of school and community activities
Community Development – to focus on strengthening the social networks, economic viability and physical infrastructure of the community
The goals of Nia Community Public Charter School as a practitioner of culturally-relevant teaching are:
To practically, systemically and efficiently apply an educational theory that incorporates the cultural knowledge, experience and frame of reference of ethnically diverse students to make learning relevant
To consider the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, racial and social class backgrounds of students in the development and implementation of a comprehensive education program (i.e., curriculum, instructional model, program development)
Call Us Today for More Information
202-562-5440
- Public Charter School
- Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade
100 41st Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20019
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
wdansby@nia-cpcs.org
Fax: 202-562-0299
Established in 2006
Serving Washington, DC
We believe that children are the future
Teach them well and let them lead the way …
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