45°
The Connecticut State Board of Education approved the charter school application from Stamford on Wednesday, April 2, according to a statement from the State Board of Education.
The Stamford Charter School for Excellence is "modeled after the Bronx Blue Ribbon Award-winning charter school," according to the statement.
The board also approved two charter schools for Bridgeport and one for New Haven.
The approvals will expand public school choice for families who are underserved in the communities. Each school focuses on serving high-need student populations who are at risk of falling behind their peers—a major contributing factor to the gaps in achievement among Connecticut students.
“The charter school applications approved today showed a strong capacity to establish and operate high-quality public schools in Connecticut,” State Board of Education Chairman Allan Taylor said. “The applicants presented comprehensive and financially viable models for what we expect will be highly successful environments for student achievement, and for that I congratulate them.”
The Stamford Charter School for Excellence in Stamford will be modeled after the award-winning Bronx Charter School for Excellence and will offer a longer school day for additional instruction. The school intends to enroll children from families of lower socioeconomic status, English language learners, and children with special needs. Stamford Charter School for Excellence will serve prekindergarten through Grade 5, beginning with prekindergarten-Grade 1 students in the 2015-16 school year.
In Bridgeport, Great Oaks Charter School will specialize in serving students who are learning English. It will serve students in Grades 6-12, beginning with Grade 6 students in the 2014-15 school year.
A second charter school in Bridgeport, Capital Prep Harbor School, is designed as a replica of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford. It will serve prekindergarten through Grade 12, beginning with students in Grades 6-12 in the 2015-16 school year.
In New Haven, Booker T. Washington Academy will focus on serving students living in poverty, specifically those from the high-need, underserved Dixwell/Newhallville area of the city. It will serve prekindergarten through Grade 8, beginning with students in prekindergarten through Grade 3 in 2014-15.
In addition to the four state charter schools approved today, the Path Academy, which was approved by the State Board of Education on June 5, 2013, is expected to open this September in Willimantic.
Stamford held a public hearing in March in regard to the charter school.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Stamford and receive free news updates.
