A few days ago, the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School was honored by Mayor Vincent Gray and the Public Charter School Board for making the top tier of the latter’s new Performance Management Framework. The charter board ranks schools in three tiers, based on the standardized tests in reading and math that all D.C. public schools must administer — plus other indicators. Schools in the first tier are those deemed high-performing in these areas.
When we first started the school in September 1998, there were no ranking systems other than D.C.’s standardized tests.
Our mission was clear: to provide an exemplary and appropriate education to children in the District of Columbia.
My mother, after whom our school is named, ensured that I knew the value of education in my own life. I wanted children in the District of Columbia, particularly those who live in underserved neighborhoods, to have the same opportunity.
Stokes School opened with 35 students in the basement of the St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church on 16th Street in Northwest Washington.
Over time, we have grown and moved to our current Brookland location in Northeast D.C. We now serve 350 students, mainly black and Hispanic, from preschool through the sixth grade.
What made all of this possible? How does a school where nearly 80 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, where close to 40 percent of students speak English as a second language, grow and end up ranked in the top tier of the District’s Public Charter Schools?
There is no single silver bullet that accounts for our success. We are in first tier because of our belief that every child can and should learn — and achieve their full potential — and we maintain the highest of expectations for their success.
That’s why, for example, all of our students, including our pre-K students, learn to speak, read, write and think in two languages — French and English, or Spanish and English.
Furthermore, we are willing to use a variety of proven practices to meet the diverse needs of our students.
For example, our staff and faculty operate before- and after-school programs, a summer program and a Saturday Academy where students can have additional opportunities to learn.
We hold high standards for our teachers and provide numerous pathways for them to learn how to reach every student.
Our teachers make home visits to engage parents in support of children’s learning. Our board of trustees and school leadership carefully track school progress.
We are fearless in doing whatever is necessary to help every child become successful. By doing so, we are able to provide a well-rounded education and a positive, caring environment for our students.
These are key ingredients in the recipe that produced the performance necessary to be in the charter board’s top tier.
This formula results in more than higher test scores. It has also helped us achieve an 85 percent re-enrollment rate, and a 97 percent attendance rate.
It is also why this year there were 600 children on the waiting list to get into our school. Both our attendance and re-enrollment rates were factors in our being ranked in the charter board’s top tier.
Ensuring our students can succeed academically in middle school and beyond is just one of our goals. When students graduate, we aim to have prepared them to be leaders in their communities, and responsible citizens.
Many students go on to attend some of the city’s high-performing charters and selective or private schools on scholarships. And our 2004 and 2005 graduates are now of college age.
In fact, three alumni who will graduate from high school this spring are recipients of coveted Posse scholarships. These are selectively awarded to low-income seniors who show extraordinary academic and leadership potential.
The new ranking system increases the accountability of the District’s charter schools and rewards them for raising student performance.
All students in D.C. deserve to be enrolled in a high-performing school. Stokes School aims to be emulated as a model for urban education in the nation.
Linda Moore is founder and executive director of Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School.
