Septima Clark Public Charter School for Boys

Greetings Families and Scholars,
As we draw this year, and our school, to a close, I just wanted to extend my thanks and gratitude to all of those who helped make the mission of Septima Clark Public Charter School a reality for our scholars. “Education is Freedom,” is a mantra that could be heard on a daily (and often hourly!) basis throughout our halls and in our classrooms, because anyone who rose to the challenge of closing and eliminating the achievement gap in Ward 8, in Washington, DC, understood what that meant.
Our Freedom Teachers are aptly named for the work that they do, and the commitment to the mantra that drives our boys to college. They have worked tirelessly, during extended school days, weekends, vacations, and holidays, to ensure that Septima Scholars carry with them the tools they need for success. Our school staff has worked behind the scenes, day in and day out, to the groundwork for the functionality and efficiency of our daily operations as a school. Our families have helped our scholars with homework, attended Family Nights and school events, and supported our tough and relentless commitment to excellence, all for the sake of their boys.
While our school may not exist in a physical sense, after June 21, 2013, it’s spirit and the beliefs of Ms. Septima Clark will live on in the trials and tribulations, successes and victories, and transformative and world changing endeavors, that our boys experience as they continue to “Compete, Achieve, and Contribute, in academic institutions of distinction.”
Regards,
Gregory Spears, Head of School

Emancipation:
1. the act of freeing or state of being freed; liberation
2. informal freedom from inhibition and convention

SCPCS will be open today, and the rest of the week, because we believe education IS freedom, and what better way to honor, recognize, and respect that universal truth, than to be in class and learning the tools our scholars need to compete, achieve, and contribute!

SCPCS is open today, Tuesday, March 26, @ 7:15am

SCPCS is open today, Tuesday, March 26, @ 7:15am.

SCPCS IS CLOSED TODAY, MARCH 25, 2013 DUE TO INCREASINGLY POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS

What is the role of PCBS in Septima Clark PCS closing? Thoughts?

SEPTIMA CLARK #1 IN ACADEMIC GROWTH AMONG DC CHARTERS!

Septima Clark is ranked #1 on the 2012 DC-CAS in academic achievement growth among DC's 98 charter schools. Septima Clark is ranked #3 among all 186 public schools--traditional and charters--for achieving 17% growth in reading and math on the 2012 DC-CAS.

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) announced on Friday, August 25, 2012 that the significant academic growth earned the school the designation of Reward School under the state's new accountability system.

"Educating boys is the most important mission in our city and often the most overlooked," said Jenny DuFresne, Founder/Head of School. "Our academic growth is great news! Many of the boys we enroll each year are four to five years behind academically. With this exceptional academic growth still only 34% of scholars who took the 2012 DC-CAS are proficient in reading and math. We have significant work to do to move the majority of our scholars into the reading and math proficiency column. We're rolling up our sleeves to continue building on our scholars' academic success."

A Call for Change: The Social and Educational Factor Contributing to the Outcomes of Black Males in Urban Schools. Read this Report.

http://tinyurl.com/2etysh2

Where is the Outrage?? I've just completed reading the Council of the Great City Schools powerful report on the factors impacting the positive development of African American boys and men. How can Black males be incarcerated at 6.5 times as White males? Where is the outrage? How can African American males ages 18 - 34 make up 43% of prison populations while White males of the same ages make up 28%? Read this report! A Call for Change: The Social and Educational Factors Contributing to the Outcomes of Black Males in Urban Schools.

Red Tails Experience what it's like to fight for freedom with the first all African American fighter pilots. Visit Ramitelli Airbase and take a P-51 for a spin.

SEPTIMA CLARK RECEIVES 5-YEAR CHARTER RENEWAL!

On Monday, December 19, 2011, the DC Public Charter School Board, the agency responsible for authorizing charter schools in Washington, DC, voted unanimously to continue the charter of Septima Clark Public Charter School, Washington, DC's first and only all boys' public school, for another five years. Charter schools are granted a 15-year charter that is revocable every five years. "We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to continue serving our scholars for another five years. Our college preparatory mission is arguably one of the most important for our city and addresses the most educationally disenfranchised group in our city and our Nation: African American males," said James Costan, Septima's Board Chair.

Founded in 2006 by Jenny DuFresne, Head of School, the school has grown from 35 scholars to 227 this school year. The journey to the five-year charter continuance has not, however, been without obstacles and challenges. The school has relocated three times in five years due to inadequate facilities. "Relocation has wreaked havoc on the stability of our program," says DuFresne, "Each relocation has meant a 50% loss of students and a complete rebuilding of our academic program. We end up enrolling new scholars, many of whom, score in the 1st to 25th percentile, on standardized assessments upon enrollment." This challenge largely contributed to the school receiving Tier 3 status on the Public Charter School Board's Performance Management Framework Report Card. The school's committed staff and leadership expect significant academic growth on the 2011-12 Performance Management Framework Report Card.

Be Inspired!