It’s hurry up and waitlist at many of the 97 charter schools located throughout North Carolina. Three of the five elementary/middle charter schools in the state currently partnered with National Heritage Academies, based out of Grand Rapids, Mich., are no exception.
Queen’s Grant Community School in Charlotte currently has more than 1,300 students hoping to gain entrance. Greensboro Academy has 826 potential scholars waiting in the wings, while Research Triangle Charter Academy in Durham has 60 children.
All NHA schools use a random lottery/drawing system when they have more students than slots to fill. Families who have filled out applications anxiously gather on a specified day to witness if their name is pulled randomly to place their child in the school. The process is repeated until all names are prioritized on the list.
It’s a very difficult process, said Queen’s Grant Community School Principal Christy Morrin. Her school currently has enough names on the waitlist to create two new campuses in the area. However, with the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state set at 100, Morrin knows that’s not a reality at the present time.
“It’s hard, it’s disappointing to have to say to potential parents to ‘keep trying,’” she said. “They come to the lottery because they want to do what’s best for their child, and we hate to turn them away.”
Parents of students attending the NHA schools have a choice, and they are usually vying for a spot because they not only want a better education for their child, but they also want their children placed in school in their community, said NHA CEO Jeff Clark.
As a result, he said each NHA school uniquely reflects the social, economic, and racial makeup of the particular area. Greensboro Academy is 91 percent Caucasian, while Queen’s Grant Community follows closely with an 88 percent white population.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, PreEminent Charter School in Raleigh has a 98 percent African-American population, followed by 83 percent for Research Triangle Charter Academy, and 51 percent African-American enrollment at Forsyth Charter Academy in Winston-Salem.
Though diverse, Clark said all schools are provided the same quality services, options, and educational opportunities by NHA. “We focus on eliminating achievement gaps,” he said. “Secondly, we focus on college preparedness.”
Clark said the NMA program embraces accountability, and each school’s academic achievements are evaluated with adaptive assessments throughout the school year. “We can see where students are at the beginning of the year,” he said, “Then, we test them in the winter and spring to measure their academic growth. “
Although four out of five schools — PreEminent, Forsyth, Queen’s Grant, and Research Triangle — did not make their goals on Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), Clark said the tests do not accurately show gains the children have made. “Many students are coming into our schools well below grade level,” he said. “With the rigor and knowledge we provide them, and with good instruction and time, they narrow the achievement gap, and they will be college-ready.”
Lori Hill, the principal of Forsyth Academy, which has partnered with NHA throughout its 10-year existence, barely missed AYP in math by seven students. She said it’s an uphill climb, as most of her students are not only undereducated when they arrive, but the school has one of the highest poverty rates, with 70 percent of its students qualifying for the federal free and reduced-lunch program.
Clark said the waitlists at the NHA schools are a testimony to discerning parents who want school choice for their children.
“Parents overwhelmingly value the education their children are getting,” he said. “They know what a good school looks like for their children. There is a substantial demand for our schools, for charter schools in North Carolina. The waitlists are the parents saying their children’s needs will best be met by those schools.”
Hill said parents are often looking for some place better than mainstream public schools. They want someone who values their children and adds a more personal touch to the educational process.
“I think they feel we listen more and we meet their children’s needs better — both academically and socially,” she said. “Our teachers communicate with parents. The biggest thing is choice. A parent with a student in our school has a choice and, as a parent, that’s what it’s all about — the freedom to choose and not be tied by bureaucracy.”
Clark said his hope is the North Carolina legislators will reconsider raising or removing the charter school cap so more NHA-based charter schools can open up in the state.
“NHA hopes to show, through performance and excellent school options, that we’ve earned the right to serve additional students,” he said. “We want all students on the path for academic achievement and college readiness.”
It would certainly make Morrin and the 1,300 potential students eagerly awaiting a charter school experience at Queen’s Grant very happy.
“I’d like to see more NHA charter schools in our district,” she said. “Our desire is to have more opportunities in the area for school choice and provide more options that parents don’t have to pay for. It would be a great opportunity to have more schools here. There certainly wouldn’t be any trouble filling them.”
Karen Welsh is a contributor to Carolina Journal.