Deep in the historic district of Raleigh, along streets of older and newer homes alike, is a place of hope.
Eager children scamper across creaky wooden floors, past outdated radiators in the basement of the old Barbee Elementary School building to go from one class to another.
Despite the vintage surroundings, educators are instilling a new dream at Hope Elementary Charter School and they are helping underserved students achieve at their highest potential by “changing the world one child at a time.”
The children, in grades K-5, are taught to SOAR, an acronym standing for Safety and support, Offer peer support, be an Active learner, and be Respectful and responsible.
Principal Richard Rubin calls the school an “unpolished gem in the middle of a middle class community.” He said 96 percent of the students are from families who live in poverty and qualify for the federal free and reduced lunch program.
Many have family members who are struggling with the drug culture or are in prison.
“We target a group of kids that are at-risk,” Rubin said. “We have a lot of interesting family issues and learning, in many instances, is not a priority. Many [students] come from a single parent home living in the poor section of Raleigh, they are a minority, and one or both of their parents haven’t completed high school. Many of the kids don’t eat over the weekend and are hungry when they come back to class on Monday.
“Also, we provide transportation, which makes us unique, as we have parents or guardians working multiple jobs and they don’t have money for gas.”
Because Hope Elementary is a nontraditional public school, it can operate in a way that helps the students feel secure and stable enough to settle down for their studies.
It wasn’t always that way.
Rubin, a retired principal from New York City, said he came to the school during a “rough patch.”
He quickly implemented strict dress codes, secured the building, organized the learning process, and changed the mind-set of the educators and students.
“We don’t reward kids for doing the right thing,” he said. “We expect them to do the right thing. There has to be total order in the building in order for students to learn, and they are engaged and learning.”
The school, which operates on shoestring budget, also switched from a traditional school year calendar to a year-round schedule.
“We quickly realized the kids need stability,” Rubin said. “Most of them are miserable during break. As a result, they are never away from us for more than four weeks at a time.”
In order to keep track of each student’s progress, the children are assessed online four times a year.
“We know exactly where the kids are,” he said. “We are data-driven and we use these results to determine their instructional path. Our challenge is to show the students that no matter who they are, or what they are, they can learn and grow.”
Rubin credits the flexibility of the charter-school model for giving Hope the opportunity to succeed.
“It is a laboratory that gives us the ability to make a lot of change,” he said. “It allows us to be innovative and use people in creative ways to achieve our goals.”
First grade teacher Charmelle Lewis-Mann said the children understand the school is a place for learning and that is the main reason they are there.
“The students know they are loved, but they have a purpose for being here,” she said. “Children want structure. They want to be guided and shown what to do. They want to live up to expectations, but they want to know what those expectations are.”
Fifth-grader Jaylen Finch, 11, has been at the school for five years and is happy with his education.
“They teach me a lot of stuff and I get to learn here,” he said. “I know I need to study hard, even when I go to a new school next year because I want to graduate from high school.”
His classmate, 12-year-old Chyreka Evans, also loves the school. Evans has learned the sky is the limit on what she can be when she grows up. The only problem is making up her mind on whether to become a veterinarian, pastry chef, or an OB-GYN.
“They challenge our brains and make us think,” she said. “It has benefited me as a student. I love to read and they really encourage that. I’m going to take away everything they have taught me. Someday I will graduate from high school and I am planning on going to college.”
Marguerite Brailsford works at the school as a data input clerk and also brings a great-grandchild to attend the school.
“It is like a family,” she said. “The parents here can’t afford a lot of things, but they are treated like they are in an elite private school. The students take pride in being here. They love it. They cry when they can’t come. I recommend it to everyone. I only wish it was a bigger school and could take more children.”
One of the most notable things about Hope Elementary Charter School is that it doesn’t stop caring for its students after the last bell rings. The school has partnered with the local Salvation Army to provide quality afterschool care.
The school provides $30,000 each year to subsidize the program, and the students pay $1 a day to enroll in it. While there, the kids receive tutoring, character development, and religious training.
“We believe firmly that this is the best thing for our kids,” Rubin said. “It is money well spent.”
He said the all-around care of the children has resulted in higher performance and higher test scores than the traditional public school counterpart in the area.
Former state Sen. Eddie Goodall, president of the North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said there is room to replicate innovative schools such as Hope Elementary with the passage of Senate Bill 8. It removed the statewide cap on charter schools, set at 100 for more than a decade.
Goodall said 38,000 children are on charter school waiting lists across the state.
Karen Welsh is a contributor to Carolina Journal.