Situated in one of the poorest and toughest neighborhoods in Durham, the Durham Nativity School apparently is accomplishing what many public schools fail to do: Provide a high-quality, multidimensional education to underserved middle-school African-American and Latino boys.

Outside the school, two police officers were parked nearby recently in squad cars. The officers watched young people wander aimlessly by. Surrounding the school were dilapidated, boarded-up buildings and a corner store with bars on its windows and doors. Inside the school, 29 African-American and Latino boys were engaged in learning, and possibly dreaming of what can be for them, not what is.

The school’s success in empowering students to break the cycle of poverty, low achievement, and school dropout can be attributed to its staunch commitment to a positive learning environment, standards-based education, and strong parental involvement, say school officials.

The school’s mission, structure, and programs are patterned after a successful national model, the Nativity Network and NativityMiguel schools. “What distinguishes Durham Nativity from the other 64 network schools,” said Director of Development Richard Burton, “is that it’s one of only a few that’s nondenominational, and it’s the only one in a smaller city. The rest are in large metropolitan cities, like Philadelphia and Chicago.”

The school was founded in 2002 by Dr. Joseph Moylan, a retired Duke surgeon, and his wife, Carole, with the aim of addressing the problems found in public education and rising dropout rates. After traveling around the country to examine school models, the Moylans chose the NativityMiguel model because it targets children who qualify for the federal free and reduced-lunch program, it’s effective, it’s free, and it requires parental involvement.

According to the national organization’s Web site, 92 percent of students in network schools graduate from high school in four years versus the “national rate for African-American and Latino students of 55%.” The four-year dropout rate for high school students in the network is 6 percent, compared to most inner-city schools with dropout rates of 50 percent or greater.

More than 75 percent of graduates enroll in two- and four-year colleges and universities, their statistics show. Among them are Brown University, Cornell University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, Middlebury College, and Temple University.

“We call the process an 11-year program,” Burton said, “because students are provided scholarship funding for their middle school education and fours years of private college-preparatory high schools. Once they graduate from high school, Durham Nativity facilitates the college admission process.” High school partners include Cardinal Gibbons High School, the Carolina Friends School, Durham Academy, and the Trinity School.

“I admire the board for its commitment to pay the difference in tuition when scholarships don’t cover the full cost,” Burton said. “The school’s $900,000 annual budget is funded solely through corporate, foundation, and individual support.” The annual tuition of $20,000 per student is paid for with private donations. “We take no government funds,” he said.

Greater Flexibility

When asked why school officials chose to be a private school not a charter school, Burton said, “We didn’t want the restrictions. We need to be flexible, and our model allows us to meet all the needs of our students — social, cultural, moral, personal as well as intellectual development.”

As an example, Burton discussed parental involvement, a key component of the educational model. “Parents must support the school’s educational model and fortify at home what their child is learning at school. We require a contract from all parents, or guardians.” Burton said parents must fulfill the contractual agreement or their child cannot continue in the program. Such a requirement would not be possible in a public school or even a charter school.

A student’s parent or guardian must volunteer at least four hours per trimester or 12 hours per academic year. They also must attend several parent-student-teacher conferences and Parent Empowerment Program meetings each academic year. Many of the students come from single-parent homes, headed by their mother, an aunt, or grandparent.

Opponents of school choice and private education say that schools like Durham Nativity are successful only because they can select top minority students. Burton dispelled that notion, saying, “We select students who are performing at one grade level below.”

The school used to take more severely academically disadvantaged students. “We can’t turn those students around in three years,” Burton said. “We depend heavily on our high school partners, so we have a responsibility to ensure students are successful before we pass them along to our partners.” When the school loses students, it’s primarily because of inadequate parental support and academic issues, not disciplinary ones, Burton said.

Structure and Curriculum

Durham Nativity is an extended-day, extended-year program, meaning students are in school 10 hours a day for four days a week and eight hours on Fridays. Students must participate in service-learning activities, including a yearlong service to a single partner organization or project. The service-learning component “teaches students the value of giving back to the community.” Students attend eight weeks of Saturday Academy classes each spring. In the summer, they attend a two- or three-week Summerbridge program.

The school offers traditional liberal arts curriculum and focuses on Judeo-Christian values. Curricular offerings include: English-language arts, mathematics, science, religion, foreign language (Latin and Spanish), social studies, physical education-team sports, and arts enrichment. Students learn in whole group, small group, and individual settings. Testing standards include the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, a nationally norm-referenced test.

Students are selected through open enrollment. Durham Nativity advertises in the local newspaper and on predominantly African-American and Latino radio stations. Burton said that many students find out about the school from current students and from those who have graduated.

Because these students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, the school also teaches etiquette and life skills. Recently, a donor gave money so the school could hire a social worker to help students and their families with issues outside of the learning environment. “No matter how positive the school environment is, these kids have to go home where they face a lot of tough issues,” Burton said. Also, they must be prepared to handle the cultural and social differences they will face while attending private high schools.

High Expectations

During a reporter’s recent visit to the school, the students were polite and eager to explain what they liked about their school. One seventh-grade boy, Maurice, said, “I like my religion class and also Latin and Spanish. In the summer, we get to go to a camp.” When asked about how this school differed from the public school he had attended, Maurice said, “I’m learning more.” He hopes to attend Duke Law School one day.

Joshua, another seventh-grade student and somewhat reserved, said he liked “the fun, field trips, classes, and cool friends.” He said they had visited Washington, D.C., had met Colin Powell and Barack Obama on Obama’s recent trip to Durham. Joshua said he would like to attend UNC-Chapel Hill and become a nurse.

Jose Martinez was an energetic boy who said Durham Nativity was a lot more challenging than his old school was. When asked whether that was a good or bad kind of challenge, he laughed and said, “Good! That’s how I like it to be.”

Karen McMahan is a contributing editor for Carolina Journal.