Proposed charter schools include all-boys Latin prep

Tue Oct 18 12:43:01 UTC 2005

>>From the Philadelphia Enquirer, Thu, Oct. 13, 2005

Proposed charter schools include all-boys Latin prep
David P. Hardy plans to model the school on the academically rigorous,
prestigious Boston Latin.

By Martha Woodall
Inquirer Staff Writer

Ten new charter schools have been proposed in Philadelphia, including an
all-male charter school modeled after the academically rigorous Boston
Latin. David P. Hardy, a former administrator at Community Academy Charter
School in North Philadelphia, is seeking to open the boys' charter high
school in Southwest Philadelphia that would offer students four years of
Latin. If approved by the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, the
charter would open next fall with 125 ninth graders.

"When you look at SAT scores, the kids who take Latin, as a group, score
the highest," Hardy said. "Latin puts an academic tone on the school that
gets people serious from when they come in the door." He said Latin also
helps students with English grammar and vocabulary and provides a pathway
for learning other languages. "Latin is something that takes some effort
to master," he said. "If you can get kids to fight the fight to master it,
they won't be afraid to do anything."

Hardy said the school would aim to provide the academic rigor of Boston
Latin, the nation's oldest public school, and also offer support services
for students, after-school tutoring and summer programs. In addition to
teaching students Latin, Boston Latin's curriculum offers a contemporary
approach to classical studies. Other charter proposals include an
arts-based elementary school in Northern Liberties, an elementary school
with a multicultural focus, and an alternative high school aimed at
helping older students complete the credits they need to earn their high
school diplomas.

Philadelphia is already home to 55 charter schools that are educating
approximately 24,000 students this academic year. William Tomasco, an
official in the district's charter school office, said six of the
proposals are new. Four, including the Northern Liberties and the
multicultural school, were resubmitted by groups that had been turned down
in the past. "It is such a community effort, it doesn't die," Monika
Kreidie, a member of the Northern Liberties group, said last night. She
said the proposal has the backing of 125 families.

Ismail Kul, who teaches physical chemistry at Widener University in
Chester, said he and a small group of area faculty members and scientists
from local corporations, including DuPont, were seeking to open a rigorous
college-prep high school with a focus on math, science and technology. He
said the group had found that high school students "were weak in math and
some science courses. We thought we can offer the community a college prep
charter that will enhance their training and expand their academic goals."
He said Truebright Science Academy has proposed opening in the fall with
200 students in the vicinity of Einstein Hospital.

Under the school district's new charter policy, a 13-member panel will
read and evaluate all the proposals. Those receiving at least a score of 3
on a 4-point scale will advance to public hearings scheduled for Nov. 15.
In the past, hearings were held on all charter applications. Tomasco said
that applicants can earn extra points for proposing charters for areas
where there are few existing charters or for plans that would help relieve
overcrowding in district schools. He said the School Reform Commission was
expected to vote on the charter applications in January.

The commission approved two of the 11 proposals submitted last year.
Charter schools are funded by taxpayers, but they are independent schools
that are not subject to all the laws and regulations that apply to
traditional schools. Many charters are organized around a specific theme.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/education/12888942.html
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Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or at
martha.woodall at phillynews.com.

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