While many people simply talk about the state of education in the U.S., Nina Gilbert decided to do something about it.
A former public school educator, Gilbert founded Ivy Preparatory Academy, a girls-only public charter school in Norcross, Georgia. The school opened its doors to 160 girls in August 2008 and provides rigorous, college-preparatory programs supported by a small, structured school culture. The students receive 200 days of instruction as well as a Saturday and Summer Academy for students who need further academic assistance.
“It was something that was very clear to me,” Gilbert said, who now works there as Head of School. “In this area, there were no charter schools available as recently as 2006.”
(Charter schools are: “… elementary or secondary schools … they receive public money but have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school’s charter. While charter schools provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system … some charter schools provide a curriculum that specializes in a certain field, e.g. arts, mathematics, etc. Others simply seek to provide a better and more efficient general education than nearby public schools. “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_school)
A former counselor, Gilbert sought her master’s degree and credentials in education and educational leadership, which put her back in the classroom and in an administrative role.
“It really opened my eyes to the things public education could be; it would just take some innovation and thinking outside the box to make it happen,” she said. “Both of my parents were educators, so it’s something I’ve been around all of my life.”
She and a close friend, who partnered with Gilbert, asked themselves, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to start our own school?’
“We began talking to the community, asking if there was a real interest, a desire to see choice and opportunity available for parents who really didn’t have any choices as it related to public education,” Gilbert said. “There was an overwhelming ‘yes.'”
In addition to her higher education, Gilbert spent a year in Boston in a fellowship, Building Excellent Schools, and while there, viewed other high performing schools. Her initial intention wasn’t to create a girls-only school, only an improved one.
She knew the research: separating genders seems to be very effective, especially in maintaining an environment with fewer distractions than a co-ed school.
“It helps to decrease the distractions that girls often face, allows them the opportunity to share and participate freely without that intimidation factor of having the opposite gender there or feeling they have to play down their intelligence or even play down there need to ask questions or be more inquisitive.”
She also went with a girls-only environment because the option for a single-gendered school was not readily available for parents who wanted it.
“Typically, parents don’t have the opportunity to send their children, male or female, to a single-gender school, unless it’s private,” she said. “So we wanted to offer an option that was free, that was rigorous, that was college-preparatory and available for families who ordinarily wouldn’t have that option.”
The curriculum of Ivy Prep currently consists of two hours of math and two hours of language arts. Based on the Spring Board series, it is a pre-Advanced Placement curriculum. Their social studies program is organic, and they have a Macbook program in which all students have one.
“That’s very uncommon here, there is no other school in Georgia that does this,” she said.
One of the main differences, aside from being girls-only, is that Ivy Prep is smaller.
“The middle schools (here) easily have enrollments of 2-3000 students,” Gilbert said. “Ours won’t have that many. We’ll have about 800 students when we get (grade levels) six-12.”
The girls also have a very long school day, staring at 7:30 AM and ending at 5 PM. They offer classes in German and hope to teach Latin and Spanish next year. Technology and robotics classes are also provided.
“There are classes that most middle school students don’t have access to,” she said.
One drawback, however, is their lack of funding.
“(Funding) is lower than any other public school in the area, so we have to continuously fundraise,” Gilbert said. “We’re responsible for doing more with less resources.”
And while the feedback is generally positive, Gilbert said there are some people that don’t agree with the school or its method. They have even had students leave the school.
“This is a hard school to attend,” she said. “It’s uncommon, a lot of homework, school lasts a long time, and our teachers don’t take excuses. Some parents feel, ‘hey, these girls are just (in) sixth grade, be a little lenient on them’ or ‘these are just little girls, why is so much required of them?’ and for some, this (school) may not be the right choice.”
But many parents understand the positive impact of a more challenging school like Ivy Prep.
“We have those parents also who can see the big picture and understand what we’re preparing these girls for: life experiences that require hard work, that requires perseverance, stamina, ethical behavior; and we have very, very high expectations for our students, so parents must get that,” Gilbert said. “Instead of complaining about the rules, the school day or the expectations, they embrace them because they can see the big picture of where these girls are going to be able to go.”
Despite limited resources, Gilbert believes that funding will improve and the school will continue to expand. She also wants to expand the technology program and develop partnerships with the school’s fine arts and music program.
“(We want) to continue meeting the needs and values of our students and families, but it takes a lot of time and energy,” she said. “The biggest goal is to make sure we have academic outcomes that our students can be proud of. Our girls have not only been able to meet our expectations but (have) exceeded them.”
For more information about Ivy Preparatory Academy and how you can help, visit its Web site: www.ivyprepacademy.org.
Author Jamie Fleming writes everything from a blog to press releases to published articles. Check out her site at www.mochawriter.com