DC Public Charter School Board Approves Charter Petition 4-0

by Tamika M. Joyner, Manager, Community Development, DC

I am proud to announce the DC Charter School Board approved our petition to open a Rocketship school in Ward 8 last night by a vote of four to zero.

In the last year, we’ve been engaging community stake holders and learning more about the public school climate in DC. In the next year, we are excited to get to know the Ward 8 families to determine how Rocketship can be the best possible school for their kids. Two of Rocketship’s core characteristics are Community and Pursuit of Excellence, both of which will be the driving force of my work as we work to build our first school in DC. An excellent school must be aligned to the needs of its community.

“We’re really proud of our community outreach and partnerships we’ve built in other communities and that’s something we’re focused on and committed to doing well in DC,” said Preston Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of Rocketship to the DC Charter School Board.

While initially the school was scheduled to open in the fall of 2015, we will wait one more year to ensure the kids and families in the community have an excellent school ready to meet the community’s needs on day one.

“The addition of a reputable school like Rocketship to this community will only have good outcomes for this underserved neighborhood,” says Julie Lanardo, Deputy Director of Horton’s Kids, a local nonprofit whose mission is to education and empower the children in Ward 8.

“It is so important to have a great school within walking distance for kids who absolutely need this resource.”

We have a growing team on the ground here in DC, including Laurence Moses, our local education organizer who will focus on parent leadership engagement.

“Ward 8 is full of enthusiastic parents working hard to provide their kids with a great future,” says Moses.

“We know from our work across the country that our school’s impact will grow expectantly when we partner with parents.”

Published on November 4, 2014