InspireNOLA Charter Schools Annual Report 2014-15

InspireNOLA
Charter Schools
Annual Report
2014-15
Transforming and inspiring an
educational movement
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good
teacher explains. The superior teacher
demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
This quote by William Arthur Ward embodies InspireNOLA’s commitment to our students and what we
are determined to achieve at our schools: transforming and inspiring an educational movement in the
city of New Orleans. Just two years ago when we created InspireNOLA, I could not have envisioned the
enormous and positive changes that have taken place within our organization through commitment, hard
work, and belief in our students, staff, and community. As I reflect on the work that has been done, I am
extremely proud of the results that we have achieved – but I am constantly reminded of the enormous
work that still needs to be done. We are celebrating the A letter grades that both Alice Harte and Edna
Karr both achieved while still pushing for even higher levels of excellence for our students and our city.
This first annual report serves as a snapshot about who InspireNOLA is and the remarkable results we
have achieved in a short period of time. Our foundation schools, Alice M. Harte Charter School and Edna
Karr High School, are among the top performing schools in the city. In large part this success is due
to our committed staff members who truly embody our values of inspiration, aspiration, and dedication
and live them on a daily basis. We have over 200 staff members at our schools, and all of them teach.
Many of them are teachers in the strict academic sense, but all of them are teachers in the social and
psychological sense, building and creating a sense of self, purpose, and pride in the students with whom
they work. Our staff members inspire their students to achieve greatness, and in return InspireNOLA
students inspire the staffs by working hard to develop them into future citizens and leaders of our city,
state, nation, and world.
While still continuing and building on the excellence of our existing schools, we are also humbled and
excited to begin a new challenge during the 2015-2016 school year: transforming Andrew H. Wilson
Charter School and proving that all students, regardless of previous school failure, can achieve at the
highest levels. By adding Andrew Wilson, InspireNOLA will increase our impact on the community to
over 2,400 students and 270 staff members, a step in our mission of transforming and inspiring an
educational movement. We know that challenging work lays ahead, but we are ready to embrace new
challenges while holding true to who we are and what makes our schools and students excel. The
urgency is now, and we are ready!
On behalf of the InspireNOLA network, I thank you for you continued belief and support in our students
and our work, and hope that you will continue on this journey with us for many years to come.
We are Second to None. We are One Team, One Harte Beat. We are Leading the Pack. Together, we are
InspireNOLA!
Jamar McKneely
Chief Executive Officer
Table of Contents
4 Who is InspireNOLA?
6 Culture
7 Academic Framework
8 Accountability
9 Continuous Growth
10 Our Story
12 Alice M. Harte Charter School
14 Edna Karr High School
16 Financials
Who is InspireNOLA?
In its first two years of operation, InspireNOLA Charter Schools was comprised of two high performing
schools: Alice Harte and Edna Karr. Alice Harte began operation in 1956 as a traditional public
neighborhood school, serving students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade. Edna Karr opened
its doors in 1964, serving students in seventh through ninth grades also as a tradition public school.
In 1990, Karr became a magnet junior-senior high school with selective admissions. Hurricane Katrina
devastated New Orleans in August 2005, causing all schools to close temporarily.
The educational landscape of New Orleans largely changed following Hurricane Katrina, and these
changes extended to Harte and Karr as well. Both schools were chartered as part of the Algiers Charter
School Association, allowing them to act independently of the local school board and with greater
autonomy at the school level. In 2012, Jamar McKneely and John Hiser, then the principals of Harte
and Karr, respectively, recognized the need to create a separate charter management network that had
greater alignment to the needs of their schools and their students. After the Orleans Parish School Board
approved its charter application in 2013, InspireNOLA Charter Schools was born.
11%
Alice M. Harte Charter School
At InspireNOLA, our mission is to transform and inspire an educational movement. Our core values are
inspiration, aspiration, and dedication, and we work to instill these values in our students, staff, parents,
and community on a daily basis. Our goal is to develop the whole child and meet all student needs:
intellectual, social, physical, and emotional. By working to develop complete children, InspireNOLA is
striving to create future citizens and leaders of our city who will positively change their own lives and the
lives of others.
4
2014 LEAP Proficiency
Mathematics
100
100
80
80
60
60
40
40
20
20
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
A
2015 Letter Grade:
Alice Harte
Recovery School District
Louisiana
2014 LEAP Proficiency
English Language Arts
0
“It is easier to build strong children, than to
repair broken men”-Frederick Douglass
Of the 75 public schools in New Orleans who
received a letter grade in 2014-15, only 7
received an A.
0
8th
Edna Karr High School
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
A
2015 Letter Grade:
Edna Karr
New Orleans
Recovery School District
Scholarship
Dollars
$7,239,548
$6,000,000
$5,067,000
ACT Scores
17.6 18.1 16.3
18.5 18.4 16.4
2013
2014
19
18.6 16.6
2015
2013
2014
2015
5
Culture
The first InspireNOLA pillar that leads to
outstanding academic results is the focus on the
creation and maintenance of a strong, positive
school culture. InspireNOLA schools focus on
inspiring and motivating students in a variety of
ways that excite and invest students in learning
and success.
• InspireNOLA hallways have motivational quotes
and purposeful pictures of students to promote
student ownership.
• Schools have complete positive behavior
incentive systems (including activities such
as reward ceremonies, dress for success days,
and academic jackets) that promote academic
investment and recognize superior
performance and improvement.
• Goals are set and updated quarterly with
teachers and students so that schools are
constantly focused on growth and
achievement, with all team members working
together to maximize individual student
achievement.
• InspireNOLA provides wraparound services
(including counseling, nursing, social work,
and parent advocacy) to address social and
emotional needs and develop the whole child.
InspireNOLA’s academic framework, which
encompasses both teaching and learning, is
another pillar that is crucial to our current and
future success.
• All lessons, regardless of grade level or content
area, follow a common structure that gradually
releases ownership from teacher to students.
• Each course has a pacing guide that outlines
the content that students will master before
the end of the year and a timeline for
instruction to take place.
• Measurable learning objectives are the central
focus of daily instruction and are posted in all
classrooms for every lesson.
• Data from daily exit tickets, interim
benchmarks, and summative assessments
is used to direct instruction and determine
areas for re-teaching and support.
• Students and teachers are consistently
recognized for strong academic performance
and growth.
Academic
Framework
InspireNOLA’s structured academic framework is
one of the keys to improving student
achievement and proving that all students can
and will learn at high levels.
Because we create a strong and positive school
culture, InspireNOLA students feel safe and
excited about coming to and being part of the
family that is their InspireNOLA school.
6
7
Accountability
In order to ensure that all members of
InspireNOLA schools are striving for success and
achieving at the highest level, accountability is
an InspireNOLA pillar that promotes
responsibility and ownership of success for all.
• InspireNOLA leaders are held accountable for
setting the vision, expectations, culture, and
goals of their school and providing support so
that staff and students are successful.
• InspireNOLA teachers are held accountable
for the academic success of students,
positively managing their classrooms, and
setting clearly defined goals and expectations.
• InspireNOLA students are held accountable
for following classroom rules and procedures,
meeting instructional goals, and developing
persistence in the face of challenges.
By setting ambitious goals and expectations and
by holding all stakeholders accountable to them,
InspireNOLA can better ensure that it are
collectively striving for excellence.
As an organization, both at the school and
network level, InspireNOLA is committed to
continuous growth of all employees in order to
develop and retain outstanding staff members.
• The Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) is
a model that InspireNOLA utilizes to provide
ongoing professional development, upward
mobility, instructionally-focused
accountability, and performance-based
compensation for all teachers.
• In our Principal Incubation program,
InspireNOLA employs a Principal-in-Training
within a current InspireNOLA school. This
leader prepares become a principal of an
InspireNOLA school in the future by learning
under a current principal.
• The Future InspireNOLA Leaders Program is a
leader development program that staff
members elect to participate in. Future leaders
attend monthly Saturday professional
development to acquire knowledge in a variety
of topics including school finance, evaluations,
culture, and decision-making.
• InspireNOLA’s Tuition Reimbursement program
provides assistance to employees who are
working to obtain additional degrees or
certifications.
Continuous
Growth
InspireNOLA recognizes that one of our greatest
assets are our staff members, and we are
committed to helping them grow and develop so
that they can best serve our students, both now
and in the future.
8
9
Our Story
Alice M. Harte opens as a
K-6th district school
Edna Karr transitions to
Junior/Senior Magnet School
with selective admissions
1956
10
1990
Alice M. Harte School and Edna
Karr High School chartered as
open-admissions schools under
Algiers Charter School
Association (ACSA)
2005
InspireNOLA Charter
Schools is chosen by
Recovery School District
(RSD) to take over Andrew
H. Wilson Charter School
2015
1964
2013
Edna Karr opens as a 7th-9th
district Junior High School
InspireNOLA Charter Schools
is formed with Alice M. Harte
Charter School and Edna Karr
High School
11
Alice M. Harte
Charter School
The mission of Alice Harte is to
inspire an educational movement
to develop the next generation of
scholars and leaders.
2015 PARCC Results
Alice Harte
New Orleans
Louisiana
79%
65%
60%
49%
87% African American
7% Hispanic
2%
Asian
2%
Caucasian
33%
% Scored Basic+
745
28%
% Scored Mastery+
students enrolled
Teacher Demographics
95%
retention rate
77%
22%
Eligible for
free/reduced lunch
0–3 years of teaching experience
80%
57%
Teacher Retention
18%
5%
12
Special Education
English Language Learners
4–14 years of teaching experience
20%
15+ plus years of teaching experience
13
Edna Karr
High School
The mission of the Edna Karr is
to teach all students to be
independent life-long learners
and achievers through the
support of all stakeholders in a
college preparatory environment.
2015 End of Course Exams
% Scored Excellent
% Scored Good
100
89%
77%
80
95% African American
2% Hispanic
60
2%
Asian
40
1%
Caucasian
20
0
73%
27
14
38
50
59
Algebra I
Geometry
English II
58%
64%
73%
14
51
54
59
38
English III
Biology
US History
10
20
1083
students enrolled
97%
retention rate
Teacher Demographics
82%
24%
Eligible for
free/reduced lunch
89%
100%
graduation rate
0-3 years of teaching experience
50%
Teacher Retention
4-14 plus years of teaching experience
47%
14
7%
Special Education
1%
English Language Learners
26%
15+ plus years of teaching experience
Louisiana Natives
15
Financials
InspireNOLA Executive Team
InspireNOLA’s two schools are chartered through the Orleans Parish School Board. Our public,
open-admission schools receive the same per-student public funding as other public schools in
Louisiana. Both schools receive Title I funds, a federal program which provides financial assistance for
schools with a high number of economically disadvantaged students.
As a nonprofit Charter Management Organization (CMO) with an independent board of directors,
InspireNOLA is able to engage in additional development and fundraising activities to extend and
improve services and opportunities for students. To a large degree, InspireNOLA’s success would not be
possible without the additional resources obtained through grants from foundations, gifts from
individuals, and donations from businesses and donors who are supportive of InspireNOLA’s mission and
work. If you are interested in being a sponsor of or making a donation to InspireNOLA, please contact
Emily Hartnett, Executive Director of Strategy and Advancement, at 504-322-8212.
2014-2015 Board of Directors
Wayne Crochet, President
Shawn Rogers, Vice President
Jay Daniels, Secretary
Stephen J. Boyard Jr., Treasurer
Michelle Bennett
Angelle Cresswell
Joseph Ridolfo
Mary Jo L. Roberts
Kimberly Thomas
2014-2015 Donors
Revenues
80%
State & Local Public Funds
12%
Federal Program Public Funds
5%
Private Grants & Contributions
3%
One Time Government Grants
Expenses
75%
Educational Program
7%
Shared Services
7%
Plant & Facilities
6%
5%
16
Jamar McKneely, Chief Executive Officer
John Hiser, Chief Operations Officer
Charles Mackles, Chief Financial Officer
Wylene Sorapuru, Chief Academic Officer
Student Transportation
Food Service
Foundations & Corporations
Aurora United Methodist Church
Brees Dream Foundation
Charter School Growth Fund
Educate Now!
Entergy
J & L Uniforms
KaBOOM!
New Schools for New Orleans
Nspired by Clay, LLC
Pro Bono Publico
Project Lead the Way
Poree’s Embroidery
Rite Aid
Step N Style Uniforms
Tiger Mart
Walmart
Winn Dixie (Algiers)
“We make a living by what we get, We
make a life by what we give”-Winston Churchill
17
3520 General De Gaulle Drive, Suite 4040, New Orleans, LA 70114
504-227-3057
www.inspirenolacharterschools.org