Self-Help Perspectives - Issue 5

Self-Help Public Charter Schools Deliver Excellent Results

Self-Help believes that all children have the right to a high-quality public education. We help make this happen by lending to public charter schools that want to construct new buildings, buy existing facilities, or renovate their current spaces. We focus on borrowers serving low-income and at-risk student populations.

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As the new school year approaches, we want to highlight the successes of our charter school borrowers. These institutions deliver quality education and develop young leaders.

• All 48 seniors in the Class of 2009 at Gaston College Prep in Gaston, NC plan to attend college. Eighty percent of these graduates will be first-generation college students. Read Bob Herbert's June New York Times column about the school's successes here.
• 95 percent of students at Rise Academy in Lubbock, TX were proficient on both reading and math tests in 2008.
• In its first year, Ivy Preparatory Academy in Norcross, GA scored 13 percent better than the state average on math tests in 2008.
  
• Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, DC improved reading scores by an average of 13 percent per year in 2008.
  
• The NC Department of Public Instruction recognized Neuse Charter School as a 2008-2009 School of Distinction. In only its 2nd year, Neuse Charter received a performance composite score of 82.3% and a perfect 100% performance composite score in Science.

These are just a few of the achievements of our charter school borrowers. These examples show these institutions are delivering high-quality education to students. Self-Help staff support the charter school movement beyond Self-Help. Here are two examples of board service on behalf of charter schools:

Jane Ellis, Self-Help's director of charter school lending, is a member of the KIPP-North Carolina board. KIPP, or the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a network of college-prep public charter schools achieving impressive educational results serving Self-Help's target communities. The organization "builds a partnership among parents, students, and teachers that puts learning first," according to the KIPP-NC Web site. Learn more about the group here. Ellis also is a founding member of the North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter Schools board.

Laura Benedict, Self-Help's commercial lending team leader, just completed her second term on the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools board. The group "provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement," according to its Web site. While on the board, Laura served as treasurer and initiated a study of access to capital for charter schools led by people of color. She is currently co-chairing the Alliance's Charter Facilities Task Force. Read more about the Alliance here.

St. Mary's Academy Charter School Designated National Blue Ribbon School

Self-Help borrower St. Mary's Academy Charter School was one of ten public charter schools designated as a 2009 National Blue Ribbon School. Over 300 public and private schools from across the country were selected based on their proven academic achievement or because of notable strides in closing the achievement gap. The Beeville, TX charter school has consistently outperformed state averages in both Math and Science, despite a large population of English Language Learners and economically disadvantaged students.
In 2008, Self-Help worked with the USDA to finance a new classroom building and pavilion for St. Mary's growing student body. Congratulations, St. Mary's!

Charter School Success Story:

Ivy Preparatory Academy - Norcross, GA

Ivy  Preparatory Academy takes pride in its academic rigor. Classes run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students take two mathematics courses and two English classes. Some spend up to three hours everyday getting to and from the Georgia public charter school so they can experience its strong learning environment.

Read more about this successful charter school here.

Featured Partner: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

Self-Help works with many organizations and allies to support the creation and successes of charter schools. One of the leading national voices in the charter school movement is the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. The Alliance works to increase the number of high performing charter schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. The Alliance provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement. Over 1.4 million students attend more than 4,600 charter schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Learn more about the Alliance at www.publiccharters.org.  

SHCU Receives Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award

The North Carolina Credit Union League recently gave Self-Help Credit Union the Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award. The award recognizes community development projects in areas of need. The Credit Union League honored Self-Help for its work on the Walltown Home Ownership project in Durham. Read more at the North Carolina Credit Union League's Web site.

Self-Help in the News

A New York Times op-ed columnist recently praised Self-Help's efforts supporting homeownership through our Secondary Market in Home Loans program. Find the column here.
Eric Stein, former Self-Help chief operating officer, has joined the Obama administration, accepting a position in Washington, D.C. with the U.S. Treasury. Read a (Raleigh) News & Observer story about his new role here.

Self-Help CFO to Chair National Federation of Community Development Credit Union Board

Randy Chambers, Self-Help's chief financial officer, recently became chairman of the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions board. The New York-based Federation's membership includes 225 credit unions with more than $4 billion in assets and 49 community development partners with more than $96 billion in assets. Learn more about the Federation here.

Join the Center for Community Self-Help

Your tax deductable membership contribution of just $20 is a great way to support Self-Help's mission and work. Center members are also eligible to join Self-Help Credit Union and Self-Help Federal Credit Union. To join, please send a check made out to the Center for Community Self-Help to:

Center for Community Self-Help
301 West Main Street, Durham, NC 27701 ATTN: J. Valas

Contact Justin Valas for more information.
 

Self-Help is a community development lender and real estate developer headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with locations throughout North Carolina, California, and in Washington, DC,. Visit our Locations Map for contact information or email us with your comments.

Self-Help: Creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for people of color, women, rural residents, and low-wealth families and communities.