Preparing Students for Success

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.

At Ivy Prep, all parties – teachers, parents, students, community partners, and donors – are invested in the future of the school’s 310 female-only students.

The school’s mission to shape young women into college-bound scholars appeals to a diverse group of parents.  The school’s founder and head of school, Nina Gilbert is African-American.   Fifty seven percent of the students are African-American, the rest come from the Asian, Hispanic, and White communities.  Over one third of the students are considered economically disadvantaged.

“The preparation for college should never be a choice,” says Nina Gilbert. “All of the girls know they’ll leave here with two documents: their high school diplomas and their college acceptance letters.”

Gilbert’s role as Ivy Prep’s principal continues her tradition of excellence.  In 2003, the Atlanta Journal Constitution recognized her as Teacher of the Year and in 2006 the Secretary of State awarded her the Georgia Outstanding Citizen Award. She won a Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, a national program designed to provide talented educators the support, training and connections to start charter schools.

The Norcross, GA school opened in August 2008 with 150 sixth grader girls. The school will add a grade each year as students matriculate. Self-Help issued a Letter of Credit to Ivy Prep’s landlord, allowing the start-up school to sign a lease-to-own agreement.

Already, the school has demonstrated solid academic achievement. In 2009 end-of-year tests, Ivy Prep topped state averages in reading, language arts, mathematics, and science.

And then there was the building. It took a while for school leaders to locate a suitable facility. Gilbert praises Self-Help for understanding Ivy Prep’s mission and working with her to secure the building and ensure the school’s success.

“We wouldn’t be here without Self-Help,” she says. “They continue to work with us.”

Ivy Prep fosters cross-curriculum collaboration, hosts a remedial month-long summer academy, and in the 2009-2010 academic year will offer an optional afternoon hour of instruction in which students can take electives like debate and violin.

The school has created an environment of high achievement, in which intellectual curiosity is encouraged through demanding coursework and a comprehensive approach to education.

Many families are drawn to Ivy Prep’s culture. Nina Packer, an Atlanta artist management and nonprofit consultant who chairs the school’s fundraising committee, says her two young daughters love the environment and want to attend Ivy Prep when they reach middle school age.

“My girls will not have it any other way,” she says.

Much of Ivy Prep’s appeal comes from the high expectations set on students.

Neil Shorthouse, president of Communities in Schools, a statewide education advocacy group, says all schools should ready students for higher education or some type of career.

“The notion of just graduating from high school without any plan or any additional formal education is just not realistic,” says Shorthouse, who chairs Ivy Prep’s board.

After a successful first year under its belt, Ivy Prep leaders and advocates are looking ahead to many more achievements.

“I want it to be a model for what innovation in public education can look like,” Nina Gilbert says. “I expect it to be a clearinghouse for scholars.”