Chester, Pa. – The Chester Upland School Board on Thursday approved a request by Widener University to expand the Widener Partnership Charter School to include grades six through eight.
The school, which opened in fall 2006, is the first university-based charter school in Pennsylvania. The school currently enrolls about 300 students in grades kindergarten through five.
With the expansion, the school will add 50 students in sixth grade in fall 2011, and the same number of students in seventh and eighth grades in 2012 and 2013 for a total enrollment of 450 students. Students currently enrolled in the school will be given first option to enroll in the elevated grades, and a lottery system will be used if the number of students in any grade falls below 50.
The charter school will accommodate the additional students at its current location at 1450 Edgmont Avenue in Chester and is considering other options, including the U.S. Army’s Recruiting Center at 500 W. 24th Street which will be vacated by the Army in November 2011.
“Parents have been very pleased with the education their children receive at the Widener Partnership Charter School and the results show in their PSSA scores,” said Widener University President James T. Harris III. “The parents clearly wanted their children to continue in the charter school. After pursuing several options and having many conversations with the school district and the parents, we believe the best way forward is by expanding our charter.”
In 2009, the first year students in the charter school were eligible to take the test, 76 percent of third graders scored at proficient or advanced levels in reading, and 70 percent scored at proficient or advanced levels in math. By comparison, the average for third graders in the Chester-Upland School District – where the charter school resides – was 46 percent for reading and 53.6 percent for math.
According to Stephen C. Wilhite, dean of the Widener School of Human Service Professions and chairperson of the Widener Partnership Charter School Board of Trustees, the school takes a holistic approach to education that emphasizes a low student to teacher ratio, the social and emotional development of each student, a close partnership with parents and caregivers, and the inclusion of music, art, drama, physical and health education and foreign language instruction as integral parts of the curriculum.
“They aren’t just teaching them to be better students, they’re helping them to be better children,” said Patrice Todd, president of the Widener Partnership Charter School Parent and Caregiver Council. “You can see in their grades and even in how they walk down the hallways. It’s great. I love it.”
Because it is affiliated with Widener University, the school receives a variety of supports from the university including education faculty and students who support and enhance the instruction of classroom teachers, graduate students from social work and clinical psychology who provide a range of services to the children and their families, and the use of university facilities such as the Wolfgram Memorial Library, the Science Teaching Center and the Art Gallery.
This is my daughter's second year at WPCS and I can rave about it but, it would seem redundant....but the Teachers and our now former CEO/Princple have such a dedication to our children and our clinical psych staff, our very into the holistic educating of our children and making them feel really good about themselves, in partnership with us parents, our children's self-esteem is off the charts!!! The key to this schools success is focusing on helping the child succeed not focusing them when they become a problem. The approach this school is taking is great, the best part our children are being prepared for college from Kindergarten, when our children reach high school they will be AP ready and on the fast track to college. I love this school and falcuty!
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