Word comes out of New York City that the Eagle Academy Foundation is set to open one of their all boys' schools in Harlem. The high academic achieving public school already has four locations in New York City and Newark, New Jersey. In 2014 Eagle will open a site on Staten Island.
The system boasts a high school graduation rate of 84 percent. This compares to a national average for African American kids of 47 percent and a 44 percent average rate for Latinos. 90 percent of their students are admitted to college. Most importantly, their college retention rates for underprivileged Black and Latino scholars are 84 percent. Eagle has a 10 year track record of bringing poor children up to grade level and beyond.
What a great opportunity this would be for DCPS Chancellor Henderson to increase choice within her own system. The expansion of Eagle Academy in the nation's capital would fill a void since the only current all boys' school, Septima Clark Public Charter School, will close in June.
Just as the D.C. Public Charter School Board is bringing successful operators to the District, the traditional school system could increase their own enrollment by following a similar strategy regarding quality traditional public school networks.
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