School Spotlight: Carter Community Charter School, Durham

“Would this be good enough for my child?”  That’s the question Principal Gail Taylor asks whenever she assesses progress at Carter Community School, a K-8 charter school in Durham. This philosophy and self-assessment were evident last week when PEFNC took State Representatives Paul Luebke (D-Durham) and Winkie Wilkins (D-Person) on a tour of the school.

Carrter Community, which already outperforms many area elementary and middle schools, has set a goal to become recognized as an Honor School of Excellence, which requires 90% of students to score at or above grade level on End of Grade tests in math, reading, and science.  The school feels confident that its small classes, after school instruction, and America Reads/America Counts programs will help provide the edge they need to achieve that goal.

The mission of Carter Community School is to "develop, nurture and nourish a learning environment where important, productive, and life-changing activities occur daily." Parents, teachers, and the surrounding community evidently subscribe to this belief.  Principal Taylor believes that “strong partnerships are necessary for charter schools to succeed,“ and has partnered with Duke University to bring in honor students to lead tutoring programs.  Duke University's football team also raised money for Carter’s new computer lab.

An essential component to Carter Community's performance is parental involvement; parents have logged over 1,000 hours of volunteer time and will monitor and teach classes when teachers are otherwise engaged.  Chris Sierra, whose daughter attends kindergarten at the school, is a prime example.  He volunteers not only in his daughter’s class, but also in other classrooms, referring to the entire staff as "very much like a family."

 

Carter Community School is just one of many charter schools that highlight the importance of supporting public charter schools in our state.  To learn more, visit www.carterschool.org.