Why Atlanta Charter And Neighborhood Charter Schools Merged

by Matt Underwood

As you drive by two area charter schools in the coming weeks, you may notice some changes in the signs outside of their buildings. The Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, a K-8 charter school with two campuses, has been formed by the merger of two successful charter schools that have been operating in the Grant Park/Ormewood Park neighborhoods during the past decade. Neighborhood Charter School opened in 2001 serving kindergarten through fifth grade students. Atlanta Charter Middle School opened in 2005 serving sixth through eighth grade students.

Both schools stood as centers of community education excellence in southeast Atlanta, gaining recognition from the Georgia Department of Education and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement for outstanding student performance on state assessments. The merger of these two schools as ANCS establishes a framework for sharing resources between the former Atlanta Charter Middle and Neighborhood Charter schools, while jointly pursuing a common goal of continuing to providing a innovative small school alternative choice within the Atlanta Public Schools that actively involves families from the diverse neighborhoods of southeast Atlanta.

For several years, NCS and ACMS were connected in ways both formal and informal. The schools shared resources, participated in joint fundraising events, and, of course, many students who matriculated from NCS moved on to ACMS for middle school. Yet a more lasting connection between the schools had long been considered as a way to strengthen the educational experience for students as well as the governance and management of the schools.

In the fall of 2009, NCS and ACMS engaged an independent consultant to work with the schools’ governing boards on the development of a charter petition that would result in the official merger of these two separate schools into one single institution. Several months of planning, writing, and soliciting community input took place, and regular updates on the process were provided on the schools’ websites, in local neighborhood publications, and at public meetings.

At their March 2010 meetings, the NCS and ACMS governing boards approved the charter petition for the Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, a K-8 charter school with two campuses that represented the merger of NCS and ACMS. The Atlanta Board of Education then approved the petition, and, finally, on March 8th, 2011, the Georgia State Board of Education gave its approval to the petition. The charter agreement for ANCS runs from July 1, of this year to June 30, 2016.

ANCS is a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national network of schools focused on creating institutions that are intellectually challenging, personalized, and democratic. CES schools are brought together by a shared commitment to "10 Common Principles" that guide teaching, learning, and decision-making at each school. Numerous studies have shown that students in CES schools demonstrate a high level of progress academically and personally.

ANCS is racially and economically diverse, serving a student population that is representative of Atlanta. Families from around the community were actively involved in planning for the merger of the precursor schools and have been involved in the governance of the school from the start.

Merging into a single school with two campuses beginning with the 2011-12 school year provides ANCS students with the educational benefits of a K-8 school. Students and teachers can build more lasting relationships. Teachers from the elementary and middle grades can work more closely to articulate a rich and engaging educational program across the grade levels that reflect the CES Common Principles since teachers will know from where students are coming and to where they are going.  

In addition to the educational benefits, parent involvement will increase as families make an investment of time and energy into a school for nine years rather than for three years (at a middle school) or six years (at an elementary school). Governance will also be strengthened since ANCS will be able to cultivate board and parent leadership over a longer period of time. Finally, the management of the school and its financial position becomes more robust by sharing resources smartly and effectively.

During the 2010-11 school year, a merger transition task force formed with the involvement of board members and school leadership from both NCS and ACMS. The task force took on the ambitious job of identifying critical tasks in the months leading up to the merger and worked with key faculty, staff, and parents to complete them. And now ANCS becomes the next chapter in this history of educational innovation in the city of Atlanta.

Mr. Underwood is interim executive director and middle school campus principal of Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School.