Purpose Built Schools Atlanta

Academic highlightsstudent school-year academic growth:notwithstanding the pandemic challenges and the condemnation of forest cove, in the most positive story from sy22, pbsa saw strong gains in student academic growth (as measured by map assessments) in three of our four Schools during the year. Two of our Schools (thes and price) finished among the top one-third of all aps Schools for in-year academic growth, and carver finished around the average of all high Schools. Graduation:from 2018 to 2022, carver steam's graduation rate increased overall by 10.6 percentile points in the four years since aps partnered with Purpose Built Schools Atlanta to run carver steam in 2018. This is the largest improvement in graduation rate of any other high school in the district over this four-year period (2018-2022). We expect it to see another increase in 2023. Scholarships:carver steam academy's class of 2022 earned more than $4.5 million in scholarships for continuing education, a school record, and we are already on track to beating that record with nearly $4 million in scholarships secured to date for the class of 2023. The challenge index:on the challenge index, which measures Schools' ability to "beat the odds" based on their student demographics, from sy17-sy22 price middle school made the largest gain of any aps middle school and thomasville heights elementary school made the second largest gain of any aps elementary school. For the first time in more than six years, those two Schools are outperforming Schools with similar income levels. Parent engagement:attendance at parent-teacher conferences under pbsa continues to increase and has more than doubled (from 221 conferences in the baseline year to 559 in sy21-22). One of the silver linings of the past three years is that it continues to push us to engage with parents in new and creative ways. Slater elementary school'Schools's first pta meeting this year had over 100 caregivers in attendance, which was a record according to our school engagement manager. As research suggests a strong connection between parent engagement and student achievement, we believe this is a strong foundation to continue to build on this upcoming school year. Program highlightssummer enrichment (horizons):we had another successful summer enrichment program during june and early-july that served approximately 250 elementary school, middle school, and special education students. In addition to high quality academic instruction with a focus on literacy and steam, all set in small class size environments students special small group literacy instruction with the schenck school tutors, along with arts, fitness, cultural enrichment, field trips, and confidence-building challenges. Many summer scholars also learned to swim.after-school program (boys & girls club of metro atlanta):we partnered with the boys & girls club of metro Atlanta (bgcma) to operate our after-school programming, which served 240 students during the 2021-22 school year. Of those students served, 96% are black, and 83% come from single parent households. This collaboration began during covid when bcgma provided a learning pod for a group of our students identified as needing additional support while Schools were closed. The pod program was so successful, we decided to expand our partnership to include the operation of our after-school programs (which we previously had operated ourselves). Bcgma, whose president & ceo is former Atlanta public school deputy superintendent, david jernigan, has a long-standing track-record of providing youth with safe and enriching programming designed to enhance educational and social-emotional outcomes.college & career readiness programs:p-tech: in partnership with ibm and Atlanta technical college, we established Georgia's first p-tech program at carver steam academy in sy2021-22 and welcome our second cohort this past fall. P-tech is a proven program that prepares high school graduates for entry level careers in it, health care, advanced manufacturing and other competitive fields. P-tech spans grades 9-14 and enable students to earn both a high school diploma and a no-cost, two-year postsecondary degree in a stem field. Students participated in a range of workplace experiences, including mentorship, worksite visits and paid internships. Upon graduation, students will have the academic and professional skills required to enter into entry-level careers (or continue their education in a four-year postsecondary institution). Over the next three years we expect to continue to expand the number of students in the program and to increase the number of course offerings to eventually include entry-level careers in it, health care, advanced manufacturing, and other competitive fields. Goodwill of north Georgia: in partnership with goodwill of north Georgia (gng), we piloted a youth employment services (yes) program during march 2021, dedicated to helping youth explore and plan for career opportunities, develop soft skills through job readiness training, acquire financial literacy, expand leadership and life skills, understand the relationship between education and work, and secure employment. This initiative provided 8-10 carver steam academy seniors with stem focused skills training in supply chain operations management. A unique feature of the program is that it specifically targeted some of the hardest-to-reach students, including those enrolled in special education. Camp highland: each year, we partner with a wonderful organization called camp highland to send our ninth graders on a two night/three day exposure trip where they engage in team-building and leadership experiences. This opportunity is truly more than just camp for our students, as most have spent little, if any, time outside their neighborhoods, let alone canoe on a lake and sleep away from home. These trips are based on the research-backed belief that if we can narrow the opportunity gap between low and middle-income students, it will positively impact academic performance and fuel real change. Camp highland is a full immersion experience designed to introduce our students to life beyond south Atlanta. Our staff consistently report that it has a very real impact on students' mindsets and behavior

To provide wraparound services so desperately needed, pbsa assisted in the creation of pbsa community engagement, Inc. ("cei"). Cei was created for the specific Purpose of providing important services that support the core instructional program in Schools operated by pbsa.