 September/October 2000 (XXXVIII 4) |
new dynamic is under way in public schools in Trenton, New Jersey. For 30 years Mercer Street Friends, a human services organization founded by Quakers and still under the care of Trenton Meeting, has tried to improve public education in Trenton. Could a framework built on the tenets of Quaker education and ethics make a difference in a school system where only 30% of freshmen entering the high school graduate four years later?
Searching for a way to work within the Trenton school system, Mercer Street Friends operated after-school programs and an alternative school for many years. But it wasn’t until the passage of the New Jersey charter school law that their ideas about education could become reality. Last year, they established The Village Charter School. At its capacity, this kindergarten to 8th grade program will enroll 357 students chosen by lottery.
The Village Charter School (VCS) is situated on 10 acres of greenery owned by Mercer Street Friends, which built a state-of-the-art facility and leased it to the school at cost. VCS is the first charter school in New Jersey to occupy a new schoolhouse and the first public school constructed in Trenton in decades.
The school features a literacy-focused curriculum, a mandatory summer session, small class sizes, and social services for students and their families provided by Mercer Street Friends. The day begins at 7:30 a.m. with optional child care, and ends with after-school programs, counseling, and tutoring for some. Parents are integral to the school as volunteers and members of the Board of Trustees, which has three Quaker members. Board decisions are reached by a “sense of the meeting.”
Many believe that the true impact of charter schools will be measured by students’ success in high school, college and beyond. The evaluation of the first year at The Village Charter School is still pending, but indications are that this public school with Quaker roots is building a bright future for its students, their families and the community.
Betsy P. Shimberg
Director, Policy and Planning
Mercer Street Friends
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM