For immediate release:
Contact: Mary Ellen Cummings
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(314) 241-3050
Mayor Slay Invited to Learn about Imagine’s Academic Growth, Character Development, and College Readiness
ST. LOUIS, MO (September 16, 2011) — Imagine Schools opened its first charter school in St. Louis in response to parent demand for better public school options. This year, parents of 3,800 students made the choice to enroll their children at six Imagine campuses in St. Louis.
Parents choose Imagine because of our focus on each child’s individual needs, challenging academics, teachers who nurture and motivate students, commitment to positive character development, and a safe and inviting school environment. Parents know their children and their academic, social, behavioral, and safety needs.
Imagine Schools Executive Vice President Sam Howard emphasized, “Parents are the best judges of school quality. They assess our performance every day, and they keep coming back. Enrollment is up at every Imagine campus in St. Louis. Parents vote with their feet and overwhelmingly choose our schools. They are a seal of approval.”
Howard added, “The majority of new students who arrive on our campuses each year are far below grade level. Snapshot proficiency tests, such as the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), provide only one piece of the academic picture. They don’t show where the student started or where the school took them. The best way to understand how a school is performing is to measure each student’s academic growth longitudinally, a process that is not yet in place in Missouri. Ultimately, we know that we have improved students’ lives when we see the three year average of 95.3% of seniors graduating from Imagine College Preparatory High School. In addition, 100% of those graduates for the past two years were accepted to a college or a university of their choice.”
Joan Hubbard, chairman of the governing board of Imagine Academic Success, remarked, “Missouri Baptist, our sponsor, worked with us and the Imagine leadership to develop comprehensive school improvement plans that focus our efforts to accelerate student academic growth. Our students are making positive strides. We are confident that as they progress through our schools, they will become stronger learners and will graduate prepared for college, career, and life.”
Hubbard concluded, “We invite the Mayor to visit our campuses, to talk with students, parents, and teachers about what is happening, and to learn more about our schools’ academic, character, and graduation outcomes. Parents are attracted to Imagine schools in St. Louis. We hope that the mayor will want to learn why.”
Missouri Baptist Education Division Chair James French stated, “Missouri Baptist University has worked with Imagine Schools on a School Improvement Plan for each charter and we are currently working to support the implementation of those plans.”
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Imagine Schools is a national family of public charter schools that empowers educators in partnership with parents to prepare students for lives of leadership, accomplishment, and exemplary character. Imagine educates over 3,800 students in grades K-12 on six campuses in St. Louis. Learn more at www.imagineschools.org