Press Releases
Phoenix Collegiate Academy Chosen by Arizona Department of Education to Recieve $230,000 Grant
04.29.10
Inner city college preparatory school Phoenix Collegiate Academy was chosen to be part of Arizona's $4.69 million effort to provide rigorous schools to low-income areas.
Phoenix Collegiate Academy was one of 21 schools chosen by the Arizona Department of Education to receive the $230,000 Arizona Charter School Incentives award, which was funded through a federal grant. Preference points were given to schools with "challenging curricula and rigorous assessment,” according to a Department of Education press release.
“The award is specifically designed for schools serving low-income populations,” said school director and founder Rachel Bennett, “so I think a big reason that we won the award is that we are showing proven results and success in a low-income, high-minority population.”
Ninety-seven percent of PCA's student body is on free or reduced lunch and 85 percent are ethnic minorities. Although the majority of students started out below grade level, mid-year testing revealed huge gains in reading and math.
Superintendent Tom Horne announced the award recipients on April 27. “Throughout my seven years as superintendent, academically successful charter schools have been encouraged to duplicate themselves and serve as models for others,” he said. “This grant is a big step forward in reaching that goal, as well as offering the opportunity for charter entrepreneurs to develop new, rigorous schools.”
Bennett, a Teach For America alumnus who taught at C.O. Greenfield Elementary before founding the school last year, said that the money will be use to improve the infrastructure of the school, including the purchase of textbooks, learning tools and technology, as well as recruitment of new students.
“A significant part of the money is actually targeted toward recruitment and outreach efforts, so that more families learn about schools of choice, like ours,” she said. The school, which is currently serving its first class of sixth graders, will grow one grade level per year until it reaches twelfth grade.
“I was very pleased to see that all of our hard work was being acknowledged in a positive way that would help our students to reach the next level of sustainability and programming,” said Bennett. “Especially given huge economic challenges that schools are facing right now, grants like these and support like this through the federal government is even more critical, because it makes next year possible.”
For more information, please contact Alexandra Harmon at (602) 269-9900 or aharmon@phxca.org.
PCA School Director Wins Spirit of South Mountain Award
03.05.10
The South Mountain Chamber of Commerce honored a mission to raise academic achievement and prepare the most disadvantaged students for college by awarding Rachel Bennett, founder of Phoenix Collegiate Academy charter school, the 2010 Spirit of South Mountain Educator Award on February 25.
Bennett, an alumna of Georgetown and ASU, currently acts as the director of the new school, which this year is serving 67 sixth graders from the South Mountain community. Phoenix Union board member Christy Lopez and Laveen School District superintendent Ronald Dickson were also nominated.
“I was surprised to win this award because the people in the same category as me both have very distinguished careers and are very well-known for what they do in the community,” she said, but, “Phoenix Collegiate Academy is a unique institution in education and the mission that we're trying to accomplish is really compelling.”
Phoenix Collegiate Academy's mission is the prepare students in grades six through 12 to succeed in college and be leaders in our community. It seeks to serve the areas of highest need; 85 percent of the student body are minorities and 96 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Students at Phoenix Collegiate Academy have already made huge academic gains; halfway through the the school year, students improved an average of 21 points in reading and 26 points in math on the Stanford 10.
South Mountain Chamber director Steve Glueck said that the award committee was impressed with “simply the energy that Rachel demonstrates. She is one of young, up-and-coming, dynamic leaders in our community. The work and conviction to take this from an idea to a reality shows tenacity, persistence, commitment to the idea.”
“Even though it's a first-year school, it shows the qualities we like to see in alternative education in our community,” he said, while stating that a combination of public and charter schools are needed in the South Mountain community. “We like to see them all succeed.”
For her part, Bennett credits receiving the award to success of the entire school community. “It was a really nice honor to win this, but it's the teachers and students who are doing the hard work. Teachers are creating excellent lessons and the students are pushing themselves to meet expectations.”
“I get the glorious job of receiving award,” she joked, “but it's all these people who make that possible.”
The Spirit of South Mountain Award has been issued for the past five years to honor both individuals and organizations that are making a difference in South Mountain, Laveen and historic Phoenix, according to Glueck.
“The purpose,” he said, “(is) to recognize the scope and diversity of what's happening in our community.” Awards are also given for businesses, nonprofit organizations, individual volunteers and governmental agencies, among others.
For more information, please contact Alexandra Harmon at (602) 269-9900 or aharmon@phxca.org.