Young Scholars ranks as city's top middle school

WHEN Dana Dwirantwi first walked into Young Scholars Charter School a few years ago in search of a new school for her two boys, she didn't know what she would find.

Now, with one son in seventh grade and the other recently graduated from the North Philadelphia charter, Dwirantwi feels as though she's found a home.

"The teachers are so different from my experience," said Dwirantwi, of Northeast Philly, calling the school a "diamond in the rough." "I got way more . . . communication, in terms of phone calls and texts and emails."

The school is clearly doing something right. Young Scholars Charter, on Marshall Street near Poplar, ranked as the city's top middle school on the 2013-14 School Progress Report. It's one of only nine schools that received the "model" designation, the highest of four tiers.

Founded in 1999, the school underwent an internal transformation and leadership change in 2005. In the past six years, 99 percent of its graduates have been accepted to college-prep high schools, according to Young Scholars, which has since expanded.

Dwirantwi's oldest son now attends St. Mark's, a private boarding school in suburban Boston, on a full scholarship. She noted that her sons had come from private school before she "took a chance" on a public school. "He's an introvert by nature, and he just blossomed here because of the leadership roles that he was given [and] some of the programs that they have, which helped prepare him to get into a prep high school," she said of her oldest son.

Kerrivah Heard, a Young Scholars alumna who attends Drexel University, praised the dedication of teachers. A former teacher recently helped her raise money to travel abroad.

But it's not just about giving students a handout, Heard said. The faculty's energy gets kids excited about learning.

"When I got here, I wasn't prepared and they still worked with me," she said. "I was encouraged to just keep it up, and the teachers just stayed with me and I ended up graduating valedictorian. So, the support system also was good."

The school, which has 256 students accepted via lottery, prides itself on a small, personal atmosphere. It provides extra instructional time - classes begin at 7:40 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., and the school year lasts longer. Saturday school is also available.

There's also a program called Scholar Dollars, providing incentives for excellent grades or other exceptional work.

But the most important ingredient is the teachers, according to Dwirantwi, Heard and other current and former students who spoke with the Daily News.

Young Scholars' faculty routinely work more than 40 hours weekly, including after-school tutoring, and are expected to maintain constant communication with parents and guardians.

"It's a lifestyle commitment," John Amenda, the school's former principal who now oversees Young Scholars' campuses in the region, said of its teachers.

The organization also operates Young Scholars Kenderton, ranked 90th among 126 K-8 schools, which it took over from the district in 2013-14. Frederick Douglass, another former district school, is now being managed by Mastery after five years under Young Scholars.

According to a Young Scholars spokeswoman, Kenderton is on the path to replicate the success of its flagship school. Douglass, she said, experienced academic growth, increased attendance and a decrease in violent incidents under its oversight.

The wait list at the middle school is surprisingly short, given its undisputed success: Only a few students are on the list for sixth grade and about 20 students for seventh grade, Amenda said.

He indicated that officials have considered expanding to serve more students.

"We'd love to serve even more kids in the city more broadly," he said, "if we could."

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