New charter school the pride of Camden

On a bright, sunny morning Nathaniel Figueroa, age 6, donned his brand new Spiderman backpack and stood eagerly outside Camden's Pride, the city's newest charter school, which opened its doors yesterday.

"He's so excited," said his mother Glanda Figueroa. "Last night, he went to bed early. He was ready."

Fellow first grader Xiomyra Colon, the first to step foot inside the school, cut the ceremonial blue-and-white ribbon with grown-up-sized scissors and great seriousness, after Rebecca Brinkmann, principal, welcomed them all.

"We are very, very excited you're here, and we're going to have a great school year," said an enthusiastic Brinkmann.

Some 84 children and their families are looking to this newest charter school with hope.

Indeed, charter schools are gaining popularity in Camden, one of the country's poorest cities that also has low-performing schools.

According to a National Alliance for Public Charter Schools study of districts with over 10,000 students, in the 2006-2007 school year Camden with 13 percent of its students in charter schools joined Philadelphia as one of the top 10 of districts nationally with the highest charter participation.

The district with the highest charter market share was New Orleans, with 57 percent of its students enrolled in charters.

National Alliance president Nelson Smith said many of the highest charter participation districts are in urban communities with underperforming schools.

"When the charter option is made available, the parents flock to it," Smith said.

Nationally, about 350,000 families are on waiting lists for charter slots - enough to fill about 1,100 new schools, Smith said.

Philadelphia has the region's largest concentration of charter schools with 33,200 in attendance or about 16 percent of its school population.

In Pennsylvania, charters have grown from six schools in 1997 to 127 schools, including four new schools this year, three of which are in Philadelphia, said William Tomasco, the newly named executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools.

Educating about 70,000 students this year, the charters have waiting lists over 26,000, according to Tomasco.

In comparison, New Jersey has few charters but their numbers are growing.

Six new schools were set to open this school year for a total of 62 schools enrolling 20,000 students. In addition over 11,000 are on waiting lists, according to data gathered by the New Jersey Charter Public Schools Association.

In Camden, close to 2,600 students will attend seven charter schools, with around 1,700 students wait-listed.

Charter schools, while in demand, don't necessarily perform better than traditional public schools, studies have shown.

In Camden, however, a higher proportion of charter schools outperform district schools, according to the state charter school association.

For example, Camden Academy scored higher compared to similar schools than the district's traditional public high schools with 48 percent proficient or higher in math and 84 percent in language arts.

Camden's Pride, which opened yesterday with kindergarten and first-grade students and will gradually expand through the fourth grade, has a wait list longer than its total enrollment largely based on word of mouth and the reputations of its sister charters, Camden's Promise, grades five through eight, and Camden Academy High School. All three schools are located in a brightly furnished, former warehouse on Beideman Avenue.

"It does show parents want a choice," said principal Brinkmann, who came to the area several years ago to teach at Camden's Promise through a Jesuit volunteer organization. A graduate of Teachers College at Columbia University, she said, "It's an honor to work here."

Similarly, Joseph Conway and Bill Helmbrecht, both South Jersey natives, friends since being teenagers and committed to Camden, cofounded Camden's Pride sister schools.

"We're totally invested in urban education," Conway said. "That's what we love and that's our passion."

That dedication is part of why Rutt Maldonado decided to send her daughter Naiomy Rodriquez, 5, to Camden's Pride. She has relatives in Camden's Promise.

"The education policy is way different from the public schools," Rodriguez said. "My nephew, when he came from public school and went to the charter, he was way behind."

The good reputation of its sister schools is what convinced Luz Gonzalez to send her granddaughter, Trinity Shabazz, 5, who chose Tinker Bell for her backpack fashion statement, to Camden's Pride.

Some liked the relatively small class size - between 14 and 16. Others appreciated the before-school and after-school care. Some like Gloria Velez liked the idea her Shania, 5, could be in the same school through high school. She has applied for admission for son, Christian, 12.

"I heard it's a very good school, and it's a good education," said Velez.