BRASS CITY CHARTER SCHOOL

Brass City Charter School’s (BCCS) mission is to eliminate the achievement gap for children living in Waterbury, CT. The gap is measured through high school graduation rates and standardized test scores. Only about 65% of all Waterbury students graduate from high school on time and only approximately 45% test on grade level at any grade level. BCCS intends to be a model educational institution available free of charge to all Waterbury children and providing the kind and quality of instruction that will close the achievement gap and prepare these children for college or career.

Brass City Charter School (BCCS) uses four strategies to achieve its goals. (1) Immersion: BCCS students attend school for 9.5 hours a day and for 11 months out of the year. Such immersion in our academic program helps fill the children’s time with enriching activities customarily enjoyed by their more affluent peers and permits a schedule with a full range of academics as well as time for tutoring and individual attention. (2) Development of character strengths: Research has shown that seven unique personal qualities (curiosity, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, self-control, zest, and grit) characterize successful individuals. Having these traits is particularly important in the case of low-income students attempting to make their way through college. The BCCS curriculum therefore emphasizes development of these strengths. (3) Highly effective teachers: All teachers are certified and undergo regular professional development and coaching. A flexible approach to curriculum development combined with continuous student assessment, small class sizes (13 maximum), importance given to individual student attention, and a climate of rigor and discipline result in quality instruction. (4) Partnerships with experts: Foundation-funded collaborations with the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra and the Connecticut Science Center bring our students the best in music and science programming. The Symphony’s Bravo Waterbury! program, based on Venezuela’s el Sistema model, transforms our K through 2nd grade students two hours a day into a community of music instruction, behavior, and performance. The Center’s staff has brought its inquiry-based learning programming to our faculty and has created a Science Lab at the school staffed by Center personnel.

As a state charter school, Brass City Charter School (BCCS) receives 75% of its funding from public monies. Our 501(c)(3) status opens the doors to foundation, corporate, and individual contributions. The charter model permits us to hire and keep only the best faculty and to develop the most appropriate curriculum for our students. Our Board of Directors includes civic and professional leaders, and our charter application received the support of the city’s mayor as well as the superintendent of schools. We started in 2013 with grades pre-K through 1 and will add a grade a year until we reach our charter maximum of grade 8 in 2020. The school’s management team represents many years of experience in urban education.

Measurement of progress will not be available until our first 3rd-grade class has finished the Smarter Balanced Assessments next year.