Chad Foundation Awards $6,000 Grant to BRICK-Avon Academy

NEWARK, N.J., Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chad School Foundation Inc., the Newark, New Jersey-based education policy and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the quality of public schools, announced today its $6,000 grant award to BRICK: Building Responsible Intelligent Creative Kids.  BRICK, a local teacher-grown education management nonprofit organization, will use funds to support its Early Childhood parent involvement program.

Established in 2009 by Newark teachers who began their careers through the Teach for America Program, BRICK seeks to transform chronically-failing schools in Newark's South Ward. In 2010, BRICK partnered with the Newark School District and assumed control of the former Avon Avenue School, a high-poverty, low-performing K-8 elementary school. BRICK-Avon became Newark's first teacher-run school, an effort that allows faculty to take on leadership roles in managing operations and determining the overall instructional focus of a school. A 2011 Chad Foundation Policy Roundtable Report documented the significant progress being made by BRICK-Avon instructional staff, including dramatic improvements in third-grade reading and writing (e.g., Language Arts Literacy scores more than doubled with 33.3% of students scoring on grade level in 2010-2011, while only 15.6% attained reading proficiency in the prior year).

Chad's award will enable BRICK to develop and facilitate a new Early Childhood Parent Engagement Initiative designed to equip parents and caregivers with tools needed to better support their children's teaching and learning experience. More specifically, Chad dollars will fund interactive parent workshops for BRICK's parent-community, which includes nearby Peshine Avenue School.

"The Foundation's grant is a wonderful way to build on the work of our Policy Roundtable, which highlighted the amazing work of BRICK-Avon educators transforming the lives of Newark children," explained Reginald Lewis, the Chad Foundation's Executive Director.

"We are delighted to be able to continue the legacy of the former Chad Schools by supporting the efforts of outstanding educators like Dominique Lee and others at BRICK. In an effort to raise standards for educating our children, we must also address the very vital role of the parent educator. Every parent wants the best for their children, but many lack the resources to insure their children are learning at an optimal level. We're excited to help fund an initiative to enlighten our parents," said Dr. Kia Calhoun-Grundy, an alumnae of the defunct Chad School, current Chairwoman of the Chad School Foundation Board of Trustees, and a local pediatrician.

The Chad Foundation award also represents a contribution of the Newark Trust for Education's NPS Innovative Schools Investment Fund, a collaboration of nine local foundations supporting new and creative school models in the Newark District.  

For more information about the Chad School Foundation and to download a copy of the BRICK-Avon Report, please visit www.thechadschoolfoundation.org.   

SOURCE The Chad School Foundation, Inc.