BRIGHT STAR SCHOOLS RECOGNIZED AS OPERATOR OF TWO OF THE HIGHEST PERFORMING CHARTER SCHOOLS IN LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles (Tuesday, June 10, 2008) – In a report unveiled today, the California Charter Schools Association recognized the two schools operated by Bright Star Schools – Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy and Stella Middle Charter Academy – as the overall number one and number two performing charter schools, respectively, in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Association also identified the schools as the two top performing charter schools in the LAUSD serving predominately Latino students. According to the executive summary of the CCSA’s report, it conducted “a micro-level, neighborhood matched comparison analysis comparing a sample of charters in LAUSD to their three most similar traditional public schools in LAUSD.” Bright Star Schools’ ranking was based on this matched comparison analysis. The study also compared charter and district-operated schools in aggregate. Among its findings, charter schools in LAUSD outperform traditional public schools on a variety of student achievement measures and charters in LAUSD are more likely than traditional schools to improve their Academic Performance Index (API) at a faster rate. The report by the CCSA is just the latest announcement measuring the rapid success of Bright Star Schools and its educational programs. The most recent Academic Performance Index (API) announced by the California Department of Education placed Stella Middle Charter Academy – which opened in June 2003 – as number three among all LA public middle schools for 2007, with an 834 score. And the 762 API score by Bright Star Secondary Academy in 2007 placed it as number 11 among all LA public high schools in just its first year of existence. “This report is a tremendous statement of support and affirmation of the work being done by the teachers and administrators at Bright Star Schools to provide some of the most economically disadvantaged children in California a quality education,” said Ari Engelberg, Chief Executive Officer of Bright Star Schools. “The goal of our schools is, simply, to give underserved kids a chance to learn and succeed academically so they can succeed in life. To accomplish that fundamental goal, we provide a rigorous college-preparatory education, offer individual attention and teach kids to make good life choices as we work to promote a culture of responsibility, respect and accountability.” Founded five years ago by Jeff Hilger, who serves as Chief Academic Officer of Bright Star Schools, the organization currently operates Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy and its flagship school, Stella Middle Charter Academy. Bright Star Schools’ growth plan will target south and southeast Los Angeles – an area of 60 square miles serving 26 percent of LAUSD’s middle school students. Bright Star intends to open 10 new middle schools by 2013. At full enrollment in 2017, Bright Star will serve 5000 students in grades five through eight, or approximately 10 percent of the public middle school students in this region. About Stella Middle Charter Academy Stella Middle Charter Academy opened in June 2003, and currently serves 330 fifth through eighth grade students at two campuses. Stella Academy’s main facility is an eight-room school building on the campus of St. Agatha’s Catholic Church in mid-city Los Angeles. Stella Academy has quickly become one of the premier public middle schools in Los Angeles that serves a lowincome, minority population. For the 2008-09 school year, enrollment will grow to 450 students. About Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy In September 2006, Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy opened to serve grades nine through 12. The school operates in temporary classroom space provided by LAUSD on the campus of Orville Wright Middle School in Westchester. A search is underway to find a permanent facility for the school. Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy currently serves 100 9th & 10th grade students. For the 2008-09 school year, enrollment will grow to 150 students. Bright Star Schools offers rigorous programs in core academic disciplines including mathematics, history, language arts and science. We also require all our students to develop proficiency in Spanish as well as English. Our core academic programs provide appropriate remedial instruction when necessary and push our students to master basic skills, develop concepts and become critical thinkers and problem solvers. We do not “socially advance” our students to the next grade level if they have not met their academic obligations. As in any good modern academic program, computer literacy and the use of computers to aid learning is emphasized. Bright Star Schools offers our students a wide range of non-academic and non-traditional learning opportunities. Our school culture stresses Team Building and Character Development. We build teamwork through our annual summer camping trip and regular family dinners at the school. We teach character using John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Students at Bright Star Schools have access to a wide range of extracurricular Arts & Athletics opportunities, including programs in dance, music, drama, soccer, basketball and martial arts. Bright Star believes that not all learning takes place at school. Accordingly, we offer students myriad opportunities to visit local museums, parks and cultural attractions to enrich and enhance their classroom experience. More information about Bright Star Schools can be found by visiting www.brightstarschools.org. ###
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