The "Joy" of Learning
February 23, 2010
At Memphis College Prep Elementary School, a new charter school opening this fall, the path to college begins in kindergarten. Through a culture of urgency and high expectations, Memphis College Prep Scholars are prepared to excel in school and life. Underscoring the new school’s focus on literacy, Memphis College Prep will have two full-time certified teachers in each classroom in the early literacy building grades, working together to ensure the highest academic achievement for all students. Through an extended school year and day that provides nearly 300 more hours per year of instruction than a traditional school, Memphis College Prep Scholars will have a clear and convincing understanding that they are college bound.
In addition to scholarship, Memphis College Prep also takes a strong focus on community and character. Each day begins with a school-wide community meeting, where academic achievement and character development is celebrated, and students take pride in their individual classes – named after colleges – through songs, chants, and “shout-outs.” This is all part of the “Joy Factor” at Memphis College Prep, seen in classrooms, in hallways, and during transitions, to tap into the overflowing energy of the students and embrace that energy in school. Memphis College Prep will open in August 2010 with an inaugural class of 90 kindergarten students or, as the new school calls them, the college class of 2027.