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National Heritage Academies Archives - North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools

Sep 12
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Wake Forest Charter Academy honors Teacher of the Month Jennifer Evans

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Pictured from left to right: Heather Barringer, Jennifer Evans, and Hilda Parler, the founder and board president of Wake Forest Charter Academy. Photo courtesy of Heather Barringer.

The board at Wake Forest Charter Academy (WFCA) recently honored a new Teacher of the Month: Jennifer Evans. Evans teaches middle schoolers at the K-8 public charter school, located in Wake Forest. WFCA serves 649 students, according to its website, and is managed by National Heritage Academies.

We share some comments about Evans from Heather Barringer, the school’s principal:

Ms. Evans is a middle school Social Studies teacher at Wake Forest Charter Academy who exemplifies the idea of “see a need, fill a need.” She mentors our students through our Leader of the Pack program where she trains future leaders, is the chair of our Beginning Teacher Program, and chairs and coordinates our Monthly Moral Focus Assemblies.  There is never a time when she is not giving a helping hand.

What’s distinctive about Wake Forest Charter Academy? Here’s what the school says:

We believe in creating a strong sense of community and family where every student feels supported and valued. Through our Moral Focus™ program and challenging college-prep education, we work together to help students build the knowledge, character, and skills they need to succeed. Our goal is for each student to grow as part of a caring community that encourages them to thrive in college, their careers, and in life.
Congratulations to this busy teacher and her fortunate school community at Wake Forest Charter Academy!
Aug 21
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Hobgood Charter School & North Oak Academy Celebrate Ribbon-Cutting Ceremonies

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Congratulations to Hobgood Charter School and North Oak Academy! Both of these Coalition member schools recently celebrated ribbon-cutting ceremonies on their school campuses. Coalition Executive Director Dave Machado was on hand for both events.

We share details and photos below. Please join us and them in celebrating these important milestones!

Hobgood Charter School

Hobgood Charter School on August 11 celebrated its new middle and high school building. Along with school leaders and community members, Hobgood’s mayor joined the celebration. Read more about the ribbon-cutting (pictured below) from WITN or WNCT.

North Oak Academy

North Oak Academy, a National Heritage Academies (NHA) school, celebrated its ribbon-cutting ceremony at its Durham campus on Thursday, August 7. Along with Durham’s mayor, Coalition Board member Megan DeKraker, National Heritage Academies founder and chairman J.C. Huizenga, and Dave Machado attended the celebration.

The new public charter school opened its doors to students in grades K-5 for the first time yesterday, August 20. North Oak will eventually expand to include K-8 students.

Congratulations to the North Oak Charter School staff and community–and the broader National Heritage Academies family!

Pictured above: NHA founder and chairman J.C. Huizenga speaks at the North Oak ribbon-cutting. J.C. Huizenga, Megan DeKraker, and Dave Machado pause for a photo.

*This post has been updated since its publication.

Sep 19
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Durham’s North Oak Academy breaks ground, plans 2025 launch

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North Oak Academy, a new public charter school launching in Durham, North Carolina, broke ground on a facility last Friday. Part of the successful National Heritage Academies network, the K-5 charter school is slated to open to students next fall. Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Coalition’s executive director, and Lee Teague, a Coalition lobbyist, joined school leaders for Friday’s groundbreaking.

Left to right: North Oak Academy Board members Wendy Ji, Gerald McNair, and Kelsey Armstrong attend the school facility’s groundbreaking with Lindalyn Kakadelis and Lee Teague on September 13.

Cory Olsen, senior communications specialist at National Heritage Academies, provided the event write-up below:

A bit of rain and mud couldn’t keep excited school leaders away from the groundbreaking of North Oak Academy in Durham, North Carolina. It’s National Heritage Academies’ 16th school in the state and is slated to be open for the start of the 2025-26 school year.

The site, located on the northeast side of Durham, was previously a drive-in movie theater. NHA Director of School Quality, Steve Pond, said he can’t wait to see students in the building, creating new memories and starring in their own educational journeys.

“This school is going to be a wonderful addition to the surrounding community,” Pond said. “I’m especially encouraged by the passion, commitment, and engagement shown by North Oak’s Board of Directors. The board has demonstrated a high level of resilience and perseverance over the past few years, and they have confidently stood with NHA to successfully overcome challenges and obstacles in their path.”

Pond was joined at the groundbreaking by school board president Gerald McNair, director Wendy Ji, and director Kelsey Armstrong. North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools Executive Director Lindalyn Kakadelis was also in attendance.

Nov 14
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National Blue Ribbon School Leader on Parent Trust, Engagement

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Q&A with Charter Leader Tracey Duhaime

Tracey Duhaime is the principal of Greensboro Academy, a public charter school in Greensboro, North Carolina, that is part of the National Heritage Academies network. A 2023 National Blue Ribbon honoree, Greensboro Academy serves over 750 students in grades K-8, emphasizing a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and a strong moral focus. The charter school has outperformed the local school district for over 15 years.

 A former district public school teacher, Tracey first arrived at Greensboro Academy as a parent herself, later becoming a teacher and then school administrator. The Coalition’s communications director, Kristen Blair, spoke with Tracey about what first drew her to a charter school; her school’s national recognition for excellence; the importance of communication and trust between schools and parents; and more.

 We include the full interview below.

You’ve been involved with Greensboro Academy as a parent, teacher, middle school dean, and now principal. What led you to a public charter school? 

Tracey Duhaime: When my daughter was accepted into kindergarten at Greensboro Academy, we were not sure what to expect with our limited knowledge of charter schools, but we had heard amazing things and felt blessed to be given this opportunity. This is my 16th year at GA and when my daughter was in 2nd grade, I began working here as the 6th grade math teacher. I had been extremely impressed with the level of academic rigor and the teaching of moral focus virtues, the teachers and staff were outstanding, and it felt like a family community. It was something I knew I wanted to be a part of not only as a parent but an educator. When a position opened up, this was where I wanted to be to positively impact students and their school experience.

National Heritage Academies Founder J.C. Huizenga and Greensboro Academy Principal Tracey Duhaime in October, prior to an assembly celebrating 2023 National Blue Ribbon School recognition.

How have your experiences as a charter leader impacted your view about what works in education?  

Tracey: I have had a very positive experience as a leader with National Heritage Academies. There are many reasons to stay but one of the main drivers for continuing to work at Greensboro Academy is the tremendous amount of support provided by National Heritage Academies. They invest in their employees by providing growth opportunities and ongoing trainings, so we’re always learning and developing as educators. There’s always someone you can call when you need help and that has allowed me to focus on the things that are more important, which are the people–the staff, the families and the kids.

The people in the building are what make this school great. Greensboro Academy has been diligent at hiring not only highly qualified teachers but teachers who care about kids and are invested in the school and the journey of our students as they move through grades K-8. Many of the teachers have watched their own children grow and learn by attending GA; it’s a personal and professional investment. We work to retain teachers and they just get better and better each year!  The smaller atmosphere provided by a K-8 school enables us to impact our students in a profound way.

Earlier this year, Greensboro Academy was named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School in the Exemplary High Performing School category, one of just eight schools statewide to earn Blue Ribbon recognition. What was that honor like for you and your school community—and to what do you attribute the school’s success with students?  

Tracey: I don’t know that words can express how excited and proud we are to receive this award! Our staff work incredibly hard and are very dedicated and it was reaffirming and flattering to be recognized on a larger scale. Our school has seen success for many years, and I am so happy for my staff, students, and families! It is amazing to be a part of something so great! Everyone in the school contributes not only each day in the building but also to complete and submit our application. What we were sharing in our application with the U.S. Department of Education was genuine and personal because it came from everybody in the building and not just the leaders.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the tremendous impact our parent organization and school board have on our school. They volunteer their time to fund and plan family events, engage in teacher and student appreciation, contribute to the classroom and the campus to make our school the best choice for families. These folks are team Greensboro Academy and it shows in everything they do!

It has been a little overwhelming and a whirlwind of a month! It has been so touching to have so many organizations and businesses in the area reach out to congratulate us. We were blessed to have had the founder and leaders of National Heritage Academies come from Michigan to celebrate with us during an assembly on October 6th–yet another example of the support provided by NHA. We welcomed Senator Berger later in the month of October and were able to showcase our school and share what GA is all about with him. My staff, administrative team, students, and families have earned this well-deserved recognition, and I am so proud to be their leader. It takes every single person in the building working together to make these great things happen. The people are the secret sauce to our success!

You’re headed to Washington, D.C. later this month to celebrate Greensboro Academy’s Blue Ribbon recognition. Any thoughts before you prepare to go?

Tracey:  I have been reflecting on my journey with Greensboro Academy over the past 16 years and the impact it has had on my family and my career. It is very humbling to be a part of something this big, and as I’ve shared with many of our families (current and prospective),  I really believe that my kids are the amazing young adults that they are because of Greensboro Academy. My kids are 22 and 18 now, and the impact of the moral focus virtues, the connections that they made with the other kids, the connections with their teachers is something [for which] my husband and I will forever be grateful.  I have had the privilege of both personally and professionally seeing the impact of this school and it just warms your heart. It is a great reminder that what we do each day is making a difference and helps to reaffirm why we chose to be educators.

Parent partnership is a big part of Greensboro Academy’s ethos and, more broadly, for National Heritage Academies. Why is parent engagement so important, and how do you work intentionally to engage your parents?

Tracey: I believe it takes a village. We need to work together, support one another, and trust each other. We are all on the same team and that team is rooting and working for the success of the students. We openly communicate with our parents before they attend that we’re going to work hard, play hard, and hold everyone to high expectations. There will sometimes be challenges or bumps in the road, but the mindset needs to be collectively supporting kids both at school and at home.

The majority of our parents truly value being a part of GA and view this as an opportunity. They know that we only have [students] for seven hours a day. Working together at home and at school is the key to raising not only well-educated children but kind people who will go on to make their own positive impact on our world. We encourage parent volunteers, and we host activities and events for both students and parents to attend. A few examples are festivals, band concerts, assemblies, moral focus luncheons, field trips, in class activities, and parent learning events. Providing those opportunities for the parents to come in and not only participate but get to know one another is important to building our school family.

 What’s the best thing parents can do to help their child’s charter school?

Tracey: Parents are the first role model and trusted adult in a child’s life and we all need to remember to lead by example. We are all on the same side and we all want what’s best for students. Respectful and productive communication is key to building the relationship with the school and with the teachers. That’s really what the teachers are looking for – they are looking for a partnership and to be treated as professionals that truly care about their children.

Sep 21
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Greensboro Academy Named 2023 National Blue Ribbon School

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The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday announced the 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Public and private schools nationwide are eligible for Blue Ribbon recognition in one of two categories: Exemplary High-Performing Schools or Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools.

Eight N.C. schools named 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools

This year, the Education Department recognized 353 schools across the country, including eight schools in North Carolina. One of these schools, Greensboro Academy, is a public charter school managed by National Heritage Academies as well as a Coalition member school. Greensboro Academy was recognized as an Exemplary High-Performing School.

In a press release, State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said:

These schools are a shining example of the incredible things North Carolina’s public schools are capable of accomplishing. I’m so proud of the students, teachers, staff members, and leadership of each of these schools for their hard work over the past year.
Congratulations to all of the National Blue Ribbon Schools–but especially to Greensboro Academy and the North Carolina public schools! The Coalition is proud of your achievements.
  • Watch the video announcement of the 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools.
  • Click here or on the image below to see the 2023 infographic.

Jul 14
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“Gap-busting” N.C. Charter Organizations Recognized in Landmark National Report

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Several North Carolina charter management organizations (CMOs) have earned recognition as “gap-busting” schools in a landmark national study comparing charter and traditional public school performance. Coalition members Roger Bacon Academy (RBA), National Heritage Academies, and KIPP Eastern North Carolina were among CMOs nationwide commended for their success in closing achievement gaps. The report was released by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO). Congratulations to these CMOs!

Criteria for inclusion as a “gap-buster” were rigorous, requiring high performance for schools overall as well as for subgroups of disadvantaged students. However, numerous charters are making the grade, as CREDO notes (p. 69):

We found hundreds of schools that satisfy dual criteria: (1) the average achievement of the school exceeds the state average, and (2) their disadvantaged students (Black, Hispanic, in-poverty, ELL) have growth as strong or stronger than their non- disadvantaged peers in the same school.

Significant achievement gains for charters, with CMOs leading performance

Overall, the CREDO study revealed significant achievement gains for students attending public charter schools. Researchers reported learning outcomes in terms of days of learning–gained or lost, across the academic year. Compared to traditional public schools, charter schools advanced the learning of their students by an average of 16 days in reading and 6 days in math.

Charter schools were particularly effective in producing learning gains for disadvantaged students, CREDO found. However, charters run by CMOs produced even bigger gains than stand-alone charter schools–27 days in reading and 23 days in math.

Policy implications from the report

The success of gap-busting schools has big and exciting implications for education, as CREDO’s researchers write (p. 151):

The real surprise of the study is the number of charter schools that have achieved educational equity for their students: we call them “gap-busting” schools. Ensuring equivalent yearly growth across student groups has two critical consequences. First, ensuring minority and poverty students learn on par with or better than their White peers interrupts or reduces the achievement gap. It happens regularly in a large swath of charter schools. More critically, there is strong evidence that these gap-busting schools can be scaled. Added to the traditional district schools that achieve similar results, this is the life-transforming education that so many students need. Second, these schools deliver hundreds of independent proof points that learning gaps between student groups are not structural or inevitable; better results are possible.

Find detailed information about CMOs in the report appendix, which begins on page 122. Specific information can be found for KIPP ENC (p. 129), National Heritage Academies (p. 130), and Roger Bacon Academy (p.132).