Our 2030 Vision
The ultimate vision of the Charleston Promise Neighborhood is to develop the 5.6 mile struggling area of Charleston’s “Neck” region into a prosperous community with many college-educated adults who are committed to transforming the dynamic of their neighborhood for generations to come.
However, in order to accomplish such a vision, we must first accomplish more measurable goals. Our long-term, data-driven goal is to work with the Charleston County School District (CCSD) to increase the CPN’s High School graduation rate, eventually bringing it to the Charleston County average, and ultimately to the projected national average. With a rate of 62.5% at Burke High School in the city of Charleston and a rate of 34.4% at North Charleston High School, the Graduation Rates in the CPN’s non-magnet high schools are considerably lower than both the Charleston County and national average of approximately 73%.
Our 2016 Vision
All four CPN elementary schools will be among the best in Charleston County, and will be models for other schools in the County who desire to dramatically and rapidly improve the educational achievements for the children they serve.
Why elementary school? Because evidence shows that early childhood literacy is the most important way to prepare children for school and to close the achievement gap and prevent later dropouts. Studies show that if children have not achieved proficiency in reading and math prior to 3rd grade, they are unlikely to ever catch up and read at grade level and are significantly more likely to drop out and fail to graduate from high school.
Our Mission
Almost 1,600 children currently attend the four high-poverty, low-achieving CPN Elementary Schools, where CPN will be focusing on strengthening principal leadership, recruiting and retaining high quality teachers, providing in-school support to increase academic learning, expanding the school day and year, increasing parental involvement in academics, and stabilizing funding. Our goal is to partner with the Neighborhood to make these schools among the best in Charleston County. We’re also in the process of creating an early childhood strategy designed to close the “preparation gap” and make sure that children arrive for their first day of Kindergarten ready to learn.