PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Education has received applications to open two new charter schools in the state for the fall of 2013.
The Sheila “Skip” Nowell Leadership Academy would have classrooms in Central Falls and Providence and the Village Green Virtual Public Charter School would have a site in Providence.
The Nowell Leadership Academy is “targeted towards at-risk and under-served youth Statewide,” according to its application.
The school represents “a quality educational option for students who have struggled to succeed in Rhode lsland’s traditional public high schools, especially those dealing with teenage pregnancy and parenting, family caretaking responsibilities, domestic abuse, lack of family support and other family related challenges.”
In its application, Village Green’s mission states that the school “exists to advance individualized education and family choice by maximizing technology, creating community, reshaping teaching and redefining school.”
Both schools would serve high school students from around the state.
The Nowell Academy eventually hopes to enroll 320 students and the Village Green hopes to serve up to 270 students.
According to the Associated Press, the Department of Education will schedule public hearings on the proposals, but it’s up to the state’s Board of Regents to approve the applications.