Schools

Propel Students Return to Class Monday

This will be the first year that Propel's Braddock Hills High School will offer all four high school grades.

This fall, for the first time since Propel East opened in 2005, Propel's charter schools will include grades K-12 within the Woodland Hills School District's borders.

Currently, Propel Schools has three district locations: Propel East for grades K-8 in the former Electric Heights Elementary School building on Monroeville Avenue in Turtle Creek; and Propel Braddock Hills Elementary for grades K-6 and l, both on Yost Boulevard in a completely renovated space that once housed a Builders Square home improvement store.

Since opening for the 2010-11 school year, this the first year Propel is offering grades 9-12 at the high school. Grades have been added each year, according to Angela Gaitaniella, marketing and communications coordinator for Propel Schools.

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Braddock Hills Elementary is planning to add grade levels each year until the school is also a K-8 program.

She said the three schools are at "wait list capacity," with more than 400 students waiting for openings to attend. In fact, the only one of Propel's nine Pittsburgh area schools with any openings is the new one in Pitcairn, Gaitaniella said.

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Propel offers open enrollment as spaces become available year round. All three schools offer creative arts, technology and other programs in addition to the standard curriculum. There are also after school programs at the elementary schools and clubs based on student interest.

Students have the option to purchase a lunch at school or bring a lunch from home. Gaitaniella noted that about 75 percent of the students qualify for free-and-reduced lunch programs.

She said the staff must complete 30 days of professional development every year. The school year is 10 days longer than most public schools, so Propel students attend a 190-day school year.

The student body is 69 percent minority and 14 percent special needs students. Gaitaniella noted that African Americans attending Propel schools are 60 percent more likely to be at grade level and economically disadvantaged students are 54 percent more likely to be at grade level compared to other schools.

She noted that parent involvement is important.

"The more parents are involved, the better the students perform," Gaitaniella said.

Although charter schools are public schools, one difference is that teachers are not unionized. Gaitaniella said that helps the schools recruit an "extremely passionate staff.

"You know they're here for the right reasons," she said. "They're extremely enthusiastic."

Propel Braddock Hills Elementary

One of the most visible "new" things at the schools this year is the playground at Braddock Hills Elementary, which opened in the spring and is a community asset as well as for students, Gaitaniella said.

Propel East

Propel East has been named one of America's Best Communities for Music Education in 2012 by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. The school has also earned the state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) designation every year of its operation and three Keystone Achievement Awards.

Propel Braddock Hills High School

Law students from the University of Pittsburgh offer Constitutional law classes, including discussions and debates, for Propel students through the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. The high school was the first school in Pittsburgh to offer the program.

"We've gotten a great response," Gaitaniello said.

More information about Propel Schools is available on its website.


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