Overview
The East Baltimore Community School (EBCS), a K-8 public contract school, opened in the fall of 2009 with the belief that a strong school is critical to the revitalization and health of a community. Temporarily located at 1101 N. Wolfe St., the school enrolls approximately 260 students in kindergarten and first, second, third, sixth and seventh grades. Grades four, five and eight will be added incrementally.
What makes this school so unique is that The Johns Hopkins University School of Education (SOE) and Morgan State University’s School of Education and Urban Studies have joined forces in a university-school initiative to help transform the EBCS into one of the best schools in the city.
In August 2011, Morgan’s School of Education and Urban Studies assumed the primary governance representation of the partnership, with the JHU School of Education assuming the primary responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the school through a contract with the EBCS board.
Both education schools will provide opportunities for student practicum and internship placements; provide professional development through committing faculty expertise to key issues; seek external funding for program development, implementation and evaluation; and work with partners (district, city officials, foundations, community representatives) to remove barriers and create additional opportunities for the success of the school
New EBCS Facility
In August 2013, the EBCS will relocate to a new $30 million, 90,000-square-foot facility on a 7-acre campus within the East Baltimore Development Inc. redevelopment area, 88 acres north of the Johns Hopkins University’s East Baltimore campus. EBCS will share that site with a $10 million, 28,000-square-foot early childhood center, or ECC. The capacity of EBCS and ECC will be approximately 540 and 180, respectively. Children of catchment area residents and families relocated from the EBDI redevelopment area will be given priority for enrollment. The remaining capacity will be filled by children of persons who work within the catchment area, families living in zones 250, 36, 97, 25 and 13, and at-large children citywide.
The EBCS will be the first new school built in East Baltimore in 25 years and will be built with creative financing sources, including New Market Tax Credits, TIF funds, Johns Hopkins University contributions and private philanthropy. No Baltimore City Public School capital funds will be used. The campus will also include a gym, auditorium and library, all available for community use. The overall campus will serve as a community hub for family engagement, citizenship, and wellness.
Curriculum
The EBCS and ECC will provide models of the most contemporary, effective approaches to meeting the needs of students, their families, and the community. The school will take a holistic approach to developing the potential of each student, one that focuses on the behavioral, cognitive and physical health of the child, on individualized learning, and on family and community involvement supported by wrap-around services. In addition, the SOE plans to use the nationally recognized evidence-based work of Robert Slavin, SOE faculty member and director of the Success for All Foundation, for much of the school’s curriculum. Slavin, a top winner in the recent federal I3 competition, was awarded a $50 million grant to expand the dissemination of his work nationally.
History
The school was previously operated by EBDI, a non-profit entity created to oversee the area’s redevelopment. Planning for the school is ongoing, inclusive and comprehensive, and made possible through financial support from local and national foundations and corporations. The planning process brings together residents, faith leaders, local elected officials, community organizations and education leaders. Parental engagement in the planning process remains strong.
School Leadership
The SOE is currently leading a committee in a national search to select a new principal for the school. Carol Deloatch, formerly EBCS’s assistant principal, is now serving as interim principal.
To refer to updates on the EBCS, visit http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/368; or the university-school partnership at http://education.jhu.edu/ebcs
