Abstract:

This is a successful case study that narrates an inspiring account that shows how one determined individual can make a profound difference in the lives of at risk children and their communities. It presents a model for how to build and sustained over a period of twenty years one of the best urban public schools in the nation, with 100 percent high school and college graduation rates during this period of time. It shares the challenges and obstacles, potential resources, and support of fellow professionals that moved the LEAP Academy from a smaller charter school to its top position today. It describes and analyzes the establishment of LEAP Academy in one of the Americas's poorest and most violent cities, Camden New Jersey. This is a unique university partnership that has trasnformed a entire city with a faculty member leading efforts and creating and bringing social capital to poor families and children.

There are four factors that make the model successful: The student factor; teacher development factor; Organizational factor and the the Stakeholders /Alliance factors: Each of these factors are best practices and educational lessons learned in this model. It is a comphrensive and holistic model approach that has resulted in advances withing individuals, families, and the entire community demonstrating evidence that new perspectives and strategies are needed, particularly in communities that are poor and disenfranchised like Camden city.

The challenges are formidable, and the degree of commitment required is significant in relation to improving educational systems. Regardless, the LEAP model has provided many insights into many best practices, which can be upscale within other community based educational models. When community resources are limited and the environments is antagonistic to student learning, implementing these practices is a means by which obstacles can be overcome. Likewise , these strategies and approaches are founded upon proven themes of engagement, empowerment, and accountability. Through these philosophies, students, families and community stakeholders participate toward a common goals and vision. Combining this with evidence based practices that have proven to be effective for the future of education. Despite numerous social , economic, and cultural barriers , the school has not only provided hundreds of children with a comphrensive education and access to tertiary educational opportunities, but it has also empowered them and their families as individuals. This holistic and comphrensive model has transformed and save thousands of lives and it has empowered an entire community to want to take charged of their own future. The school is the zone of practice for community transformation and innovation.

Keywords:

Poverty, educational innovation, families and children, university partnerships, urban charters schools, transformation, parental engagement.