New City Christian School: Working Hard to Close the Gap for Black Children

(L-R) Logan Glover, Kyree Tucker, and Tyrece Thompson during a New City School Assembly.  Photo: New City Schools

Staff Reports

 He is more likely to eventually go to prison than to college. Despite the hope of equal opportunity brought about by desegregation, the picture remains grim for many black children. While 92 percent of white students (grades three–eight) passed end-of-grade tests in both reading and math last year, only 41 percent of black students achieved the same results.

That chasm between the scores of white and black students is referred to as the achievement gap, and the determination to eliminate it is what impelled Asheville resident Coral Jeffries to start New City Christian School.

New City opened its doors in 2006 to seven kindergarten students at
56 Walton Street, in a building that many years ago housed St. Anthony
of Padua School. St. Anthony’s was started in the 1930s by a group of
Catholic nuns from New York  who, like Jeffries, were determined to
provide the opportunity for educational excellence in Asheville’s black
community. The legacy of St. Anthony’s is proof that such a lofty goal
is not only possible, but attainable: the school’s graduates became
doctors, lawyers, accountants, professors, newspaper publishers, grant
writers, pastors, and other professionals. “Failure was not an option,”
says alumnus Lonnie Gilliam.

New City Christian School has a similar mission. The school
provides strong academic foundations in a nurturing and caring
atmosphere. The goal is to equip students with the knowledge,
confidence, and hope to better themselves and our community. Jeffries
puts the challenge this way:

“If a child is falling behind in school, they quickly lose
interest and lose confidence in their ability to do the work. What is
the point of trying if you feel like everyone else gets it, and you
don’t and never will?”

At the foundation, New City places a strong emphasis on reading
skills. As Jeffries says, “You have to learn to read in order to read
to learn, and the ability to read well is essential for academic
success.” The school uses a phonics-based program starting in
kindergarten, and teachers use innovative, interactive, and
multi-sensory methods to get their lessons to stick.

“These kids are smart and they are like sponges,” Jeffries
reports. “Many of them are underprepared when they arrive at New City.
They have not been read to, have not been in a preschool setting with
an academic focus, and are already behind, especially in vocabulary.”

As the nuns demonstrated generations ago, with deliberate
planning and targeted intervention the achievement gap can be overcome.
New City began its fourth academic year in August with 30 students in
grades K-3. At the end of the 2008-2009 school year, all students
attending New City for more than one year were working at or above
grade level. This level of achievement was reached with students most
of whom were non-white and whose families were economically
disadvantaged. Jeffries has strong hopes for the school’s continued
growth: she envisions offering grades K-5 and, eventually, an
academically focused preschool program so that children are no longer
arriving at New City underprepared.

Visitors to New City are quick to notice evidence that the
school is accomplishing its mission. Student greeters acknowledge each
visitor with a firm handshake, eye contact, and “Welcome to New City
Christian School. My name is…” Enthusiasm for learning is demonstrated
by eager responses to teachers’ questions. Children walk through the
corridors practicing their HALL behavior – “Hands behind my back.

All
eyes forward. Lips locked. Legs moving slowly.” Conflicts are resolved
through discussion and often prayer. Confidence and hope grow as the
children build their skills and experience the encouragement of their
teachers and classmates.

Principal Loretta Woods believes that New City, though small,
has the potential to touch and even transform generations of lives.
“This school is not just about adding to a child’s base of knowledge,”
she says. “It is about putting students on a path for success, putting
them in the best possible position to succeed. I want them to be able
to use every possible resource and opportunity that is put in from of
them.

No child should leave this building thinking they don’t have a purpose.”

How is it possible for students from economically challenged
families to attend a private school? All families sending their
children to New City pay tuition based on a sliding scale. For many
families that means $20 per month for an educational experience valued
at $6,500 per year. Tuition payments cover only about 10 percent of New
City’s operating budget.

Coral Jeffries says, “We rely on the generosity and partnership
of many in the community to make this opportunity possible.
Individuals, churches, organizations, and businesses who believe in
what we are doing can do a lot to help us succeed. These kids have so
many strengths. They are intelligent, warm, loving, affectionate, and
enthusiastic. We want their minds full of good, true, and beautiful
things.

We want them to know they are made in God’s image, and valuable.”

On Tuesday, December 15 at 8:30 a.m., New City will host a tour
of the school. All alumni of St. Anthony of Padua School are invited. A
light breakfast will be served, and Coral Jeffries, along with members
of the school’s board of directors, will take the visitors through
their old classrooms to see the legacy of educational excellence
continuing at 56 Walton Street.

Jeffries encourages every St. Anthony alumnus to attend the
tour, and to bring along any photos they may have from their years at
the school. Following the tour, alumni will have an opportunity to
share memories from their school days and to ask questions about New
City. Those planning on attending the tour are asked to RSVP by phone
to (828) 776-6227 or by e-mail to [email protected].

More information about New City Christian School is available on
the web at newcitychristianschool.org, and families interested in
enrolling their children for the 2010-2011 school year may contact
Principal Woods at (828) 776-6228.