Hardy Williams Academy joins Mastery Charter Schools network

In a move that's a first for Philadelphia, one troubled charter school has handed over its operations to a successful charter organization.

The board of the Hardy Williams Academy Charter School in Southwest Philadelphia voted Thursday night to join the network of Mastery Charter Schools.

The Hardy Williams Academy, which was founded in 1999 by State Sen. Anthony Williams (D., Phila.) and originally called Renaissance Advantage Charter School, has a history of low test scores and has not met the academic benchmarks of the federal No Child Left Behind law in five years.

"Our philosophy," said Dawn Chavous, president of the Hardy Williams Academy board, "is that a world-class education is a birthright of every individual.

"We believe we still have more to do to provide this level of educational experience for our children. Therefore, we began to consider new ways to improve the school for our parents, children, staff, and surrounding community."

The school, at 1712 S. 56th St., has 800 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Test scores at the charter have lagged those of two nearby elementary schools operated by the Philadelphia School District.

Mastery, which has a charter high school in Center City, has won national accolades - and a $1 million grant from Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network - for its success in converting three formerly troubled district middle schools into charters.

At the start of this academic year, the local nonprofit converted three district elementary schools into Mastery charters as part of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's Imagine 2014 educational-reform initiative.

Scott Gordon, founder and chief executive of Mastery, said Thursday night that Hardy Williams Academy, which will retain its name, will join the Mastery network for the 2011-12 academic year. For the remainder of the current school year, Mastery personnel will listen and observe. Gordon said he hoped that the current teachers would remain.

At Thursday night's meeting, all but one member of the Hardy Williams Academy board stepped down and will be replaced by a new Mastery board. Williams, who had been chairman of the charter's board until relinquishing that role in September 2009, will remain a board member until the transition to Mastery has been completed.