Two new Delaware Charter Schools propose single sex programs.

Prestige

Prestige Academy, an all-boys middle school in the Red Clay Consolidated School District, would model some of the principles of KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, a national network of free college-preparatory public schools in under-resourced communities.
KIPP officials, who had a school approved to open this year in Red Clay, have delayed its opening by at least a year as they continue their search for a school leader.

Prestige would have a longer school day and year and double periods of math, reading and writing to help children who are behind in those areas.

With a concentration on remediation, the school also would offer after-school tutoring and homework support, Saturday learning opportunities and a "strict culture of accountability," said Jack Perry, who would serve as executive director.

The school would open with 100 fifth-graders and add a 100-student grade each year until reaching the eighth grade with 400 students.

"We want to remain small. We want to remain an intimate environment where every teacher knows every student," Perry said.

A location hasn't been chosen. Perry said leaders hope to find a building in Wilmington.

REACH

REACH Academy for Boys and Girls is proposed for the Glasgow area. Boys and girls would learn in separate parts of the school but come together for some social functions.

Like Prestige's, REACH leaders point to some studies showing children learn better in single-gender classes, where they may not feel distracted or intimidated by the opposite sex.

The school would open as a K-3 school with 346 students but grow to eighth grade by its fourth year, with a final enrollment of 600, evenly split among boys and girls.

REACH students will create a personal goal chart each year focusing on five areas: life skills, such as leadership, image and self-esteem; physical well-being; aspirations and interests; family and community; and academics.