Charter Day School earns national 2016 Wesley Becker Excellent School Award!

July 28, 2016—Charter Day School (CDS) has earned the 2016 Wesley Becker Excellent School Award. The national award was presented this week in Eugene, OR by the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). CDS was selected as a 2016 recipient from a pool of public and private schools across the country that use the Direct Instruction teaching method.

“This award is named after Wesley Becker, co-creator of Direct Instruction and longtime Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Oregon. This award is given to a school for exemplary implementation of Direct Instruction,” states Kurt Engelmann, NIFDI President.

Charter Day School is a tuition-free public charter school serving approximately 920 students in grades K-8. Charter Day School currently and consistently provides both the top-scoring elementary and middle schools in Brunswick County on state End-of-Grade tests.

“I’d like to thank our excellent teachers for making this national award for excellence possible for our school.  I am so pleased to share with our staff and student families that NIFDI finds our work with Direct Instruction to be exemplary in the nation,” states Headmaster, Steve Smith.

Charter schools are tuition-free, public schools that any student may attend, but differ from district schools in their ability to select alternative program focuses and curricula. Charter Day School uses a classical curriculum that includes Latin, Cursive, and Grammar courses. This curriculum is delivered by the Direct Instruction teaching method, which CDS Headmaster Steve Smith describes as “a highly-engaging teaching style that prioritizes positive reinforcements along with high behavioral standards.”

Second grade teacher, Jourdan Crawford explained, “Direct Instruction is empowering to both teachers and students. It has taught me how to structure my classroom in a way that learning is continuously occurring; therefore, all students are able to feel successful.”

Charter Day School was established in 2000 and has since been replicated at three campuses across southeastern NC. Sister campuses include Columbus Charter School in Whiteville, Douglass Academy in Wilmington, and South Brunswick Charter School in Southport. All four schools are managed by The Roger Bacon Academy, a Leland-based company that provides public charter schools with educational, administrative, and operational support. Public charter schools welcome any student, regardless of income, ability or address. For more information or to enroll for the 2016-2017 school year, please visit www.rogerbacon.net.

Watch the award presentation in Eugene, Oregon below!