News Archives - Crossroads Charter Schools

KANSAS CITY, MO — June 15, 2022 — Following a unanimous vote on June 14, 2022 by the State Board of Education, DESE designated Crossroads Charter Schools a high-quality charter school and grants a 10-year charter renewal.

In late May, Crossroads’ sponsor, Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS,) recommended to DESE that Crossroads receive a high-quality 10-year charter.

Charnissa Holliday-Scott, Director of Educational Systems at KCPS, said the District has enjoyed partnering with the University of Central Missouri in the transfer of sponsorship of Crossroads to the District.

“KCPS is pleased to have made the recommendation for Crossroads’ ten-year renewal. Crossroads worked diligently on student academic excellence and operational compliance. While we understand our role as charter school sponsor and our oversight responsibilities, KCPS looks forward to future opportunities to collaborate and support the educational success of our Kansas City students and families,” Holliday-Scott said.

The statutory requirements for this designation are as follows:

Receives 85% or greater on the annual performance report (APR) for three out of the last four school years
Maintains a graduation rate of at least 80% for three of the last four school years, if the charter school provides a high school program
Is in material compliance with its legally binding performance contract and sections 160.400 to 160.425 and section 167.349 RSMo
Is directorial and fiscally viable as described in statute

This significant achievement for Crossroads comes on the heels of completing its tenth school year, and serves as recognition of the hard work and belief of staff, parents, students, and strong community support over the years. Crossroads is now poised to begin its next ten years with a strong foundation and validation of its efforts as an open enrollment school to impact children of all backgrounds to prepare them to be successful adults.

“The unanimous approval of Crossroads for a high-quality 10-year charter is a vote of confidence in our teachers, families, and the greater Kansas City community”, stated Greg Valdovino, Crossroads’ board president. “We are proud to be a part of a system that is making a measurable impact on the educational outcomes of the students being served. The board lauds the dedicated leaders, educators, and students who achieved this important milestone.”

“Being designated as a high-quality charter school by the state board of education is an honor. It’s a true testament to the exceptional work of our teachers who have continually shown up to provide the best education possible for our students. Our families, business/community partners, and donors have all been very supportive in this work. We certainly have remarkable things happening every day in our schools and that effort was recognized and rewarded by the state board. We are looking forward to collaborating over the next 10 years with our sponsor, KCPS, to provide a quality educational option for families,” said Tysie McDowell, Crossroads Co-Founder & Superintendent.

Only six other charter schools in Missouri have earned the distinction of high-quality: Academie Lafayette (KC,) City Garden Montessori (STL,) Ewing Marion Kauffman (KC,) North Side Community School (STL,) Scuola Vita Nuova (KC) and University Academy (KC.)

About Crossroads Charter Schools
Crossroads Charter Schools is a network of schools, which offers a dynamic Pre-K – 12 education in the heart of downtown Kansas City. Currently serving nearly 1100 students, Crossroads Charter Schools offer a unique model that emphasizes community engagement and Real World Learning. More information about Crossroads Charter Schools is available at crossroadsschoolskc.org.

The post Crossroads Charter Schools Earns 10 Year Charter Renewal – Named High-Quality School appeared first on Crossroads Charter Schools.

Crossroads Charter Schools Announces New Charter Sponsor

crossroadsadmin — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:37:00 +0000

Media Contact:

Maria Dickson, Director of External Affairs

mdickson@crossroads.bluesym15.work

Phone: 816-221-2600 x322

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crossroads Charter Schools Approves New Charter Sponsor

KCPS to serve as charter sponsor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — January 25, 2022 — Following a unanimous vote on Jan. 12, 2022 by the board of directors of the recently fully accredited Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS), the Crossroads Charter Schools’ board of directors also voted unanimously last night to approve KCPS as the new charter sponsor.

“Crossroads is enthusiastic about working with KCPS. We share common goals including a strong
commitment to serving all kids and creating a healthy educational ecosystem here in Kansas City. We are grateful to KCPS for their engagement throughout this process and encouraged by their commitment to being a good partner.” Tysie McDowell, Co-founder and Superintendent.

Sponsors in the state of Missouri provide oversight to charter schools to ensure compliance to applicable federal and state laws and regulations as it relates to academics, finances and operations. Last spring our current sponsor, the University of Central Missouri, announced they would no longer serve as a sponsor effective June 30, 2022. Since then, the CCS board of directors worked to identify and interview possible new sponsors. CCS is grateful to have been a valued partner with UCM since the beginning of their charter 10 years ago and look forward to continuing this success with KCPS.

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Crossroads Preparatory Academy Principal Named NextGen Leader

crossroadsadmin — Wed, 12 May 2021 18:38:00 +0000

Media Contact:

Courtney Hughley

Chief Communications & Strategy Officer

chughley@crossroads.bluesym15.work

Phone: 816-221-2600 x332

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crossroads Preparatory Academy Principal Named NextGen Leader

Kirsten Brown-Persley is the first educator to receive this recognition

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — May 12, 2021 — Crossroads Charter Schools is excited to celebrate Principal Kirsten Brown-Persley as the first educator to be named one of Kansas City’s top 25 NextGen Leaders by the Kansas City Business Journal. The NextGen program recognizes, “people who are making a difference and who are destined to leave their mark on the business community.”

“As the founding principal of Crossroads Preparatory Academy, Kirsten has worked hard to grow our schools into a place where our students are inspired to build a better tomorrow,” said Tysie McDowell, Crossroads Charter Schools superintendent. “She is a leader who embraces all of our core values and we are excited that the Kansas City Business Journal is also acknowledging her talent.”

Brown-Persley graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Institute for Urban Education (IUE). She also has completed her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership Administration from the University of Kansas. She has led numerous professional development sessions for educators across the country for UMKC, Teach for America, Kansas City Teacher Residency Program and the Kauffman Teacher-Leader Fellowship.

Under Brown-Persley’s leadership, Crossroads High School began in the fall of 2017. Classes were held temporarily at the Park University Downtown Campus while a permanent campus was secured. The permanent home was announced in February 2018 in the Historic Garment District in Downtown Kansas City as well as a name change to Crossroads Preparatory Academy. Later this month, the school and Brown-Persley will celebrate a major milestone as the first class of seniors will be graduating from Crossroads Charter Schools.

“It has been an honor to serve as principal of Crossroads Preparatory Academy,” said Brown-Persley. “In this role I get the opportunity every day to invest in Kansas City’s next generation of leaders. So I am humbled by this recognition from the Kansas City Business Journal, which will allow me to build skills and connections to do even more of what I love.”

To learn more about what’s happening next at Crossroads Preparatory Academy, visit crossroadsschoolskc.org/building_innovation.

About Crossroads Charter Schools

Crossroads Charter Schools is a network of schools, which offers a dynamic Pre-K – 12 education in the heart of downtown Kansas City. Currently serving nearly 1100 students, Crossroads Charter Schools offer a unique model that emphasizes community engagement and 21st Century Learning. More information about Crossroads Charter Schools is available at crossroadsschoolskc.org.

The post Crossroads Preparatory Academy Principal Named NextGen Leader appeared first on Crossroads Charter Schools.

Tysie McDowell Named Crossroads’ New Superintendent

crossroadsadmin — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 18:38:00 +0000

Media Contact:

Courtney Hughley

chughley@crossroads.bluesym15.work

Phone: 816-221-2600 x332

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crossroads Charter Schools names new superintendent of schools

Tysie McDowell, co-founder, became the new school leader of Crossroads Charter Schools, effective February 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Feb. 10, 2020 — Tysie McDowell, co-founder and former chief academic officer of Crossroads Charter Schools, is the district’s new superintendent of schools. Former school leader and co-founder, Dean Johnson, announced his resignation in November to establish a new organization that will advocate for public education improvements in Kansas City and throughout Missouri.

“We have no doubt that Tysie is the right leader to ensure that Crossroads continues its journey towards a legacy of success,” said Greg Valdovino, Crossroads board president. “Our board has gotten to witness first-hand the creativity and innovation the staff at Crossroads uses to provide quality education for our students. We know that is a direct result of Tysie’s leadership and we are fortunate to have her assume this role as superintendent.”

Beginning her career as a classroom teacher in Iowa, McDowell has held several school leadership positions and this is the natural evolution of her career. “I initially enrolled in the College of Pharmacy as a freshman at the University of Iowa,” explained McDowell. “The summer following my freshman year, I read the book, Savage Inequalities, by Jonathan Kozol and was immediately drawn into the idea of teaching in an urban setting. I switched my major to education and felt I had found my true calling.”

And that calling led to a career spanning almost 25 years and resulted in McDowell co-founding one of Kansas City’s most successful charter schools. “Our initial plan with Crossroads was to open and run one really good school,” said McDowell. “That was in 2012 when we had 190 students. Nearly nine years later, with the help of dedicated teachers, supportive families and an invested community, we have three schools with almost 1,100 students!”

Since its inception, Crossroads has experienced tremendous growth and received numerous accolades. Crossroads has grown from one school serving students in grades K-5 to today having three schools that serve students in Pre-K through 12th grades. In 2017, Crossroads was named Charter School of the Year by the Missouri Charter Public School Association. And in 2019, McDowell was recognized by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools for exceptional educational leadership.

“My goal as the superintendent of schools is to lead our staff in recommitting ourselves to our core values, especially educational fairness and authentic learning,” commented McDowell. “For the last few years we’ve been focused on growing into what we are today. Now that we’ve been successful at that, it is time to sharpen our focus on academic excellence, which will take Crossroads from good to great.”

About Crossroads Charter Schools

Crossroads Charter Schools is a network of schools, which offers a dynamic Pre-K – 12 education in the heart of downtown Kansas City. Currently serving more than 1,100 students, Crossroads Charter Schools offer a unique model that emphasizes community engagement and 21st Century Learning. More information about Crossroads Charter Schools is available at crossroadsschoolskc.org.

The post Tysie McDowell Named Crossroads’ New Superintendent appeared first on Crossroads Charter Schools.