The charter\u2019s new home will be at the former Rosemont Sixth Grade<\/a> \u2014 and Applied Learning Academy \u2014 campus on McCart Avenue. The school plans to open Oct. 20, doubling its capacity across two sites.\u00a0<\/p>\n Traci Berry, New Heights CEO and superintendent, said the partnership could serve as an example of how FWISD campuses slated for closure might still support neighborhoods. Fort Worth ISD closed two schools in June<\/a> and plans to shutter 14 more over the next four years.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not abandoning that community,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re serving it differently.\u201d<\/p>\n Student voices tell the impact<\/p>\n Some New Heights students want to reshape their futures. For Judy Rivas, 34, it\u2019s a chance to reshape that of her children.\u00a0<\/p>\n She returned to school to set an example for her three children, ages 16, 13 and 10.<\/p>\n \u201cI want my kids to know a diploma is worth more than a GED,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Tarrant County, adults with a high school diploma earn about $30,000 a year on average, compared with $22,000 for those without one, according to U.S. census data.\u00a0<\/p>\n The gains can climb higher. Adults with some college \u2014 like the courses New Heights students take through Tarrant County College \u2014 earn nearly $38,000 on average.<\/p>\n The current New Heights campus is located inside the TCC Opportunity Campus on Fitzhugh Avenue, across from Dunbar High School.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some parents had put their own education on hold while raising children.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rovina Stamps, 42, said now that her four kids have graduated high school, it\u2019s finally her turn.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never too late,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n For many adults, options to return to school are limited. Traditional public schools have age restrictions, and paid GED programs can be out of reach. Charter schools like New Heights, which are public schools, offer another path to a diploma.<\/p>\n For Ayana Rodgers, 23, the adult charter school provided an option she thought wasn\u2019t possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rodgers moved to Fort Worth from the Florida panhandle last year. With epilepsy limiting her ability to work and paid programs out of reach, she didn\u2019t think a diploma was in her future.<\/p>\n Now, Rodgers is working toward a diploma while also taking college courses through TCC.<\/p>\n Many students come to the program with anxiety, shaped by negative past school experiences, Berry said. That history can\u2019t be ignored, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt needs to be different for them to be successful,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Adult learners juggle more than homework. Many work, care for children or support older relatives. The program is built with that reality in mind, Berry said: staggered schedules, child care, bill assistance, food access and connections to community resources.<\/p>\n Classes are structured to validate students\u2019 life experiences<\/a>, she said. Berry described one learner, a tile worker who doubted his math ability until she pointed out the complex measurements in his trade.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re doing math every day,\u201d she told him. \u201cIt just looks different.\u201d<\/p>\n A potential model for Fort Worth ISD<\/p>\n That intentionality extends to the renovations at the McCart campus, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n New Heights signed a 10-year lease, with an option to extend another five. The building, once a middle school, is being updated to feel like a place designed for adults.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want our students to feel like they just got left over or they were castaways because they didn\u2019t finish school,\u201d Berry said. \u201cIt\u2019s like they got something that was created for them.\u201d<\/p>\n The McCart location can hold 700 to 800 students, doubling current enrollment. New Heights\u2019 long-term vision includes dedicating a wing as a community hub with services such as food pantries, financial literacy programs or health resources.<\/p>\n New Heights approached Fort Worth ISD about the partnership, district officials said. While the district\u2019s own adult education department supports GED programs, officials said New Heights offers services on a larger scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n The lease is expected to offset the district\u2019s fixed costs such as utilities, waste management and landscaping. Fort Worth ISD\u2019s maintenance department will continue servicing the building.\u00a0<\/p>\n The district prefers to repurpose closed schools rather than leave them empty, officials said when the lease was approved in May.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the charter\u2019s enrollment grows to 1,500 students across two campuses, Berry said the expansion reflects both rising demand and the need for more flexible spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, education is the only differentiator between poverty and stability,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n That possibility resonates with New Heights students.\u00a0<\/p>\n Howard-Horn said she\u2019s now planning her future career with the help of an adviser. Rivas is considering nursing after caring for her mother and children. Stamps has dreams in both the kitchen and medical field. Rodgers is exploring her options with the help of TCC advisers.\u00a0<\/p>\n All said they\u2019re determined to finish.<\/p>\n Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @matthewsgroi1<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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