In July of 2019, when we chose “The Year of Courage” as the year-long theme, we never imagined just how much commitment,  partnership, and dedication it would require from each and every one of our stakeholders. Yet together our community has made remarkable accomplishments. As our classroom Namesake, Billie Jean King says, “Champions Adjust.” 

We seamlessly pivoted to remote instruction, with teamwork and grit, while prioritizing the safety and wellness of our staff, scholars  and families. We maintained an above 94% average daily attendance for virtual learning,  distributed more than 1,000 age-appropriate technology devices, and we emphasized family  communication as a critical priority. Through network-wide town halls, weekly videos from  leaders, and over 42,000 wellness calls from teachers and staff, we held true to our family  promise. Together we have taken countless small steps to ensure that Public Prep remains a  place for all scholars, ALL of the time. 

Amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic and the amplification of racism and systemic oppression,  there were big shifts taking place internally here at Public Prep. On June 30, upon completing  a decadal commitment, Ian Rowe stepped down as CEO. Under Ian’s leadership, Public Prep  has grown from serving 393 scholars in grades K-5 at Girls Prep Lower East Side, to serving  nearly 2,000 scholars in PreK-8th grade across Girls Prep Lower East Side, Girls Prep Bronx, and  Boys Prep Bronx. His efforts in early childhood development, college partnerships, real estate  development, and political advocacy will ensure that Public Prep will be a lasting institution that  continues to place scholars on a predictive path to college completion and beyond.  

As I am stepping into the role of CEO this year, following the visionary brilliance of Ian Rowe, I  feel fortunate to have learned and led alongside him. Now, in partnership with my leadership  team, we are charting a path for the next ten years at Public Prep. Our team is inspired by the opportunity to refine our priorities to ensure as an organization, our own practices and agency continue to be a force of change for the scholars, families and communities that we serve today and tomorrow.                                               

As a proud single-sex college alumna, lifelong educator, and Bronx native, I am ready to step up to the challenges of 2020 and beyond. We have an incredible opportunity to innovate the educational model while navigating the complexity of our larger world. In this year of many firsts in our network, including celebrating our first college graduates in the spring, we remain committed to nurturing a safe, inclusive and rigorous academic community that always puts
scholars first.                                                                                                             

We cannot go forward into the 2020-2021 school year without reflecting and celebrating the accomplishments of the past year. Thank you for being on this journey with us.

In partnership,
Janelle Bradshaw, CEO