Sean “Diddy” Combs announced a new charter school in Harlem called Capital Prep Harlem. Combs said this is “a dream come true for me.” A dream that was six years in the making.
Six years ago Combs stopped Steve Perry, founder of a public magnet campus in Hartford, Connecticut as well as a charter school in Bridgeport.
As he was leaving a mutual friend’s engagement party, Perry stated that “He said…’No one knows this, but I’ve always wanted to start a school.’”
In a statement, Combs said, “I want to impact the lives of young people in my community, and build future leaders. The first step is offering access to a quality education. All our children should be able to pursue their dreams.”
During his press release, he added that he chose Capital Prep as the model for his school “after an exhaustive search for the best educational model and partner.” The charter school was approved by the Board of Regents in 2014. The school will replicate the model of Capital Prepatory Magnet, a year-round school in Hartford.
The New York Times reports that the school is set to open for the 2016-17 school year, with 160 students in sixth and seventh grades. Applications are currently being accepted for students and staff.
Capital Prep is free and admission is done by lottery. The teachers will be called “Illuminators” and social justice will be the key theme of the school. Combs and the board hired Orlando, Florida-based educator Dania Jones as the principal of Capital Prep Harlem. Jones told Los Angeles Times, “What I did as a teacher was not what illuminators do. Illuminators literally…co-parent.”
What does that mean? Illuminators call parents every two weeks, setting aside time each day to check in on students’ social-emotional needs, helping them identify and solve community problems, and getting them to a four-year college.
Charter schools are publicly funded and can be privately operated. Combs was not asked to donate his money to the school. He has provided office space and staff in New York to launch the school. However, his day-to-day involvement is still to be determined.
