(upbeat music) - Hey, everyone.

Steve Adubato.

This is part of our series called Urban Education that Works.

We're honored to be joined by Danielle West-Augustin, who is CEO of Queen City Academy Charter School.

Danielle, good to see you.

- Good to see you as well, Steve.

- You got it.

Tell us, everyone, tell everyone what the website, excuse me, the charter school is, while the website is up.

- Our school is Queen City Academy Charter School, and we're located in Plainfield, New Jersey.

We serve grades K through 12, and our website is QueenCity.edu.

- Love it.

You know what?

We'll talk about a whole bunch of educational things, but we just did a program on social media.

You have a no cell phone policy - Correct, we do.

- How does that work?

How does that work?

- We've had it before the governor instituted the legislation around it.

It really has been working well for us.

Initially there was some pushback from a handful of parents, but not many.

And I think more and more people now understand the value of having no cell phones so that kids are able to focus, especially at our high school level classes.

- So it's interesting.

We're talking about urban education that works.

It really comes down to what initiatives, policies, practices work.

What is the Saturday Academy at your charter school and why does it matter?

- Saturday Academy has been part of our program for over seven years at this juncture.

It matters because it's extra seat time, but it's not just extra seat time as what happens during a normal day.

It's extra seat time with enrichment from everything from chess to robotics.

And it allows our students the opportunity to engage with their teachers in a environment that is just content-focused while also leveraging robotics and chess and many other non-traditional opportunities for students to engage that are not part of the regular academic program.

- How serious is the literacy slash reading gap, and what are you doing specifically at the school to close it?

- So ELA for us has always been paramount.

- What's ELA?

A lot of acronyms.

- English language arts.

- Go ahead.

- So, ELA for us has always been paramount because we really believe that ELA is the foundational skill that allows a student to be successful in every other content area.

We are really firm believers in the science of reading.

So our students in grades K through two, they have explicit instruction in phonemic awareness.

And in grades three through 12, our students are engaged with just reading for the love of reading.

So we have a novel-based approach reading program for our students in grades three through 12, which allows students to really not just read a text, but also to interrogate that text and make it come to life and make it relevant and culturally responsive for who they are as an individual so that they draw parallels to their own lives as well as the stories that they read.

You know, the best reading happens when you get lost in a book and you feel that you truly... - That's right.

- are a part of that book that you're reading.

And so that's what we look to do in our curriculum is to make sure that students get engaged with reading in a manner that they get lost in the book and they can draw those parallels and make connections for themselves.

- Danielle, what drew you to education?

- I'm a first-generation college student.

I had really hardworking parents, but they had not attended college.

And I know what college did for me and the opportunities that it gave me and changed the trajectory of my life.

And so for that, I've always been a giver, I think, by nature and had a heart for people.

And I wanted to make sure that young people had an opportunity to change not just the trajectory of their lives, but for generations to come behind them.

And so the love of people and the love of making sure that people and the students that are educated, that they're able to be successful is really what drew me towards education.

And it's a great combination of community as well as the academic component of education, but education really also centers very deeply in community.

And I'm a strong believer that community is powerful.

It's powerful in every sense of the way that we could think of.

And so for that, I have just loved being in a school building, being a part of a school community, and that's what education is for me.

- Last question.

You told our team that the greatest lesson you've learned as an educator is the importance of truly seeing people.

Translate that.

- You know, a young educator... As a younger educator, I walked into a room to observe a teacher, and I was looking at the lesson.

I think wisdom and time teaches us many different things.

And so now when I walk into a space, I'm not just seeing the lesson, but I'm seeing the whole person and the teacher.

And more importantly, when I'm looking and I'm dealing with our scholars and I'm dealing with a family, I have to see not just what's on paper in front of me, but I have to see the person that's sitting there with me, and I have to understand what motivates, what drives, what difficulties they may be having.

And that requires me to center my thoughts differently so that I can truly see the person that is sitting with me.

- Powerful.

Danielle West-Augustin, who is the CEO of Queen City Academy Charter School, located where?

- In Plainfield, New Jersey.

And we are a K to 12 school.

So if you are looking for a small school community that really values in the students individually, then we are the school for you.

- Danielle, thank you.

Wish you, your staff, the teachers, and mostly the students at the school all the best.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

Nice meeting you.

- Same here.

Stay with us.

We'll be right back.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

PSEG Foundation.

Delta Dental of New Jersey.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

South Jersey Industries.

RWJBarnabas Health.

Learn More at RWJBH.org.

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And by Garden State Initiative Promotional support provided by The Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey.

And by Insider NJ.

- The Garden State Initiative examines the economic and policy issues shaping New Jersey’s future that determine our economy’s growth, and opportunities for families and communities across our state.

GSI also seeks to provide the public with greater transparency about how tax dollars are spent through our website, NJBudget.com, which shows everyone where state funds go and explains why it matters.

Learn more at gardenstateitiative.org and NJBudget.com.