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On May 9, 2024, we honored Dan Corley's legacy and looked ahead to a bright future during this special event held in our new arts and athletic facility, the Elenowitz Center. The evening was a memorable reflection on our past and an inspiring glimpse into what lies ahead for our cherished school. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating four decades of our Beloved Community at Community Prep.
Nearly 40 years ago, Dan Corley gathered with parents and community leaders in his living room to create a middle school emphasizing community involvement and academic excellence. They named it "Community Preparatory School" to reflect these core values. In the fall of 1984, the school opened with just 25 students and three teachers in rented classrooms at the John Hope Settlement House.
Since then, Community Prep has grown and flourished. Today, we serve 140 children, and we've celebrated the success of 1,029 graduates, 97% of whom attended college-preparatory high schools with significant scholarships. Our Beloved Community has matured alongside our school, with a faculty of 15 dedicated educators who continue to nurture academic rigor and provide exceptional opportunities. This upward trajectory is a testament to our unwavering commitment to our mission and students.
DAN CORLEY
Founder
Former Head of School (1984-2024)
For Dan Corley, school reform advocate and founder of Community Preparatory School, community service is not just a pastime; it is his life's work, a testament to his unwavering dedication and commitment.
While a student at Brown University, Dan spent a year living with the homeless and working in soup kitchens in New York City and Washington, D.C. After graduation, he taught for a year at a Catholic school in Providence, then served as a VISTA volunteer. After having their first child, his wife Betsy became the first house manager for Advent House, a shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Providence. Dan returned to teaching and spent five years at a school for at-risk boys in Narragansett, R.I.
In 1984, at the age of 30, Dan founded Community Preparatory School in the heart of South Providence. For more than forty years, he has implemented and refined innovative teaching techniques that have enabled Community Prep to grow from a small neighborhood school to a model of rigorous, inclusive urban education.
Today, Community Prep serves 140 students and has been acclaimed by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Ninety-seven percent of the school's graduates have been accepted into college preparatory high school programs, and 83%—more than twice the urban public school average—are attending or have graduated from college.
ROBERT W. HAHN
Co-Founder
Robert Hahn is a professor and director of economics at the Smith School, University of Oxford. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and an associate member at Nuffield College, Oxford. Additionally, he holds positions as a non-resident senior fellow at Brookings and a senior fellow at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy.
From 1999 to 2008, Professor Hahn directed the AEI-Brookings Joint Center, which was a leader in policy research on law and economics, regulation, and antitrust. He previously worked with the U.S. President's Council of Economic Advisers, where he helped design the market-based cap-and-trade system for limiting sulfur emissions. He has also taught at Harvard University and Carnegie Mellon University.
Professor Hahn frequently contributes to leading academic journals such as the American Economic Review, Science, and the Yale Law Journal, as well as popular publications like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times.
In addition to his academic and consulting work on regulation, competition, and strategy, Professor Hahn conducts field experiments to promote cost-effective energy and water conservation. One of his most impactful roles is co-founding Community Preparatory School, which reflects his dedication to providing opportunities for students to achieve their full academic and personal potential, regardless of their financial background.
