On Election Day, Uncommon Excellence Girls teachers are taking the opportunity to teach students about the importance of voting and using Kamala Harris’ nomination to empower students to feel inspired to be leaders, change makers, and to dream big! “If she can do it, I can do it,” shared one student. Watch the video below … Continued
Our wonderful 4th graders from North Star Academy -Liberty Elementary School show off their broadcast news skills in their weekly news show! Our teacher, Nia Freeman, helps her students prepare their newscast and covers topics such as Latinx Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Black History Month, and sometimes even the weather! Read more about this … Continued
We are so excited to be featured on the Boston Herald as one of the organizations helping to revitalize the Newmarket area. Our new Roxbury Prep school to open in the fall of 2025 will be home to over 800 students from our current Mission Hill, Hyde Park and Nubian Square campuses! Read more on … Continued
Rochester Prep High School students welcomed a special guest during their AP Calculus Class! Clayton Turner, Acting Associate Administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA and RIT alum spoke and took questions from students about his 30-year tenure and leadership at NASA. The students were over the moon! Read more about this story … Continued
Last year, every Camden Prep graduate was accepted to at least one four-year college, with an average of six acceptances. Read more about how our college counseling program is making a difference with our students in NJ Education Report.
Uncommon Schools’ North Star Academy Washington Park High School award-winning debate team shared their insights with NBC New York on how the presidential candidates performed in the debate! Take a minute to watch and listen to what our future leaders have to say! Read more about this story on NBC New York.
Our mission is not only to get our scholars #ToAndThrough college but also to inspire and train our future teachers! This summer, teachers from around the country came to teach our scholars in NYC and Newark! Learn more about our Summer Teaching Fellowship in this story by NBC New York’s Pat Battle! You will hear … Continued
Families joined us to learn more about our Kindergarten programs at North Star Academy West Side Elementary School! At North Star Academy your child will receive the personalized support they need to succeed from the moment they step foot into our schools. Our principal Keila Fernandez explains how in the article linked below. Read the … Continued
By Jessie Gómez Teachers like Lina Zapata at North Star Academy Washington Park High School are why students thrive at Uncommon Schools. She decided to become the teacher that she needed as a child and support every student on their path to college and beyond. Read the full article at Chalkbeat.
We are elated to celebrate our inaugural Camden Prep High School Class of 2024! We have 14 students headed to college without any out-of-pocket costs and our class receives more than 70 college acceptances. The sky is the limit for this founding class. Read more about some of the students in our inaugural class. Read … Continued
Jermaine a parent from from North Star Academy and Shadae a parent from Uncommon Schools NYC were invited to participate in an NBCNews NOW panel to talk about raising children in the digital age! Take a moment to watch this informative town hall, especially if you want to learn how to talk to your teen … Continued
Roxbury Prep students celebrates the Senior Class of 2024! Many students were awarded scholarships to top colleges and will be graduating in 4 years with no college debt! WBZ captures the joy and accomplishment of our students and their families on this special day! Read the full article at CBS News Boston.
Rochester Prep High School Class of 2024 celebrated their Senior Signing Day! There is nothing more joyous than watching students announce their college decision to a room full of family, friends, and middle school students. Over half of the class will be attending college in the fall debt-free! Read more about this event at WHAM 13.
BY HALENA SEPULVEDA Uncommon School’s Eye-to-Eye program at Rochester Prep brings together neurodiverse high school mentors and middle school students that share similar unique talents and educational experiences. The program creates a community that goes beyond tolerance to celebrate the unique differences of each student. Read the full article at Spectrum News.
For North Star Academy Washington Park High School students David and Justin the hard work has paid off! They are both headed to top colleges like University of Chicago and Amherst College with a full scholarship come fall. They both credit their perseverance through high school, and the support they received from the North Star … Continued
David and Justin from North Star Academy Washington Park High School already know they are headed to University of Chicago and Amherst College with full ride scholarships. These students are recipients of the prestigious QuestBridge Scholarship which provides scholarships through a college match program to attend some of the nation’s most competitive colleges. This year … Continued
We’re so proud of our Williamsburg Elementary School scholars for improving on average of two reading levels since the beginning of school and are on track to meet the goal of four reading levels by the end of the year! Take a couple of minutes to read about how students, staff and families celebrated this … Continued
Check out as our Camden Prep High School NFI Interns reflect on their experience interning at NFI Industries and how it has prepared them to, through, and beyond college. “I feel so fortunate to have the chance to get this experience at a young age, because many people don’t get that kind of opportunity.” Read … Continued
You want to see what is possible when educators believe in students and propel them to greatness? Watch this story featuring thirteen Uncommon’s Roxbury Prep High School students who are headed to top colleges in the fall with less than $2,000 in tuition debt. Six of them have earned prestigious national scholarships with full rides … Continued
Six seniors from Roxbury Prep High School are celebrating a remarkable achievement: full four-year scholarships to prestigious colleges such as Princeton, Vassar, and Vanderbilt. For these students, the scholarships like QuestBridge and Posse, not only alleviate the financial burden of college but also signify a profound sense of accomplishment and pride. Roxbury Prep’s principal shared … Continued
As more students apply to colleges through early decision, joyful and tearful acceptance reactions are pouring in from students across Uncommon Schools. ABC News’ Good Morning America featured the stories of three students from North Star Academy Lincoln Park High School and the path to their dream college through the early decision process. Natalie, Angelina … Continued
Uncommon students, like millions around the country, are feeling the impact of FAFSA delays disrupting college financial aid timelines. Mark Stulberg, the Director of College Counseling at North Star Academy Lincoln Park High School, shares the story of his student Nicholas Onaiwu to urge colleges to extend enrollment deadlines beyond the traditional May 1st deadline. … Continued
North Star Academy in Newark had a record seven graduating seniors who will receive full scholarships through the prestigious QuestBridge National College Match program to attend some of the nation’s most competitive colleges. North Star had the highest number of QuestBridge recipients among all Newark high schools. More than 20,800 students from across the country … Continued
By Juliana Worrell Juliana Worrell, Uncommon Schools’ Chief Schools Officer K-8, advocates for strong literacy instruction using the principles of the science of reading. Read this op-ed as it originally appeared on January 20, 2024 in NJ Star-Ledger. (Subscription may be required.) In his State of the State message, Gov. Phil Murphy called for introducing … Continued
By JANEL ‘JAYCEE’ MILLER Camden Prep is breaking barriers with its new Eye to Eye (E.T.E.) program which brings together neurodiverse middle school students and high school mentors sharing similar unique talents and educational experiences. Initiated this year, E.T.E is focused on overcoming obstacles in the classroom and maximizing each child’s individual potential. The program … Continued
When Excellence Boys performing arts teacher Ivan Marrero filmed his second-grade students looking in the mirror and saying one thing they liked about themselves, he had no idea the impact that video would have on millions. “My skin color,” “I’m smart,” “My eyes,” “I have the ability to do anything,” are just some of the … Continued
Camden Prep High School celebrated its $50 million brand-new, state-of-the-art facility in Camden, NJ with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Camden Prep’s first graduating class started their senior year with a new gym, cafeteria, and quad, among other facilities. Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen and Uncommon Schools Co-CEOs Julie Jackson and Brett Peiser were on-site to commemorate the … Continued
Nov 2, 2023 At the 50th anniversary of Stanford University’s Structured Liberal Education (SLE) seminar, North Star teacher and Stanford graduate Mike Taubman gave a lecture on “Searching Together for the Common Good” and talked about transposing this course to the high school environment. “The first aspect of SLE’s culture that is powerful for high … Continued
October 23, 2023 | By: Halena Sepulveda at Spectrum News 1 According to the Nation’s Report Card, 33% of fourth-grade students performed at or above proficiency levels in 2022, which was 2% less compared to 2019. “Post-pandemic we’ve really figured out that we need to target exactly what our kids need and our curriculum has … Continued
August 31, 2023 | By: FOX 29 Camden Prep High School is getting ready to graduate its first senior class. Students who started high school on Zoom are now enjoying a brand new building with bright classrooms, a multi-purpose gym, and more. “Just a few days into the new school year, Freshman Ariella McCormick says … Continued
August 31, 2023 | By: NBC10 We promised our founding Camden Prep scholars they would have a new building to start their senior year and we delivered! Camden Prep High School students began the 23-24 school year in a brand new building, equipped with an outdoor quad, cafeteria, multi-purpose gym, and more. Camden Mayor Victor … Continued
Aug 29, 2023, 8:34pm | By: News 12 Staff Uncommon opened the doors of a brand new elementary school in Brooklyn to begin the 23-24 school year. Williamsburg Elementary School (WES) kicked off a new school year by welcoming 300 kindergarten through fourth-grade students. “We have high rigor, but we’re also building students with strong … Continued
Roxbury Prep Missional Hill 5th-grade math teacher, Maggie Hillman is a top-4 finalist for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year! She is the only charter school teacher named as a finalist by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Terra Carr, Regional Superintendent of Instruction, said of Ms. Hillman: “Maggie is an exceptional teacher, and … Continued
WHAM ABC 13 | Fri, May 19th 2023, 7:28 PM EDT Rochester Prep celebrated its Senior Signing Day on May 19 to commemorate students’ college decisions and to cheer them on as they begin their next chapter. 98% of the seniors are graduating and heading to college in the fall. “So often we hear about … Continued
Brittnee Baker |May 1, 2023 Uncommon Schools’ counselors have made it their mission to help students get through and succeed in college. Since 1997, 99% of Uncommon high school graduates have earned acceptance at four-year colleges and universities. In a conversation with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, shares the most important factor behind … Continued
By TAPinto Newark Staff Report | Last Updated April 20, 2023 Corey Madison, a senior at North Star Academy, is making his voice heard. Saying he believed that his school and other public charter schools were being treated unfairly, Madison testified before the New Jersey state assembly budget committee. Check out his testimony here: Read … Continued
By Neill Borowski | March 21, 2023 Camden Prep student Maurquay Moody turned $200 in seed funding into Philadelphia’s top prize for young entrepreneurs. Moody learned about starting his own business through Camden Prep’s High School 2.0 program. Camden Prep engaged Dan LaSalle, who runs a non-profit organization called Niche Clinic, which teaches high school … Continued
March 9, 2023 / Accelerate Institute News In 2018, Uncommon Schools’ Jody Jones won the prestigious Ryan Award for her transformational leadership as Principal at North Star Academy, where she helped lead students to meet or surpass in-state testing expectations compared to other New Jersey school districts. Five years later, Jones, now Uncommon’s Senior Director of School … Continued
By Paula White | Feb. 18, 2023 The fact is that quality literacy instruction is the linchpin variable for our children’s learning. For 2023, let’s give it the focus and boost it deserves. Read more on NJ.com
By Amanda Lee Myers|Feb. 15, 2023 Boy after boy walks up to a mirror. Some are confident, some seem shy, and many grin as they do a simple act of self-love: Looking in the mirror and saying what they like most about themselves. “One thing I love about myself is I have the ability to … Continued
By Art Worrell | Feb 13. 2023 In this op-ed by Art Worrell, director of history instruction at Uncommon Schools, Worrell says history is messy. But by embracing that messiness, we come to understand our world and what it means to be human. Read more on NJ.com
By Tocarra Hughes | Feb. 10, 2023 Four students from Rochester Prep will attend Notre Dame, Colgate University, the University of Chicago, and Boston University on a full, four-year academic scholarship through the QuestBridge National College Match. The Rochester Prep students were selected from among more than 17,900 applicants for the scholarship. Read more on … Continued
By Dashawn Sheffield | Feb. 7, 2023 North Star Academy student Dashawn Sheffield knows that he can be a force for good — even though his dream career, which carries negative stereotypes — surprises people. Read more at Chalkbeat
In December, the Roxbury Prep’s Parent Partners for Advocacy brought together roughly 50 volunteers from the community to assemble and distribute food baskets to more than 160 school families. Read this story as it originally appeared on January 31, 2023 in Boston Business Journal (Subscription may be required.) The parent partners at Roxbury Prep, a … Continued
Students at Uncommon Newark are taking menstrual equity into their own hands. New Jersey schools are not required to provide female sanitary products, but a student-led club at North Star is fighting to make them available. The club started almost two years ago when students managed to get a company to donate hygiene product dispensers … Continued
By Seth Daniel, News Editor | October 20, 2022 | Dorchester News After spending a year in a training program and four years teaching History, Frankline Mardi was appointed Principal at Roxbury Prep Dorchester. Her love for teaching points back to when she was a student and she helped tutor her mother, who spent most … Continued
January 13, 2023 • Giovanni Albanese | GovTech Uncommon Schools received a $4 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Thanks to the EIR grant, Uncommon can launch a new coding program at five of its nine high schools to promote careers in STEM by embedding coding lessons in … Continued
Shradha Patel | Dec 21, 2022 For college students considering the profession, there’s no substitute for hands-on experience. And for administrators looking to find dedicated new talent, it’s more important than ever that they proactively offer opportunities for college students to get a feel for teaching. This commitment to engaging would-be teachers has been a … Continued
By Ronald L. Zarrella In this Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Op-Ed, Ronald L. Zarrella discusses how a partnership between the Rochester Institute of Technology and Rochester Prep is helping students experience the rigors of academia, learn exactly what it takes to be successful in college, and discover fields of study that they may not have … Continued
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