As educators prepare for the upcoming school year, they may be tempted to figure out how to address the learning loss brought on by the pandemic. Understandably, they might look for simplified curriculum as a way to ease students back into learning. This is the wrong focus, writes Paul Bambrick-Santoyo and Stephen Chiger in a … Continued
Thanks to a partnership with CAMcare Health Corp., Camden Prep teachers and staff were able to return for hybrid instruction on March 15 with peace of mind. Camden Prep is also following CDC guidelines, and has consulted with medical and public health experts to develop health and safety protocols. “It’s important to have our students … Continued
At a time when districts and teachers are in contentious battles over whether it is safe to have in-person class, Uncommon CEO writes in a USA TODAY op-ed piece that we need a unifying plan that recognizes the toll the pandemic has taken on students as well as educators. Now is the right time to … Continued
During the week of March 29, 2021 the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Roxbury Prep Charter School. The Office of Public School Monitoring visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special … Continued
Uncommon Schools has a history of collaborating with local school districts and sharing resources through in-person professional development trainings, online workshops, and multiple best-selling books. Why? Because we believe that every child deserves a great education. Why a Blog? The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink our traditional sharing avenues, but being confined to … Continued
How is your child’s online classroom? According to Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews, the “gold standard” is outlined in a new book, Teaching in the Online Classroom: Surviving and Thriving in the New Normal, by Doug Lemov and the Teach Like a Champion team. While the focus of the new book is about online … Continued
Camden Prep High School just opened this school year with its founding freshman class and they’re not slowing down. A new Robotics elective, led by robotics engineer Dr. Cortney Bolden, is giving students an opportunity to take a deeper dive into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics from computer science and geometry to electronics … Continued
Lea la carta en español | Lire la lettre en Français | اقرأ الرسالة باللغة العربية | Li lèt la an kreyòl ayisyen Dear Uncommon Schools Community, As the year draws to a close, we wanted to update our entire Uncommon community on the diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments we made as part of our … Continued
For the last quarter of a century, Visionaries has been producing documentaries for public television, highlighting nonprofit organizations around the world that are making a positive impact on their respective communities. Uncommon Schools is proud to be featured this season in this Visionaries documentary airing on PBS, and to be able to share the voices … Continued
“I had great teachers growing up. I want to be that type of role model for other students,” says Ariana Gomes, about her experiences at Roxbury Prep Mission Hill. Gomes is currently senior at the University of Miami but this summer, she returned to Boston as a Summer Teaching Fellow and gave back to her … Continued
According to Forbes, Uncommon’s changes in some of its practices “should help consign the ‘no-excuses’ culture to history.” In a letter to the community, Uncommon Schools announced changes to some practices around behavior management, including stopping the use of SLANT. These changes are part of a larger move towards focusing on student learning and engagement … Continued
Lea la carta en español | Lire la lettre en Français | اقرأ الرسالة باللغة العربية | Li lèt la an kreyòl ayisyen Dear Uncommon Schools Community, This year has been a time of great reflection. As we continue to prepare for a safe and strong launch to the new school year, we remain steadfast … Continued
There are no limits to the creative ways we celebrate our students’ successes. In Newark, NJ, more than 200 seniors graduated from North Star Academy Washington Park and Lincoln Park high schools. While we couldn’t hold a traditional graduation ceremony, staff, families, and students got together to celebrate how they could: a drive-through graduation. As … Continued
Whether schools will start the new year remotely or in person is on everyone’s minds. In Newark, NJ, the city’s largest charter school networks, including North Star Academy, are planning to start remotely. In-person learning will resume only when it’s been deemed safe to do so. According to Chalkbeat Newark, it’s unclear whether Gov. Murphy … Continued
This fall, veteran educator Syrena Burnam will be in the exciting position of welcoming the founding 9th grade class to Camden Prep High School, and building a school community for decades to come. Burnam has spent the last eight years at North Star Academy, first as an AP Biology teacher, then as Department Chair, and … Continued
Tameka Royal, a Principal at Uncommon Schools North Star Academy, participated in a national discussion about what school will look like for the 2020-2021 school year. It’s a hot topic among educators as they look to balance the health risks of COVID-19 exposure with the challenges of remote learning. As reported by TapintoNewark, Royal joined … Continued
High school students from Uncommon Charter High School and Uncommon Collegiate Charter High School conducted research on microplastics in local waterways. As part of Uncommon’s High School 2.0 programming, the students interned at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (Columbia University) with Dr. Joaquim Goes, to explore just how pervasive microplastics are in the environment. From … Continued
Dear Uncommon Schools Community, A few weeks ago, after we chose to close Uncommon Schools for a day to allow our community to process in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, I wrote an essay about how our charter school network was founded to battle racism and advance social justice. Since writing that … Continued
For months Roxbury Prep high school has been calling on the Boston Planning and Development Agency to hear its plans for a proposed high school building on a vacant lot zoned for a school. For months BPDA has refused to put the project to a vote for a hearing. Why? As the Boston Globe Editorial … Continued
My Uncommon Family— I am truly thankful for the opportunity to write to you on this day: June 19, 2020. As I write this, monuments of history told from a single story are coming down all over the world, as people refuse to continue to accept a single version, a single truth, a single lens … Continued
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