Senior Class Success at Roxbury Prep

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

Spotlighting efforts to boost reading proficiency in NY post pandemic

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

RPC Teacher, Maggie Hillman, named 2023 Finalist for MA State Teacher of the Year!

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

Roxbury Prep parents join to fight hunger

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

Coming home: Roxbury Prep’s answer to the teacher shortage

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

A national model locally for K-12, higher ed collaboration

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

A call to teach now more than ever

By Brett Peiser In this New York Daily News Op-Ed, Uncommon Schools’ co-CEO Brett Peiser acknowledges how hard the past two-and-a-half years have been on teachers, but he also knows that students and families need teachers now more than ever. Read this story as it originally appeared on October 17, 2022 in New York Daily … Continued

Anything But Common: First Black Co-CEO of Uncommon Schools

By Eddie Washington There are very few things common about Julie Jackson. For starters, she is the first Black Co-Chief Executive Officer for Uncommon Schools in its 25-year history. Jackson has been in education for nearly 30 years. Her experience started in the classroom as a Teach For America core member in 1994. Since then, … Continued

Roxbury Prep to construct new building in Newmarket

By: Anna Lamb The new campus will serve students in grades 9-12 and combine student populations who are currently taking classes in two different buildings in Hyde Park and Roxbury. The new site will be accessible via four bus lines and a commuter rail, and will include a full-sized gymnasium, cafeteria, performing arts spaces, and … Continued

Pi Day at Roxbury Prep Charter School

On March 14th, middle school students at Roxbury Prep celebrate Pi Day with pie! Students who could recite the most digits of Pi got to throw Pi in their teachers’ faces! “I think it’s a fun celebration of the things that they’re learning and a moment of collective joy,” Principal Tim O’Leary said. “If we’re … Continued

Uncommon receives grant from U.S. Department of Education to create Computer Science program

We are thrilled to announce that Uncommon has been awarded a highly competitive $4 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The EIR grants support “local efforts to develop, implement, and take to scale entrepreneurial and evidence-based projects that have the potential to improve academic achievement for underserved students.” … Continued

The Karen Hunter Show featuring Juliana Worrell: How can schools close learning gaps caused by the pandemic?

Juliana Worrell, Chief Schools Officer K-8 and co-author of Great Habits, Great Readers, was a recent guest on the Karen Hunter Show to discuss how teaching phonics can close literacy gaps, and how schools and school leaders can close learning gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen to the full interview: The Karen Hunter Show … Continued

It starts with phonics: Chief Schools Officer K-8, Juliana Worrell appears on BNC to discuss reading education

Juliana Worrell, Chief Schools Officer K-8 and co-author of Great Habits, Great Readers, recently appeared on Black News Channel (BNC) to discuss reading education and why phonics-based instruction is crucial. According to Worrell, “When we think about what are the best practices, we have to get back to the neuroscience, we have to get back … Continued

School Leader’s View: NYC’s New Chancellor Admitted We’re Teaching Reading All Wrong. Now Is the Time to Get It Right

Juliana Worrell, Chief Schools Officer K-8, recently contributed to The 74 Million and responded to NYC Public Schools Chancellor David Banks’ recent comments on reading education. To build a foundation for developing strong readers, Worrell shared three important recommendations: Basing reading instruction on the science Providing teachers support and training Equipping students with complex and … Continued