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
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
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
Senior Signing Days are usually a raucous affair with students and families convening at a theater, all cheering as each senior declares where they will be going to college. This year, the event turned virtual on Youtube. Students proudly shared which college they will be graduating from in four years, and listened to guest speaker … Continued
Camden Prep Mt. Ephraim Middle School graduated its first class of 38 students this month. To mark the special occasion, Camden Prep teachers bought students gifts. “We wanted to make our kids feel special,” said Principal Tom Weishaupt. “We know how hard they worked for this moment and even though we are not together we … Continued
Teachers from Uncommon Schools Excellence Boys organized a protest march that attracted about 5,000 participants. Calling themselves Educators for Justice, the rally protested the injustices experienced in communities of color. Educators, according to the group, are “front line workers who are responsible for developing and shaping the next generation.” Several Uncommon Schools teachers spoke at … Continued
Senior Signing Days are usually a raucous affair with students and families convening at a theater, all cheering as each senior declares where they will be going to college. This year, the event moved online. Titciana Barros, Roxbury Prep High School Principal, opened the ceremony acknowledging recent events. School staff also presented core values awards … Continued
Cities and communities across the U.S. responded in anguish and outrage following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As part of that response, Uncommon Schools cancelled class for a day to provide its staff, students, and community space to reflect, mourn, and heal. “It became abundantly clear that we — even myself, as … Continued
Uncommon Schools is taking an organization-wide mental health day June 1, 2020 for the sake of our community. Like you, we spent the weekend watching, reading, grieving, raging, reflecting, and marching. We spent the weekend trying to explain to our own children what was going on, as we tried to explain it to ourselves. As … Continued
Roxbury Prep’s spoken word team called INSOMNIA placed first in quarter finals, and second in semifinals in the Get Lit Slam Classic, an annual spoken word competition that uses poetry to increase literacy and empower youth. The Slam Classic is typically held in California, and Roxbury Prep’s INSOMNIA was headed to the Golden State for … Continued
Bria Gadsden, a Roxbury Prep alumna, is helping Boston women access period care kits during the COVID-19 pandemic. With stay-at-home orders in place, access to menstrual health materials became difficult for some women in the city. To help solve this, Bria has created care kits with enough pads for one cycle, along with other items … Continued
North Star Academy student Darius Brown has been using his sewing skills to help animals get adopted. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, however, he’s shifted his focus. According to local news outlets and People.com, Darius shifted production from pet accessories to face masks for frontline health workers.
via TapInto Newark Performing Arts teachers at Uncommon North Star Academy and Camden Prep created a musical video in which they sing about Uncommon’s mission. The video is just one of a handful of ways that our teachers are reaching out to their students during on-going social distancing and stay-at-home orders as a result of … Continued
One Mission, One Vision. We may be separated from one another during this pandemic, but we are together in one purpose. With joy and love, our teachers continue to show their commitment to their students and families. North Star Academy and Camden Prep performing arts teachers created this video, singing out our mission to get … Continued
When Mike Taubman was studying to become a teacher, he didn’t buy the anti-charter school sentiment. As an undergraduate, he interned at Uncommon Schools and now, at 39, is in his 15th year at the network and thriving. Many teachers at charter schools, like Taubman, are willing to work the long hours because, writes Jay … Continued
In an op-ed for the Rochester Beacon, Assistant Superintendent Paul Powell describes how Uncommon Schools Rochester Prep revamped itself to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Echoing CEO Brett Peiser’s op-ed in the New York Daily News, Powell highlights the principles that guided this work, and how teachers are creating virtual curricula and … Continued
As news of possible school closings and stay-at-home orders mounted, Uncommon Schools Roxbury Prep knew it must plan for online teaching and learning to continue its mission. The week prior to closing, school leaders and teachers surveyed families for technology and service needs, trained staff and students, and made sure that every student who needed … Continued
When New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the closure of all schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hofstra’s School of Education had over 130 student teachers placed throughout Long Island the New York metro area. Thanks to the actions of Jay Lewis, Hofstra’s Associate Dean for External Relations, Field Place and Recruitment, 100 percent … Continued
Many educators across the country are navigating a huge challenge: how to keep students learning while away from school during the coronavirus pandemic. As Juliana Worrell notes in an op-ed for The 74, we created a remote learning platform that we believe will keep K-8 students learning until we’re able to return to classrooms. We … Continued
When schools closed at the end of March 13, 900 Camden Prep students were sent home with paper-based remote learning packets so they could continue practicing previously learned materials. On March 30, a whole new type of online learning begin. A family and student-facing website that contains videos of master educators teaching various subjects, along … Continued
On March 16, Uncommon Schools closed all its schools, including its four high schools, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The next day, over 4,000 high school students logged online for remote learning. The transition to online learning was completed in one day. This meant students were safe and could continue their learning uninterrupted, including … Continued
When schools closed at the end of March 13, students in K-8 at North Star Academy were sent home with paper-based remote learning packets so they could continue practicing previously learned materials. For the high school students, time was of the essence. The Advanced Placement Exams were just a few weeks away, and almost all … Continued
No one knew how much the coronavirus pandemic would impact K-12 learning. Schools, including Uncommon Schools, initially made sure their students had enough learning packets and assignments for about two weeks. It quickly became apparent that more was needed. Starting March 30, every Uncommon student will be on a virtual school program with daily lessons … Continued
A Freeport-based nonprofit, The Book Fairies, donated more than 11,000 books so children can keep reading during the coronavirus pandemic. Educators approached the organization about books to send home to students. In response, Book Fairies temporarily opened its headquarters for scheduled pick-ups. Natasha Cherry-Perez, Senior Associate Director of Community Engagement, went to pick up books … Continued
Days after we closed all of our school, Uncommon opened back up as a remote learning organization. In New York City alone we were serving nearly 10,000 students in their homes. Our teachers and staff scrambled to survey families about their Internet capabilities, became couriers to get equipment to families, and made wellness calls to … Continued
Boston Public School Students Continue to Advocate for a Permanent High School Building That Is Already Zoned for a School BOSTON — Students from Roxbury Prep High School will sit in silent protest at the next Boston Planning and Development Agency meeting to continue to advocate for a permanent home for their high school. For … Continued
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