Category: News
Chalkbeat: Newark Classrooms Reopen
TAPinto Camden: Camden Prep Partners With CAMcare Health Corp. for Vaccines
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
USA Today Op-Ed: Now is the time to overhaul teacher training
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
North Star Academy Recognized in Stanford University’s 2021 CREDO Study
Bloomberg: Uncommon Students Remain a Priority Beyond HS Graduation
Uncommon Sense: An Instructional Blog for Educators by Educators
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
Teach Like A Champion’s Timely New Guide to Online Teaching and Learning
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 HS Students Dive Into STEM With Robotics
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
Washington Post: Students Learn from People Who Love Them
Kings County Politics: Uncommon Hosts Halloween Voter Info Event
Kings County Politics: 10,000 Uncommon Schools Students Throughout Brooklyn blaze path for blended learning
Juliana Worrell Selected for Broad Center’s Inaugural Cohort of Public Education Leadership Fellows
Shradha Patel Named to Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 for 2020
Rochester Beacon: Alumna Returns to Alma Mater to Teach
Uncommon Schools in Visionaries Documentary on PBS
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
Bellwether Education Report: Uncommon’s Responses to COVID-19
The Final Round: Brett Peiser on How Uncommon is Adapting to Hybrid Learning
Charter School Growth Fund: How Teachers Quickly Respond to Student Work
Uncommon Partners with Citi’s e for education Campaign for 6th Year
TapInto Newark: An Alumnus Returns to His Alma Mater to Teach
Roxbury Prep Alumna Returns to Boston Roots as Summer Teaching Fellow
“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
Fordham Institute Report: Lessons from Leading Charter Networks Transitioning to Remote Learning
Forbes: Uncommon U-Turn Should Help Consign No Excuses Schools To History
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
WHYY: Educators Try to Solve Problem That Keeps Changing During Pandemic
TapInto Camden: Camden Schools Receive Grants to Help With Covid-19
Seck Barry on Camden Prep’s Remote Learning During the Pandemic
TapInto Newark: Newark Charters Release Standards for Reopening Schools
Kings County Politics: Summer Teaching Fellowship Trains Future Brooklyn Teachers
North Star Academy Seniors Celebrate with Drive-Thru Graduation
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
North Star Academy, Newark Charters Plan for Remote Start to School Year
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
New Principal, New High School in Camden
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
North Star Principal Joins Panel Discussion on School Reopening
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
Cannon Design: Uncommon HS Students Learn How to Make Wellness Relevant in Virtual Exercise
Uncommon High School Students Conduct Research on Microplastics
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
Boston Business Journal: Long Wait to Build New School Leaves Questions
The 74: Researchers Find Top Results for Newark, Boston, Pittsburgh
Opinion: If Black Lives Matter, City Would Hold Hearing for Roxbury Prep
Boston Globe Editorial: Roxbury Prep’s Future Offers Chance for Healing
Boston Globe Editorial: New Roxbury Prep HS Can Be Part of ‘Equitable City for All’
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
PopSugar: More Black Teachers Can Benefit All Students
NJ Latino News: High School Seniors Awarded $75,000 in Scholarships
Rochester Prep Seniors Celebrate College Signing Day
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 Middle School Graduates Its First Class
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
Excellence Boys Organize Protest March in Brooklyn
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
Roxbury Prep Seniors Announce Colleges at Virtual Event
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
Uncommon Schools Offers Day of Reflection, Mourning
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 to Close for Mental Health Day on June 1
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 Places at National Spoken Word Competition
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
Roxbury Prep Alumna Delivers Period Care Kits During Pandemic
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