Uncommon Schools adopta las matemáticas ilustrativas para acelerar drásticamente el rendimiento de los alumnos

  Starting this school year (2024-2025), all 23 of our Uncommon Schools’ 5th and 6th grade classrooms across Brooklyn, Newark, Camden, Boston, and Rochester will be using the Illustrative Math curriculum. Like many schools nationwide, teachers at Uncommon have struggled to reverse the pandemic-related learning loss. We decided that making the shift to a new … Continúa en

Cinco maneras de colaborar con las familias en la ciencia de la lectura

  The partnership between educators and families is one of the most powerful incentives to get students to reach their reading goals. As emerging readers navigate the summer months and return to school in the fall, teachers and parents must join forces to continue to build the foundational skills for reading by practicing beyond the … Continúa en

Por qué sus estudiantes deberían solicitar la decisión anticipada

For so many students, this month is the time to decide where to go to college for the fall. At Uncommon Schools, many of our students made the decision months ago because they were admitted via early decision. Students who are making plans for where to apply in the fall should consider early decision.  Some … Continúa en

"Vendido un cuento" es un renovado llamamiento a la acción

54% of American adults between the ages of 16-74 read below a 6th grade level.  That number is staggering.  That number means 130 million adults in our country face lost earning potential and are not equipped with the literacy skills needed to effectively self-advocate for themselves or to engage as citizens of a democracy. While … Continúa en

Studying our Nation’s Complicated History: Leveraging Productive Struggle for Student Growth

Last winter, I got a call about Emmett Till. The caller was a member of my team, one of a brilliant group of teachers and planners who develop middle and high school history curriculum and assessments. This team member was creating curriculum for Uncommon Schools’ first African-American History course, and asked for help framing his … Continúa en

Why Trust and Rapport Matter to School Leadership, and How to Foster It

Having an effective principal is a key driver of student success, teacher retention, and teacher satisfaction. Unfortunately, across the country, we’re seeing a decline in school leaders’ average number of years of experience, especially within the highest-need schools. Over the past several years, we at Uncommon have been laser-focused on cultivating a pipeline of teachers … Continúa en

Two Surprising Secrets to Academic Success

Welcome back to another school year! I love so many things about this season, but I especially enjoy reconnecting with our returning teachers and meeting the new additions to our team. This year, I was thrilled to see a returning teacher, Mr. Shawn Toulson, who also happened to be my student in my first year … Continúa en

Our Plans for the 2022-2023 School Year

Almost one-year ago, we shared our K-12 plan for the 21-22 school year in Our Plans to Reverse COVID-related Learning Loss. Our approach was designed to address both the academic and the social-emotional needs of our students grounded in the pillars of staff and student wellness, prioritizing reading instruction in K-6, small group instruction focused … Continúa en

Look Who’s Talking!: Building a ‘Brave Space’ in Class

   “To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin.” -bell hooks My teenage years included trips to the movie theater where I was mesmerized by 3D movies. I loved watching … Continúa en

Yes! You can teach sight words efficiently. Here’s how.

Cajsa is a 1st grader at Leadership Prep Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. In September 2021, after a year and a half of remote learning over Zoom, she started the year as a STEP 1 (Fountas and Pinnell (F&P) Level A), with a reading accuracy of only 83% (90% is a passing score). In just 6 … Continúa en

One Year of Uncommon Sense

One year ago, we introduced Uncommon Sense, a blog whose intention is to introduce you to some of the incredible members of our Uncommon team along with ready-to-use resources and the cutting-edge research that we utilize to drive student engagement and achievement.  Our hope was and continues to be that when asked, “Are your students … Continúa en

Getting to Why: Developing Inspirational Leaders by Connecting to Purpose

“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.” —Dr. Maya Angelou I began my career at Uncommon Schools as a teacher. As part of my hiring process, I guest-taught a lesson. It didn’t go well. I knew it, and the hiring principal Michael Mann knew … Continúa en

Introducing Uncommon’s Open Source AP Curriculum Hub

At Uncommon Schools, we are deeply committed to supporting our students to get to and through college, which includes providing a college-ready academic course trajectory with preparation that allows all students to access Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Research indicates that students who take at least one AP course perform better in college than those who … Continúa en

Nuestros planes para invertir la pérdida de aprendizaje relacionada con COVID

The 2021-2022 school year launches in two months and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome our students to a new school year full of fresh opportunities. The reality of COVID learning loss requires us to set a bold and necessary goal: to reverse 100% of COVID-related learning loss by June 2022. To achieve this … Continúa en

Para aprovechar al máximo los cursos de verano, hay que redoblar la lectura

This year kids and teachers across the country have faced unprecedented challenges, both in and out of school. Despite schools’, teachers’, and parents’ heroic efforts, we know many students have lost instructional time and have fallen behind where they traditionally should be academically. Education leaders across the country are determined to find ways to make … Continúa en

Using Desmos to Drive Mathematical Discourse

Before the pandemic shut down school buildings, one of Lauren Masco’s best teacher moves was strategically walking around the classroom to observe students’ math work. Based on trending student thinking, Lauren would be able to quickly determine which students she should call on in order to orchestrate discourse based on students’ mathematical understandings and misconceptions. … Continúa en

¿Aprenden, crecen y prosperan los estudiantes? Construir una comunidad de alumnos

Welcome to the first entry of the Uncommon Schools instructional blog, Uncommon Sense! We are excited to connect you with some of the incredible members of our Uncommon team along with ready-to-use resources and the cutting-edge research we utilize to drive student engagement and achievement. Our hope is that this blog may spark a new … Continúa en

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