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.

The partnership between educators and families is one of the most powerful incentives to get students to reach their reading goals.

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. 

Pandemic-related disruptions in teaching and learning have affected students and schools across the globe, and Uncommon Schools is no exception. Like national trends, our students were hardest hit in mathematics. Over the past two years, we seized the opportunity to step back and consider our vision for math instruction, while staying true to our mission to prepare all students to graduate from college and achieve their dreams. 

With a strategically placed knowledge drop, alongside intentionally organized resources, we can prepare students to analyze sources in a way that keeps the cognitive demands high and the scaffolding low.

Coding is a fundamental literacy, similar to reading. Uncommon Schools hosted a coding boot camp that inspired educators to incorporate coding into their curriculum and ignited a passion for computer science in the classroom.

The Science of Reading (SoR) can be a game changer for students, especially student demographics that have historically struggled in reading. However, as states figure out how to fully implement SoR into classrooms across the country, one key ingredient of success is often still missing: effective teacher and leader training. 

The Uncommon Schools Lead from Within Fellowship is currently accepting interest from and nominations for principals of color entering their 1st-3rd year of the role at traditional district and charter schools.