News

Uncommon Schools Awarded Special Education Grant

  • February 27, 2020

At Uncommon Schools, we believe that every child deserves an outstanding education. This is especially true for students with disabilities and Individual Education Plans (IEPs), English language learners, and any student requiring additional services to succeed academically. Our approach is premised on a love of learning and a fierce dedication to preparing all students to graduate from college and achieve their dreams.

To that end, we’re excited to announce that we have been awarded a Charter Students with Disabilities Pilot Community Grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This three-year grant will support research, planning, and implementation of new special education initiatives in two Uncommon high schools, with the ultimate goal of helping us to improve the differentiated, appropriately rigorous learning environments we provide to students with disabilities throughout their entire K-12 experience.

Uncommon is proud to be among the 10 CMO grantees supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to pilot new approaches to special education in our secondary schools. Innovation in this area is imperative: One in five children in the United States have special learning or attention needs. Roughly 20 percent of students with disabilities achieve proficiency on state assessments, and on average fewer than 70 percent earn a high school diploma within four years. As a nation, we can and must do better. We thank the Gates Foundation and our fellow grantees for their support as we work toward a brighter future for all our children.

In an op-ed for T74, Bob Hughes explains the purpose of the grant and its potential impact on special education.


Updated March 5, 2020 to include Bob Hughes’ T74 op-ed.