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 of our students, staff and families with viewers around the country.

Earlier this year, before the pandemic, the production crew from Visionaries visited Uncommon Schools in New York City, Boston and Camden to capture our schools in action and to speak with members of our community about their Uncommon experience.

What Visionaries discovered is that there are many factors that make Uncommon Schools great: from real time coaching for teachers to having students see themselves in the adults around them, from Advanced Placement for All to a dual leader model that allows principals to spend their time focused on academics and school culture.

But what comes through loud and clear in interviews with Uncommon School leaders is that it all begins with love. “Students learn from people who love them. They will be motivated and inspired and you can push them toward greatness if they know deep down you care about them,” Uncommon Schools President Julie Jackson explains.

For the past 20+ years, we have been living our mission to support our students on their journey to and through college. Our high school alumni graduate from college at five times the rate of low-income students nationally.

The 30-minute segment, hosted by Sam Waterston, began airing on PBS stations throughout the nation in September.