Leadership Prep Canarsie Wins Sports Grant

December 10, 2022 | SNY When Coach Flaherty at Leadership Prep Canarsie Middle Academy (LPCMA) heard that Chick-fil-a was partnering with SNY SportsNite to give away over $12000 in grant funding to youth basketball leagues, he knew he had to apply for his school. Flaherty won $2,500 for his basketball team, supplying LPCMA with sports … Continued

A call to teach now more than ever

By Brett Peiser In this New York Daily News Op-Ed, Uncommon Schools’ co-CEO Brett Peiser acknowledges how hard the past two-and-a-half years have been on teachers, but he also knows that students and families need teachers now more than ever. Read this story as it originally appeared on October 17, 2022 in New York Daily … Continued

Co-CEOs Brett Peiser and Julie Jackson named to 2022 Power Players in Education

Uncommon Co-CEOs Brett Peiser and Julie Jackson have been named to Politics NY’s list of 2022 Power Players in Education. Before becoming Co-CEO of Uncommon Schools, Peiser served as managing director of Uncommon Schools NYC. Peiser is the founder and former principal, and executive director of Boston Collegiate Charter School, and a former History teacher. … Continued

Morehouse Men Visit Excellence Boys Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, NY — “Welcome to Little Morehouse!” Principal Quinterrence Bell cheered as a big travel bus pulled up in front of Excellence Boys Charter School on Patchen Avenue and the 50 Morehouse Men inside started streaming out to the sidewalk.  The Morehouse students had been on the bus for over 14 hours, having left Atlanta Thursday … Continued

Camden Prep Teacher Competes on Survivor Season 43

Morriah Young, a middle school performing arts teacher at Camden Prep, competed on Season 43 of Survivor. Young states that she spent her formative years watching Survivor with her late mother, who only recently passed away. She said that the entire reason she is participating in this season is to “commemorate and honor her.” Young explained … Continued

North Star’s Samuel Bendinelli Nominated for Chalkbeat’s Abbott Elementary Inspired Poll

Celebrating the success of “Abbott Elementary,” a wildly popular television sitcom centered on an optimistic Philadelphia school teacher, Chalkbeat asked readers to nominate teachers who are their real-life versions of “Mrs. Howard” — teachers who continuously demonstrated dedication and caring during the pandemic. North Star’s WPHS Samuel Bendinelli was nominated by one of his former … Continued

Recovering From Remote Learning’s Shortfalls

Millions of students have not caught up academically after remote learning, and Uncommon Schools is making up for that. Fairmount Elementary Principal, Tameka Royal, uses pep rallies to increase enthusiasm for learning with her students. “Always stand up and always speak out. There is no substitute for in-person learning,” says Royal. The school is utilizing … Continued

Roxbury Prep is Focused on Solving Boston’s Teacher Shortage

This summer, rising college seniors from across the country came to Roxbury Prep for a five-week fellowship that offered hands-on classroom and instructional experience. Similar to previous years’ cohorts, most of them headed back to their final year in college with a job offer in hand to come back and teach at Roxbury Prep when … Continued

Anything But Common: First Black Co-CEO of Uncommon Schools

By Eddie Washington There are very few things common about Julie Jackson. For starters, she is the first Black Co-Chief Executive Officer for Uncommon Schools in its 25-year history. Jackson has been in education for nearly 30 years. Her experience started in the classroom as a Teach For America core member in 1994. Since then, … Continued

Uncommon Schools’ Summer Program Is Helping College Students Become Teachers

By Molly Chandler | Posted on June 28, 2022 Between her junior and senior years at DePauw University in Indiana in 2014, Estrella De La Torre spent the summer at an elementary school in Brownsville as a Summer Teaching Fellow. At the time, De La Torre had no interest in becoming a teacher, but a fellow … Continued

Mission Hill Graduating Senior Looks Towards a Career in Health Science; Will Attend BU in the Fall

by Lauren Bennett • June 2, 2022 | Mission Hill Gazette Mission Hill resident Wahaaj Farah is gearing up to attend Boston University in the fall, after graduating from Roxbury Prep on June 1. Farah was an active participant in Roxbury Prep’s High School 2.0 program during his high school years, where he took part in Quiz Bowl … Continued

Brooklyn Students Move on To Next Phase of Their Journey

BY MOLLY CHANDLER |Posted Wed, Jun 1, 2022 Nearly 450 students from Uncommon Schools’ four high schools in Brooklyn announced their plans to attend college or other programs before an audience of teachers, underclassmen, and their families during uplifting celebrations last week. The Senior Signing Day celebrations are similar to ceremonies where student-athletes announce what Division … Continued

North Star Academy Graduates Celebrate the Coming Journey

By TAPINTO NEWARK |Published May 31, 2022 at 6:43 PM Growing up in Newark’s South Ward, Devia’N Parker Rogers had a lot of pets  – dogs, turtles, fish. “I was always really excited to be around animals,” Parker Rogers said. “I was really shy around other people socially and kind of introverted, so I really … Continued

Senior Signing Day at Roxbury Prep

BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — It’s a big day for graduating seniors at one of Boston’s charter schools. On Senior Signing Day Thursday, Roxbury Prep students let their teachers and classmates know their plans after graduation. Students cheered at the Reggie Lewis Center as many seniors unveiled college T-shirts to the crowd, announcing their pick. Stanaelle Celestin held … Continued

Program helping combat teacher shortage in Rochester

The worker shortage is affecting a wide variety of professions, including teaching. Local school districts are dealing with a shortage of both teachers and staff, just like every other district in New York. Rochester Prep is trying to combat the shortage by helping people who want to become teachers go to school to do so … Continued

Roxbury Prep to construct new building in Newmarket

By: Anna Lamb The new campus will serve students in grades 9-12 and combine student populations who are currently taking classes in two different buildings in Hyde Park and Roxbury. The new site will be accessible via four bus lines and a commuter rail, and will include a full-sized gymnasium, cafeteria, performing arts spaces, and … Continued

Pi Day at Roxbury Prep Charter School

On March 14th, middle school students at Roxbury Prep celebrate Pi Day with pie! Students who could recite the most digits of Pi got to throw Pi in their teachers’ faces! “I think it’s a fun celebration of the things that they’re learning and a moment of collective joy,” Principal Tim O’Leary said. “If we’re … Continued

Uncommon receives grant from U.S. Department of Education to create Computer Science program

We are thrilled to announce that Uncommon has been awarded a highly competitive $4 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The EIR grants support “local efforts to develop, implement, and take to scale entrepreneurial and evidence-based projects that have the potential to improve academic achievement for underserved students.” … Continued

The Karen Hunter Show featuring Juliana Worrell: How can schools close learning gaps caused by the pandemic?

Juliana Worrell, Chief Schools Officer K-8 and co-author of Great Habits, Great Readers, was a recent guest on the Karen Hunter Show to discuss how teaching phonics can close literacy gaps, and how schools and school leaders can close learning gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen to the full interview: The Karen Hunter Show … Continued

It starts with phonics: Chief Schools Officer K-8, Juliana Worrell appears on BNC to discuss reading education

Juliana Worrell, Chief Schools Officer K-8 and co-author of Great Habits, Great Readers, recently appeared on Black News Channel (BNC) to discuss reading education and why phonics-based instruction is crucial. According to Worrell, “When we think about what are the best practices, we have to get back to the neuroscience, we have to get back … Continued

School Leader’s View: NYC’s New Chancellor Admitted We’re Teaching Reading All Wrong. Now Is the Time to Get It Right

Juliana Worrell, Chief Schools Officer K-8, recently contributed to The 74 Million and responded to NYC Public Schools Chancellor David Banks’ recent comments on reading education. To build a foundation for developing strong readers, Worrell shared three important recommendations: Basing reading instruction on the science Providing teachers support and training Equipping students with complex and … Continued

Is math education racist? Debate rages over changes to how US teaches the subject

By Erin Richards, Emily Bloch, Gary Stern, and Christine Fernando   Uncommon Schools’ assistant superintendent, Paul Powell, and dean of curriculum and instruction, Alexandria Timoll, are quoted in this in-depth article. The story also spotlights Leadership Prep Canarsie in Brooklyn. Read this story as it originally appeared on December 7, 2021 in USA Today. (Subscription … Continued

Uncommon Leaders Share 5 Recommendations With NYC Mayor-Elect Adams

Uncommon Schools believes that every child deserves an outstanding education, and we are committed to working beyond the walls of our schools to achieve that goal. President Julie Jackson and CEO Brett Peiser recently contributed an opinion piece to New York Daily News outlining their top five recommendations to Mayor-Elect Eric Adams, who has pledged … Continued

13 Uncommon Seniors Receive QuestBridge Scholarships to Top Schools

Please join us in congratulating Uncommon’s QuestBridge Scholars! Thirteen seniors from Uncommon’s network in New Jersey, Rochester, and Brooklyn have accepted their QuestBridge matches and will receive full four-year scholarships to 9 colleges and universities, including Wellesley and Yale. We are so proud of these graduating seniors and the work they have done to achieve … Continued

Education Next: Roxbury Prep withdraws proposal for new high school location

News12 Brooklyn: Students start day with meditation, yoga

Op-Ed: HBCUs are a beacon of promise and pride

Patch.com: UCC receives grant for HBCU Empowerment Tour

Black News Channel: Art Worrell on the Importance of Access to AP Courses

Studies show that students who take Advanced Placement (AP) classes are more likely to graduate from college, yet most students of color have little to no access to AP courses in their schools. This can have a huge impact on their post-secondary education journey. At Uncommon Schools, over 95 percent of our students take AP … Continued

CBS News: Uncommon Camden Prep Celebrates Success of Turnaround Efforts

Camden Prep, part of the Uncommon Schools network, was featured on CBS Evening News for its dramatic school turnaround. In just three years, the percentage of students who met or exceeded proficiency standards in English language arts soared from just 3 percent to 60 percent. Math scores rose from 4 percent to 50 percent at … Continued

11 Rochester Prep Alumni Join RIT City Scholars Program

Chalkbeat NY: Parents, Educators Emphasize Need for Mental Health Supports

TAPinto Newark: Schools Get Students Excited for Back to School

US history is complex. Scholars say this is the right way to teach about slavery, racism. 

By Erin Richards  Uncommon Schools’ Director of 5-12 History Curriculum, Art Worrell, is quoted in this in-depth story. Read this story as it originally appeared on August 24, 2021 in USA Today. (Subscription may be required.) A Houston teenager preternaturally keen on research and activism was at home this summer, searching for a bill about … Continued

Patch.com: ‘BBQ for a Cause’ Celebrates Newark

Brooklyn Paper: Summer School Aims to Reclaim What COVID Stole

The 74: Summer Rocket Program Connects Girls to STEM

News10: Camden Prep Works to Close COVID-Related Learning Loss

Spectrum News1: Rochester Prep Works to Close COVID-Related Learning Loss

Read the full story here.

KPVI: Uncommon Director of College Completion Recognized for Expanding Education Opportunities

NJ Ed Report: Parent of Special Needs Student Thankful for City’s Approval of New High School

Rochester Beacon: Rochester Prep Educators Kept Students’ Dreams Alive During Pandemic

Uncommon Charter High School Recognized as 20-21 PLTW Distinguished High School

We are proud to announce that Uncommon Charter High School has been recognized as a 2020-21 PLTW Distinguished High School. This award is given to schools and districts that are committed to helping students own their education by increasing student access, engagement, and achievement through program partnerships with Project Lead the Way.

Forbes & Entrepreneur: Where Students Find Their Passion

Education Next: Alumni Receive Support to Navigate Transition to College

Chalkbeat: North Star Students Launch Wellness Council

Patch.com: Roxbury Principal Honored by Boston Red Sox

BBVA Podcast: Doug Lemov discusses the effects of reading on students

Teaching Today Podcast: Excellence Boys Principal Joins Discussion on Single-Sex Schools

Teaching Today · Data on Single-Sex Schools

TAPinto: New High School Building for Camden Prep Approved

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