Uncommon Schools
Uncommon Schools (Uncommon) is a non-profit organization in the United States that starts and manages urban charter public schools that prepare low-income students to graduate from college. Uncommon develops and manages regional networks that are philosophically aligned, and currently manages 24 schools in New York City, upstate New York, Newark, New Jersey, and Boston, Massachusetts. The group plans to manage 38 schools, serving nearly 14,000 K through 12th grade students.[1]
History
The organization first supported the creation of North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, which opened in 1997. North Star was co-founded by Norman Atkins and Jamie Verilli. In 2005, Uncommon formalized its mission as a charter management organization with the goal of starting and managing schools that create college prep opportunities for low-income children.[1]
Schools
Uncommon manages six regional networks of schools:
- Preparatory Charter Schools, MA
- Excellence Charter Schools, NY
- North Star Academy Charter Schools, NJ
- Collegiate Charter Schools, NY
- True North Public Schools, NY
- Leadership Charter Schools, NY
Results
New York
2010 Math Exam Highlights:
- Uncommon’s students reversed the racial and economic achievement gaps in Math, outperforming the state’s White and non low-income students by wide margins
- Uncommon ranked in the top 10% of all NYS school districts and charter management organizations in 3rd – 8th grade Math
- Uncommon ranked #1 in 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Math among all predominantly low-income NYS school districts and charter management organizations with more than 1000 test-takers
2010 English Language Arts Exam Highlights:
- Uncommon’s students outperformed the state average in ELA
- Uncommon ranked in the top 4% of all NYS school districts and charter management organizations in 8th grade ELA
- Uncommon ranked #1 in 3rd, 7th, and 8th grade ELA among all predominantly low-income NYS school districts and charter management organizations with more than 1000 test-takers[2]
New Jersey
On September 9th, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recognized Uncommon Schools’ North Star Academy as a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School. The highest award bestowed by the Department, it honors 304 public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that demonstrate the highest student achievement in their respective states and/or have closed the achievement gap.
The 2010 NJASK results revealed North Star Academy’s award-winning performance.
- North Star’s 5th – 8th grade students outperformed the state averages in both Math and ELA.
- North Star’s 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students reversed the racial achievement gap by outperforming the state’s White students in both Math and ELA.[2]
Massachusetts
Roxbury Prep showed strong results in line with its performance over the past eleven years on the 2010 MCAS.
- Roxbury Prep’s 6th – 8th grade students outperformed the state averages in both Math and ELA.
- Roxbury Prep’s 6th – 8th grade students reversed the racial achievement gap in Math by outperforming the state’s White students
- 100% of Roxbury Prep’s 8th grade class passed the Math and ELA exams, scoring Advanced or Proficient at a rate of 82% and 93% respectively, exceeding the state’s White student averages by wide margins[2]
References
External links