|
|
|
|
The mission of Uncommon Schools is to start and manage outstanding urban charter public schools that close the achievement gap and prepare low-income students to graduate from college.
Thank you for your interest in Uncommon Schools. We invite you to learn more!
|
|
|
 |
|
July 19, 2010
New Podcast: Learning from Great Teachers
Uncommon Schools Managing Director Doug Lemov talks with Education Next about his efforts to identify what great teachers are doing in the classroom.
|
|
 |
|
June 27, 2010
Kings Collegiate featured on 60 Minutes
Kings Collegiate and 7th grade student Darius Archer are highlighted on CBS's 60 Minutes.
|
|
 |
|
June 16, 2010
Enterprising Willamette graduate leads successful inner-city charter school
Julie Kennedy, Founding Principal of Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School, featured in article, "Clearing a Path to College"
|
|
|
|
June 14, 2010
Uncommon Schools Chief Operating Officer featured in Democrat and Chronicle
Dan Deckman, Chief Operating Officer for True North Network, featured in interview
|
|
|
|
June 10, 2010
Uncommon Schools Expands to Boston
Uncommon announces new partnership with Roxbury Prep
|
|
 |
|
May 15, 2010
Obama's education czar charters a course to Brooklyn
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visits Kings Collegiate Charter School
- The New York Post
|
|
 |
|
May 11, 2010
Simple Techniques Can Make You a Great Teacher
Uncommons Schools Managing Director Doug Lemov, North Star Academy Vailsburg Elementary Principal Julie Jackson, and Williamsburg Collegiate Principal Julie Kennedy discuss the Taxonomy of Effective Teaching Practices
- NPR's Talk of the Nation
|
|
 |
|
May 3, 2010
Celebrating the Future. Putting Children First.
Mayor Robert J. Duffy mentions True North Rochester Preparatory Charter School in 2010 State of the City Address
- City of Rochester, New York
|
|
 |
|
May 1, 2010
Despite Push, Success at Charter Schools is Mixed
Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School featured in article discussing charter schools across the country
- The New York Times
|
|
 |
|
April 23, 2010
Newark Education Standards
Newark Mayor Corey Booker references North Star Academy on CNN's AC360
- CNN AC360
|
|
 |
|
April 20, 2010
Jim Cramer discusses his visit to Kings Collegiate Charter School
- CNBC Mad Money
|
|
|
|
April 19, 2010
Duncan Prescribes Drastic Measures for Schools
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan cites Uncommon Schools leader Doug Lemov's work in NPR interview with Neal Conan
- NPR's Talk of the Nation
|
|
|
|
April 18, 2010
Alternate Path for Teachers Gains Ground
Leadership Prep Bedford Stuyvesant Charter School featured in article discussing alternative certification programs
- The New York Times
|
|
|
|
March 23, 2010
Better training, better teachers
- The Boston Globe
|
|
 |
|
March 7, 2010
Building a Better Teacher
Uncommon's Taxonomy of Effective Teaching Practices featured in article on efforts to enhance teacher effectiveness.
- The New York Times Magazine
|
|
|
|
November 22, 2009
City schools may imitate best of charter schools
- Democrat and Chronicle
|
|
 |
|
October 5, 2009
Uncommon school with lofty goals
- The Record
|
|
 |
|
September 24, 2009
Troy Prep Charter School opens its doors
- Capital News 9
|
|
|
|
September 20, 2009
Brooklyn's John King tapped to lead school reform efforts, says school saved his life
- The New York Daily News
|
|
|
|
September 20, 2009
Taking N.Y. to school: New ed chief King must lead the way to high achievement
- The New York Daily News
|
|
|
|
September 15, 2009
Uncommon Schools Managing Director John King to Join New York State Education Department as Senior Deputy Commissioner for P-12 Education
Managing Director Brett Peiser to lead Uncommon's New York City schools
|
|
|
|
September 14, 2009
State Board of Regents Appoints Deputy Commissioner to Lead Education Reform Effort
Uncommon Schools Managing Director John King is appointed to lead New York State's school reform efforts.
|
|
|
|
June 25, 2009
Secretary Duncan Takes Listening Tour to New Jersey
On June 5, Secretary Duncan took his Listening and Learning tour to New Jersey.
- Ed.gov
|
|
|
|
June 17, 2009
Heard on the Tour: North Star Academy
Todd May, Senior Director of the Office of Communications and Outreach at the US Department of Education reflects on passion, commitment, and vision of staff, students, and parents at North Star Academy.
- Ed.gov Blog
|
|
|
|
June 5, 2009
School Stimulus
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announces stimulus funding while visiting North Star Academy's Clinton Hill Campus Middle School.
- NJN News
|
|
|
|
June 5, 2009
U.S. Education Secretary announces $891M in Federal Education Funds for NJ
Secretary Duncan makes
the announcement while visiting North Star Academy's Clinton Hill Campus Middle School to learn about what makes the school so successful.
- The Star Ledger
|
|
|
|
June 5, 2009
U.S. Education Secretary to Visit Newark Charter School North Star Academy
- The Star Ledger
|
|
|
|
June 5, 2009
U.S. Education Secretary Visits North Star Academy on his "Listening and Learning" Tour
|
|
|
|
May 21, 2009
Big Thinking and Radical Dreaming With the Schools Chancellor
Chancellor Joel Klein names Excellence Boys Charter School as a school that exemplifes one of his "dream directives."
-The New York Times
|
|
|
|
May 14, 2009
True North charter puts up some good numbers: True North's ELA test scores offer lessons for district
-Democrat and Chronicle
|
|
|
|
May 4, 2009
Urban Schools Need Better Teachers, Not Excuses, to Close the Education Gap
-Joel I. Klein
US News and World Report
|
|
|
|
April 27, 2009
Collegiate Attitude in Williamsburg
-New York Post
|
|
|
|
March 5, 2009
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan cites Uncommon Schools as an example of charter schools that are raising student performance
-NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook
|
|
|
|
February 16, 2009
Reaching Their Dreams: Education Has Come a Long Way
North Star Academy Elementary School profiled in feature on schools that are effectively closing the achievement gap.
- My9 News WWOR-TV
|
|
|
|
February 4, 2009
Rochester charter schools looking to expand
True North Rochester Preparatory Charter School cited among charter schools for which demand is increasing in Rochester, NY.
-Democrat and Chronicle
|
|
|
|
February 4, 2009
High School and Beyond: Preparing middle school students for the next step is a schoolwide crusade at Roxbury Preparatory Charter School
-Education Week
|
|
|
|
February 2, 2009
Uncommon Schools Boosts Teacher Recruitment Efforts with New Campaign
|
|
|
|
January 2009
Inside Urban Charter Schools
Boston Collegiate Charter School and Roxbury Preparatory Charter School profiled in book released by Harvard Education Press that highlights the practices of highly successful urban schools.
- Katherine K. Merseth
|
|
|
|
January 8, 2009
State of Education: Importance of Innovation
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School featured on “State of Education” show regarding recent study highlighting Boston charter schools’ exceptional academic performance.
- New England Cable News
|
|
|
|
December 8, 2008
Dear Mr. President:
Scholars at Excellence Boys Charter School write letters to President-elect Obama on what his election means to them.
- Essence magazine
|
|
|
|
December 2, 2008
John King, Uncommon's Managing Director of the Excellence and Preparatory networks, honored with Robin Hood Foundation 2008 Hero Award
|
|
|
|
October 20, 2008
North Star Academy Posts Outstanding Results on 2008 New Jersey State Assessments
|
|
|
|
October 3, 2008
Fertile Soil for Charters:
With backing from foundations and a mayor who champions choice, Newark, NJ may emerge as a model for other cities seeking to strengthen and expand their charter school sectors.
-Education Week
|
|
|
|
September 18, 2008
Charter School Brain Drain
Uncommon Schools Managing Director Brett Peiser weighs in on growth opportunities for charter schools.
-WBUR, Boston's NPR News Station
|
|
|
|
September 17, 2008
Excellence Charter School ranked top elementary school in New York City
|
|
|
|
September 14, 2008
Brain Drain: Why so many talented educators are leaving for New York
- James A. Peyser
The Boston Globe
|
|
|
|
August 13, 2008
Charter Schools: Boon or Bust?
North Star Academy featured as a success in analysis of charter schools' impact in New Jersey
- NJ Monthly magazine
|
|
|
|
July 20, 2008
Excellence Charter School Principal featured on CNN Panel
- CNN.com
|
|
|
|
June 25, 2008
Read it here first... - www.whyboysfail.com
Blogger Richard Whitmire praises Excellence's phenomenal 2008 test results.
|
|
|
|
April 1, 2008
Once Upon a time, in the 21st century... - New Jersey Star Ledger
Audible.com CEO Don Katz serves on the Board of Uncommon Schools. Read about Audible's new children's initiative, recently launched at North Star Academy Charter School of Newark.
|
|
|
|
March 2, 2008
Teaching Boys and Girls Separately - New York Times Magazine
|
|
|
|
February 11, 2008
A Defining Moment for Charter Schools? - Education Week
|
|
|
|
|
|
February 5, 2008
College and Charter Groups Team Up to Train Teachers - Education Week
|
|
|
|
|
|
January, 2008
NewSchools Venture Fund Invests $1.7 Million In Uncommon Schools
|
|
|
|
December, 2007
Excellence Charter School -- A Model for Academic Achievement - Children's Defense Fund, Child Watch Column
|
|
|
|
December 20, 2007
Charter Schools Look Good Under Ed Department's Grading System - NY Daily News
|
|
|
|
December 20, 2007
Charter Schools Win Top Grades, Surpass Traditional Public Schools on Report Cards - NY Sun
|
|
|
|
December, 2007
Data in the Driver's Seat - Educational Leadership
|
|
|
|
November 29, 2007
Charter school grows to elementary level – North Star Academy's first class of kindergartners shows promise - The New Jersey Star-Ledger
|
|
|
|
|
November 8, 2007
The great experiment - Bringing accountability and competition to New York City's struggling schools - Economist.com
|
 |
|
November 5, 2007
North Star Academy Receives Education Trust Award - School Recognized for Closing the Achievement Gap - The Education Trust
|
|
 |
|
October 31, 2007
"Talent rich and resource poor" - New York Public Radio
|
|
|
|
|
September 5, 2007
"Specialty Schools Part of City Education Reform Efforts" - NY Daily News
"Brooklyn also opened one new charter school this year, Kings Collegiate Charter School,
which boasts an extended school year and started classes two weeks ago."
|
|
| |
|
August 28, 2007
"Chartering a Quick Start" - NY Daily News
"At Kings Collegiate in East Flatbush - one of two newly opened charter schools
this school year - 81 girls and boys in French blue shirts and desert khakis listened
attentively last week as they were told they had lots of work to do in their 190 days of school."
|
|
 |
|
August, 2007
Kings Collegiate profiled on News 12 Brooklyn
|
|
 |
|
August 23, 2007
Interview with Joel Klein - Charlie Rose,
Charlie Rose interviews Joel Klein, Chancellor
of New York City Department of Education.
Chancellor Klein notes the outstanding academic performance of Excellence Charter School:
"Paul [Tudor Jones] opened up a charter school in Brooklyn. It's called Excellence.
Excellence is all-boys 100 percent African-American, Latino boys in the school...It's a
high-poverty community in Bedford Stuyvesant. Excellence this year got 100 percent
proficiency in math and 92 percent in English."
|
|
 |
|
August, 2007
Uncommon Schools Director of Operations Lindsay Kruse profiled in The Broad Center Education Quarterly
|
|
 |
|
August 2, 2007
"Charter school sought in Troy"
- The Albany Times-Union
"A new charter school, True North Troy Preparatory Charter School, has filed an application
with the state Charter Schools Institute to open for the 2008-09 school year."
|
|
|
|
|
June 28, 2007
"School's Out: Interview with Joel Klein, New York City Schools Chancellor"
- New York Public Radio
In this interview, Chancellor Klein discusses education reform efforts in New York City and
also highlights the success of Excellence Charter School: "[At Excellence Charter School]
this year, their first year of testing...100% of kids were proficient or better in Math
and 92% in English Language Arts. That's one of the most high-performing schools in
the state and that school uses data and information to make sure students master the
skills that they need to know."
|
|
 |
|
June 1, 2007
"Tale of two public schools: Inequitable funding harms charters' kids"
- The Times of Trenton
"Two siblings in Newark attend different public schools: One attends North Star Academy
Charter School and has an almost certain prospect of attending a four-year college.
The other child attends East Side High School and has only a 15 percent chance of
attending a four-year college."
|
|
|
|
|
April 1, 2007
"Full funds for charter students"
- The Times of Trenton
"And if you're looking for further proof that North Star has its act together,
you need only look at what happened to last year's graduating class: Every one of them
enrolled in college."
|
|
 |
|
March 26, 2007
"Kudos for KIPP"
- Wall Street Journal
"The public school establishment and its political supporters continue to talk about closing
academic achievement gaps, but charters like KIPP, Uncommon Schools, Achievement First
and others are actually getting the job done."
|
 |
|
November 26, 2006
"What It Takes to Make a Student"
- New York Times Magazine
"The methods these educators use seem to work: students at their schools consistently score well on
statewide standardized tests. At North Star this year, 93 percent of eighth-grade students were proficient
in language arts, compared with 83 percent of students in New Jersey as a whole; in math, 77 percent were
proficient, compared with 71 percent of students in the state as a whole."
|
|
 |
|
March 28, 2006
"Single-sex schools can work"
- USA Today
|
|
 |
|
April 2005
"Alumni Spotlight: Jabali Sawicki"
- The League Online
|
|
 |
|
Winter 2005
"Jabali Sawicki and the Excellence Charter School"
- Klingenstein News
|
|
 |
|
September 7, 2004
"'Every Second Counts' at This School: City Gets Its First Charter School Exclusively for Boys"
- The New York Sun
|
|
|
|
|
June 13, 2004
"In Newark, Graduates Ace the Final:
Charter School's 19 Seniors Will All Go On to College"
- New York Times
"North Star shouldn't be called college prep," [Edaine Murray, the class
salutatorian of '04] said, "It should be called life prep." ...Shennelle Barnes,
who will be going to Howard University in the fall, said she was accepted at 8
of the 17 colleges to which she had applied. "I would have gone to college no
matter what," she said. "But I wouldn't have gotten into the school I wanted.
North Star is the extra backbone you need."
|
|
 |
|
October 2003
No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap
in Learning by Abigail Thernstrom and Stephan Thernstrom.
- Published by Simon & Schuster, 2003
North Star Academy is
featured in the Thernstroms' book. In a November 2, 2003 Boston
Globe Review of No Excuses, Kim Marshall writes:
"Over the last 25 years, there have been many attempts
to improve urban schools: busing students for racial integration;
pouring money into schools; emphasizing Afro- or Latino-centered
curriculum; increasing the number of minority teachers; reducing
class size; setting up after-school programs; regulating and
taking over failing schools; and introducing standards and high-stakes
tests. The Thernstroms feel that none of these have even begun
to close the racial gap.
"What gives them hope is a small number of highly successful
inner-city schools (including South Boston Harbor Academy, KIPP
Academy in the Bronx, and North Star Academy in Newark)."
|
|
 |
|
December 2, 2002
A Matter of Choice - Newsweek
"The critics make sure you hear about the failures, but the successes receive less attention. Boston
boasts the "Academy of the Pacific Rim" that gets some of the highest test scores in town using Asian
instruction techniques with blank kids; Mesa, Arizona, opened an Arts Academy in a Boys and Girls
Club that has local gangs on the run and academic results surging. Whenever I visit Newark, New Jersey's
North Star Academy I'm amazed by how much learning is going on. the level of enthusiasm and commitment by
teachers and students is phenomenal."
|
|
 |
|
Spring 2001
Charting Success - Colby Magazine
|
|
