|
Not just any charter
school can be an Uncommon School. While the name of each school is
different and the educational programs may vary in the details, all
share essential non-negotiable key features and core principles.
- A College Preparatory Mission
- High Standards for Academics and Character
- A Shared Focus on Accountability and Data-Driven Instruction
- Rigorous Standards-Based Curriculum
- Highly Structured Learning Environments
- Longer School Years and Longer School Days
- A Faculty of Committed and Talented Teachers
- We pursue and prioritize measurable student academic achievement as the
first job of the school.
- We fiercely defend the sanctity of instructional time.
- We consistently allocate resources to core academic instruction and
demand institution-wide assuredness that it is the fundamental work
of the school and its leader. (Great schools are primarily about the
transfer of knowledge, not the delivery of social services).
- We believe
that instilling comprehensive subject area knowledge and ensuring
thorough, reliable facility with basic skills is necessary to college
preparatory-level scholarship and enables (not detracts from) "higher-order"
learning.
- We implement an effective, structured, predictable system of behavioral
standards and generate a positive school culture to enhance student
achievement.
- We expect, without apology, that teachers are responsible for and
have authority over the classroom.
- We expect that adults will invest time in developing meaningful student
relationships. This investment - conducted with candor, firmness and
respect - is understood to be necessary to upholding high expectations.
- We assiduously maintain the highest expectations for all students
and a steadfast refusal to make excuses for them, for the school,
or for its personnel.
- We design school environments such that they communicate, teach and
promote a specific set of values that build integrity and character.
- We consistently and systematically use student performance data and
data management tools to inform decision making within the school.
- We do not believe in an educational panacea; there is no one thing
that brings results.
- We do not pretend that school reform is "rocket science"
or necessarily innovative; we work hard and use common sense.
- We know that without great teachers, nothing else matters. Teachers
must have the time and professional tools and resources to do their
jobs effectively.
- We do not blame the students or back pedal when our schools miss the
mark. We pedal harder!
|
