Uncommon Schools (Uncommon) is a
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
charter public school managed and operated in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
that starts and manages urban schools for low-income students. Uncommon Schools starts and manages 53 urban charter public schools. Uncommon Schools are in five regions: Boston MA, Camden NJ, Newark NJ, New York City, and Rochester NY.
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 James Verrilli. In 2005, Uncommon formalized its mission as a charter management organization with the goal of starting and managing schools that create
college prep
A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily design ...
opportunities for low-income children.
In 2009, the founders of Uncommon, along with those of
Achievement First
Achievement First is a charter school network in the United States. Achievement First operates schools in Connecticut (beginning with Amistad Academy in New Haven in 1999 along with other schools in New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford), New York Ci ...
and
KIPP
The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) is a network of tuition-free, open-enrollment college-preparatory public charter schools serving students in historically underserved communities across the United States. Founded in 1994 by Mike Feinber ...
created Teacher U at
Hunter College
Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...
.
Results
In New York City, Uncommon Schools have performed well on recent standardized tests. Kings Collegiate Middle School received a B rating on their 2011-2012 NYC DOE Progress Report, and Brownsville Collegiate Charter received an A overall rating. At Williamsburg Collegiate, 100% of fifth graders passed the 2009 state Math exam.
On September 9, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan
Arne Starkey Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American educator and former professional basketball player who served as the 9th United States secretary of education from 2009 to 2015 and as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools ...
recognized Uncommon Schools’ North Star Academy as a 2010
National Blue Ribbon School
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...
. The highest award bestowed by the department, it honors 304 public and private
elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
,
middle
Middle or The Middle may refer to:
* Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits.
Places
* Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man
* Middle Bay (disambiguation)
* Middle Brook (disambiguation)
* Middle Creek ...
, and
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
s that demonstrate the highest student achievement in their respective states and/or have closed the achievement gap.
At Troy Prep, 100% of seventh graders passed the 2011-2012 state exam, and 38% of fifth graders passed the ELA exam, which was slightly better than the district average. Seventh grade ELA scores were significantly better at 56% passing (compared to 37% in the district).
Awards
Uncommon Schools won the 2013 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools and received $250,000 to support college-readiness efforts for their students.
References
{{Reflist
External links
* http://www.uncommonschools.org
Charter schools in the United States