Grant boosts organization's impact on public education in New York and New
Jersey
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- NewSchools Venture Fund today
announced an investment of up to $1.7 million in Uncommon Schools (Uncommon),
a nonprofit charter management organization that provides an outstanding
college preparatory education for students in New York and New Jersey. Coupled
with earlier grants by NewSchools, this funding will help Uncommon to build
upon its initial success in closing the achievement gap in these geographies
by developing more than 20 additional schools over the next ten years.
Uncommon Schools ultimately will encompass more than 30 schools, serving more
than 10,000 students in grade K through 12.
"With incredible results at its initial schools, Uncommon Schools is
offering a high-quality public school option to low-income students in New
York and New Jersey who need it most," said Jim Peyser, Partner at NewSchools.
"NewSchools looks forward to supporting Uncommon Schools as it grows into an
even larger and stronger network of high-performing schools that demonstrates
what it takes to prepare these students for success in college and beyond."
From its headquarters in New York City, Uncommon Schools currently manages
nine schools that serve 1,350 students in New York City, upstate New York, and
Newark, New Jersey. Uncommon develops and manages regional networks of schools
that display philosophical alignment and a high level of accountability. These
include Excellence Charter Schools, Collegiate Charter Schools, and
Preparatory Charter Schools in New York City; True North Public Schools in
upstate New York; and North Star Academy Charter Schools in Newark, New
Jersey. All of the schools share common elements proven to be successful in
preparing urban students for academic and college success: a highly structured
learning environment, a longer school day and a longer school year,
standards-based instructional models, and proven curricula that are
data-driven and informed by ongoing assessments. Additionally, Uncommon
provides a full complement of management services including program
development; staff recruitment and training; facility acquisition and
financing; financial management and fund development; technology; legal
counsel; and marketing and advocacy. These services help Uncommon to maintain
school quality while growing to scale and allow school leaders to focus on
instructional leadership.
This investment is an important piece of NewSchools' increasing work to
support entrepreneurial education reform in key urban geographies across the
country, including New York City. Uncommon Schools joins two other charter
management organizations in NewSchools' portfolio with schools in New York
City: Achievement First, which runs charter schools in both Connecticut and
New York, and Lighthouse Academies, which operates charter schools in New York
as well as several other cities in the Northeast and Midwest. These three
organizations are having a measurable and increasing impact on public
education in New York City, where they collectively manage 11 schools serving
over 2,300 students in Brooklyn and the Bronx. NewSchools has also supported
Civic Builders, a nonprofit charter school facilities developer that provides
high-quality, affordable real estate solutions for charter schools in New York
City.
"NewSchools Venture Fund is a true partner in providing Uncommon Schools
with important financial resources as well as strategic guidance as we grow to
scale," said Norman Atkins, Founder and CEO of Uncommon Schools. "This
investment is critical to our success as we build our infrastructure and
increase the pace at which we open new schools, particularly in New York City.
The partnership will ensure that Uncommon meets its growth targets and starts
more schools that succeed in closing the achievement gap."
Uncommon Schools has achieved outstanding results in serving high-need
students. In the nine schools it operates today, 81% of students qualify for
free- or reduced-price lunch and 99% are minorities. All nine schools have
consistently outperformed their neighboring district schools and rank among
the top schools in their cities and states. For example, 100% of 6th grade
students at Uncommon middle school Williamsburg Collegiate scored advanced or
proficient on the 2007 New York state math exam, compared with 63% citywide
and 59% in the school's host district in Brooklyn. Uncommon is also
successfully preparing it high school students for post-secondary work, with
95% of North Star Academy students graduating in four years and 100% of those
graduates enrolling in college.
About Uncommon Schools
Uncommon Schools is a growing network of urban college preparatory charter
schools working to close the achievement gap in the Northeast. The
organization first supported the creation of North Star Academy Charter School
of Newark, which opened in 1997 and has since emerged as one of the most
celebrated charter public schools in the nation. The organization currently
manages nine schools in New York and New Jersey and also has two associate
member schools in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2005, Uncommon formalized its
mission as a charter management organization with the goal of starting schools
in the Northeast that create transformative college prep opportunities for
low-income children. For more information, please visit
http://www.uncommonschools.org.
About NewSchools Venture Fund
NewSchools Venture Fund is a national nonprofit venture philanthropy firm
that has been working since 1998 to transform public education for underserved
children by supporting education entrepreneurs who create nonprofit and
for-profit organizations that have the power to catalyze system-wide change.
Its current investment strategy focuses on increasing the supply of
high-quality public schools for underserved students, enabling traditional and
charter school systems to become performance-driven in their practices and
enhancing the pipeline of talented people into and across the public school
system. Its investments are designed to make a significant systemic impact in
some of the nation's most challenged urban communities, including New York
City, Chicago, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Oakland,
California. For more information, see http://www.newschools.org.
SOURCE NewSchools Venture Fund
Julie Petersen, Communications Director of NewSchools Venture Fund,
+1-415-615-6863, jpetersen@newschools.org; or Megan C. Zug, Director of
Marketing of Uncommon Schools, Inc., +1-617-645-4063,
mzug@uncommonschools.org
